VANILLA WAFER CRUST FOR CHEESECAKE RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. For the Vanilla Wafer Crust, mix vanilla wafer crumbs, butter, sugar and vanilla in medium bowl until well blended. Press evenly into bottom and 2 inches up sides of 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.
• For the Filling, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on high speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Add sour cream and vanilla; mix well. Pour into prepared crust.Test Kitchen Tip: For creamier texture if you’re swapping in ricotta cheese in place of the cream cheese, process the ricotta in a blender or food processor until very smooth before combining with remaining filling ingredients.
• Bake 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Turn off oven. Leave cheesecake in oven 2 hours or until cooled. Remove from oven.
• Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Run small knife around sides of pan to loosen crust; remove sides of pan. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.
• Substitution Tip: If you have trouble finding cream cheese and don't want to use ricotta, try this recipe with vegan-friendly cream cheese, like Tofutti®. If you’re looking for a fully vegan version of our vanilla cheesecake, check out this Vegan Cheesecake recipe!

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 foil securely around pan., In a small bowl, mix pecans and wafer crumbs; stir in butter. Press onto bottom and 1/2 in. up sides of prepared pan., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and 1-1/3 cups sugar until smooth. Beat in 2 teaspoons vanilla. 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 almost set, 65-75 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes on a wire rack. In a small bowl, mix sour cream and remaining sugar and vanilla; spread over top of cheesecake. Bake 5 minutes longer., 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. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled., In a small saucepan, whisk cornstarch and liqueur until smooth. Stir in spreadable fruit; bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally., Remove rim from springform pan. Arrange strawberries over cheesecake; top with some of the glaze, allowing glaze to drip down sides. Refrigerate until glaze is set, about 1 hour. To serve, gently warm remaining glaze; serve with cheesecake.