People like to say that Graham Crackers make the best cheesecake crust. And, while this is a classic way to go, it's not necessarily my favorite cheesecake crust out there. It's a solid choice. It's great for kids. Although there are other cookie options! Personally, I'm a big fan of Nilla Wafers. This is a quick and easy recipe with vanilla wafers, unsalted butter, and granulated sugar.
Do You Need Graham Crackers?
You can use other cookies, though. Shortbread would probably be pretty good as well. Although I'd probably add a little bit less butter if you tried. The good thing about cheesecake crust is that it doesn't have to be that precise. Crusts generally tend to hold together pretty well without too much fuss. The cheesecake itself is an entirely other story! But don't fret too much during the crust stage. If something's going to go wrong, it usually isn't this early in the process.
Since there are so many things that can go wrong with the cheesecake filling, though, I generally tend to double the ingredients in case I want to make a backup, in the event that the first doesn't turn out perfectly.
You could also make your own cookies, blend some of them up for the crust, and then serve the rest alongside the cheesecake.
Do You Need a Springform Pan?
Baking is a pretty precise thing to measure. I wouldn't go too wild and crazy changing up the recipe. There are some tweaks here and there that you can do with flavoring your cheesecake. You could even flavor the crust by adding things like cocoa powder to make it chocolatey. But flavor is just about the only thing that you can alter here!
I highly recommend a pan with a removeable bottom. These are often labeled as springform pans, cheesecake pans, or tart pan. These come in a variety of sizes. I typically use a 9-inch springform pan. Although you can also use half- or miniature-sized pans.
You do need to make sure that it's metal, though. Do not use a pan that's silicone. They don't heat the same way that metal pans do and won't cook as evenly. Which is a big deal when you're attempting to bake a custard that needs to set. The only exception to this is there are some metal springform pans with a glass bottom. These are great if you like to serve off of the base and don't want to scratch up the nonstick surface.
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Variations of Cheesecake Crust
I make at least 1 cheesecake almost every year. Sometimes multiple cheesecakes for birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. They're a great dessert to mix and match for both summer and winter flavors. I do everything from a more classic cheesecake to peanut butter and chocolate, Irish Cream liquor, and a Margarita cheesecake.
Heavily coat a springform cheesecake pan with butter. Set aside.
I am a purist when it comes to cheesecake. I do not recommend spraying it with olive oil or attempting a cheesecake in anything other than a cheesecake pan! It will not have the same flavor and it will not come cleanly out of any other type of pan.
Add vanilla wafers to food processor and process for 1-2 minutes, or until the wafers turn into fine crumbs.
You want 1 1/2 cups of vanilla wafer crumbs, so you'll need to add about twice as much whole vanilla wafers to reach this amount. I find it easier to just weigh out 200 grams, which is the equivalent of 1 ½ cups. It's also okay if it's slightly more or slightly less. This isn't the kind of cake where 205 grams is going to matter.
Add butter and sugar to vanilla wafer crumbs and process for 2 minutes, or until the mixture is fully incorporated and begins to form a ball.
Add wafer mixture to the springform pan and firmly pack down.
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