I think it’s pretty well established now that this is a brown butter fan account. I love the rich nuttiness of brown butter and use it in as many ways as I can conjure up. From banana bars to flourless chocolate cake, cauliflower soup to green beans, bubble bread to simple spread. To paraphrase an popular ad campaign, I put that sh*t in everything. It’s one simple step that adds so much depth and dimension to any recipe. And this is no exception. A dreamily creamy cheesecake kissed with that note of toasty browned butter. A hit of bourbon and lots of fresh vanilla bean add interest and complexity. It’s unlike any cheesecake you’ve had before and your guests will rave. All for that one little addition.
I love plain vanilla wafers as the crust for this – they don’t distract from the main attraction, but give you that slightly sweet, crunchy vessel for the fabulous filling. I always brown butter in a stainless steel or light-colored pan so you can really see when the butter starts to turn toasty brown. Scraping the seeds from a vanilla bean add such a deep vanilla flavor, plus the gorgeous, speckled look to the filling that I highly recommend using it. In a pinch, you could use a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste (but really, use your vanilla bean for this). Check the hint below the recipe for an easy hack for waterbath cooking the cheesecake.
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Ingredients
- For the Crust
1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter
1 (11-ounce) box vanilla wafers
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg white
- For the Filling
¼ cup browned butter
2 (8-ounce) blocks of cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 Tablespoon bourbon
The seeds scraped from one vanilla bean
½ cup sour cream
2 large eggs
Directions
- For the Crust
- Cut the butter into small pieces and place in a medium saucepan (light colored or stainless is best so you can see the butter as it browns). Heat over medium high heat, watching constantly, until the butter is melted. It will start to spit and hiss, then you will see brown speckles appear. Swirl the butter around to distribute the browned bits, and as soon as the butter has an even brown color and a nice nutty smell, pour it into a 2 cup glass measuring jug or a small bowl. Let cool slightly.
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Wrap the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan tightly with foil to prevent water seeping in when you cook it. Spray the bottom and sides with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan or deep sided baking pan – you will fill it half way up the sides of the springform with water to co cook the cheesecake.
- Put the cookies and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to break up into small crumbs. Add ½ cup of the browned butter, the lighter color from the top, not the browned bits from the bottom and the egg white. Pulse until the crumbs are damp and cohesive, you can drizzle in a little bit more butter if you need to. Dump the crumbs into the prepared pan and press into a tight layer across the bottom and partway up the sides of the pan. Use the bottom of a smooth glass or measuring cup to press the crumbs into solid, stiff crust. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
- For the Filling
- Bring a kettle of water to a boil (or at least heat the sink water to the hottest). Put the cream cheese, ¼ cup of browned butter (using the lovely browned, but not black sediment from the bottom), the sugar, bourbon and vanilla bean seeds in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until very smooth and creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the sour cream and eggs and beat until completely smooth and combined, scraping the sides of the bowl a few sides. Scrape the filling into the prepared crust and smooth the top. Put the larger pan with the springform on the middle rack in the oven, then carefully pour the boiled water into the large pan, slowly so you don’t splash any into the cake, reaching halfway up the sides of the pan. Bake for 1 hour – to 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the center is only slightly jiggly and the top is not shiny. Turn off the oven, leaving the cheesecake inside and prop the door ajar with a wooden spoon. Leave to cool at least 30 minutes. When you take it from the oven you should easily be able to touch the pan without oven mitts. Lift the springform from the water and leave to cool on a rack completely. Cover the cake, then refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Unclip the ring and slice.
Notes
- Hint: I learned this tip recently – find a 10-inch cake pan that the springform pan will fit in and place the springform in the cake pan, the cake pan in the roasting pan and pour the water around the cake pan. No need to wrap the springform with foil and no water seeping into the cheesecake.
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