LEMON WAFERS COOKIES RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Wrap securely around pan., In a small bowl, mix crushed wafers and melted butter. Press onto the bottom and 3/4 in. up sides of prepared pan. Bake 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream and sugar until smooth. Beat in lemon zest and juice. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended. Pour into crust. Place springform pan in a larger baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan. , Bake until center is just set and top appears dull, 1 to 1-1/4 hours. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove foil. Cool 1 hour longer., Meanwhile, in a small heavy saucepan, whisk together first 5 curd ingredients. Add butter; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is just thick enough to coat a metal spoon and a thermometer reads at least 170°. Do not allow to boil. Remove immediately to a small bowl; cool completely., Gently spread curd over cheesecake. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled. Remove rim from pan. If desired, top with fresh lemon zest strips.

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), cream the cream cheese and powdered sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and continue to mix on medium speed until medium peaks form, about 3 minutes. Fold in the lemon zest.
• Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture onto the bottom of a 9"x13" dish (to prevent cookies from sliding around), then cover it with a single layer of Nilla wafers. Top cookies with about 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture, using an offset spatula or back of a spoon to spread into an even layer. Drizzle this layer with approximately 1/2 of the lemon curd and lightly swirl in. Cover the curd with another layer of cookies and repeat, finishing with a layer of the cream cheese mixture. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and freeze for 3 hours.
• While the cake is freezing, use a vegetable peeler to slice long strips of peel from a lemon. (Be careful not to go too deep; you want to avoid the bitter white pith.) Slice the strips into very thin strips and soak in simple syrup for 3 hours or up to a week in the refrigerator.
• Remove the cake from the freezer and garnish with the candied lemon peel. Freeze any leftovers for up to 7 days.