Crust

• Preheat the oven to 355°F or 180°C. Grease a nine inch round springform baking pan (with removable bottom) with a bit of butter or spray.
• In a large bowl, combine cookies, butter, sugar, and salt. Mix until evenly coated.
  3 cups gingersnap or gingerbread cookies, ⅓ cup unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• Transfer into the springform baking pan and spread out evenly to the edges. Press the crust mixture down and up the sides of the pan.
• Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool. Don’t turn the oven off! Work on the filling while it bakes and cools.

• Cheesecake batter

  • Prep: Fill up a kettle with water and set to boil.
  • In a large bowl or stand mixer, mix cream cheese together until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the bowl frequently to prevent lumps. Add sugar and salt, and mix together. Scrape down the bowl.
    32 oz cream cheese, 1 cup granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • Add eggs one by one, mixing just until each egg disappears into the batter. Don’t overmix and make sure to scrape down the bowl frequently.
    3 large eggs
  • Add vanilla, sour cream, and heavy cream, mixing gently – be careful not to overmix or the batter will be too airy.
    1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, ⅓ cup sour cream, ¼ cup heavy whipping cream

  Gingerbread swirl

  • Remove half of the cheesecake batter and set aside in a pitcher or measuring cup with a spout. Into the remaining cheesecake batter, add molasses and spices. Stir together well to evenly incorporate.
    4 tablespoons molasses, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon cloves
  • Starting with the vanilla cheesecake batter, pour half of it into the cheesecake pan with the crust. Pour half of the gingerbread batter right into the middle. Without spreading any batter out, pour the remaining vanilla batter into the middle. Lastly, pour the remaining gingerbread batter right into the middle. You can use a toothpick to swirl the top – I didn’t because I wanted chunkier swirls.
  • To make a water bath, place the cheesecake pan into a slightly larger pan or shallow pot that it fits into. The tighter the fit the better the results! Place into an even larger pan and transfer into the oven. See water bath alternatives in the notes below. 

    Pour boiling hot water into the largest pan, so that it comes up at least halfway up the cheesecake pan. You may need to add a few kettles full of boiling water.

  • Bake the cheesecake in the preheated oven (355°F or 180°C) for 70-90 minutes. It is ready when the edges are set and the middle is puffed and still jiggly. It will continue baking as it cools.
  • Leave the oven door open for 20 minutes and let the cheesecake cool inside the oven. Afterwards, remove the cheesecake from the water bath and let cool completely to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight.
  • Before serving, decorate with sugared cranberries and mini gingerbread cookies (link gingerbread cookie recipe)!
    Gingerbread cookies, Sugared cranberries