BA's Best Cheesecake

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Pulse 9 oz. graham crackers, chocolate wafer cookies, vanilla wafer cookies, or gingersnap cookies in the large bowl of a food processor until fine crumbs form (you should have about 2 cups). Add 1 Tbsp. raw sugar and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt and pulse just to combine. Add 1/2 cup (4 oz.) melted butter and pulse until mixture is the consistency of wet sand.
2. Transfer mixture to springform pan and, using a measuring cup, press crumbs firmly onto bottom and 2" up sides of pan. Bake crust until fragrant and edges just start to take on color, 12–15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
3. Preheat oven to 325°. Pulse 20 oz. cream cheese (2½ 8-oz. bars), room temperature, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt in the large bowl of a food processor (no need to clean it first), occasionally scraping down sides of the bowl, until smooth. Scrape in the seeds from 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (save pod for another use), or add 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract. Add 2/3 cup sour cream, room temperature and 1/4 tsp. finely grated lemon zest and pulse until smooth. Add 2 large eggs, room temperature and pulse to combine. Scrape cheesecake batter into cooled crust and bake until edges are set but center is still wobbly, 35–40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

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