Description
This Sugar Cookie Cheesecake combines a buttery sugar cookie crust with festive cookie dough balls baked right into a creamy, smooth cheesecake. Topped with a luscious white chocolate ganache and sprinkled with colorful Christmas jimmies, this dessert is perfect for holiday celebrations and satisfying sweet cravings.
Ingredients
Scale
Sugar Cookie Crust
- 1 3/4 cup All-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 3/4 cup Unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup White granulated sugar
- 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
- 1 Large egg, room temperature
- 1 Egg yolk, room temperature
- 1/3 cup Christmas sprinkles, jimmies
Cookie Dough Balls
- 1 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup White granulated sugar
- 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
- 3 TBSP Milk
- 1/2 cup Christmas sprinkles, jimmies
Cheesecake
- 24 oz Cream cheese, room temperature
- 3/4 cup White granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup Sour cream, room temperature or Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup Heavy cream, room temperature
- 1 tsp Pure vanilla extract
- 4 Large eggs, room temperature
- 3/4 Cookie dough balls
White Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup White chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup Heavy cream
Instructions
- Prepare Sugar Cookie Crust: Preheat the oven to 350℉. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with baking nonstick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper, then spray again. First, bake 1 1/2 cups of the all-purpose flour on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes and allow to cool. In a medium bowl, mix the remaining 1 3/4 cup flour with baking soda and salt. Using a mixer, beat butter and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes, then add vanilla, egg, and egg yolk and mix on medium speed until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined, then fold in 1/3 cup Christmas sprinkles. Press the dough evenly into the bottom of the springform pan, not up the sides. Bake for 30 minutes until golden on top.
- Make Cookie Dough Balls: While crust bakes, mix flour and salt in a bowl. Beat butter and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes, then add vanilla and milk, mixing on medium until smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined, then fold in 1/2 cup Christmas sprinkles. Roll dough into small balls about the size of a dime or nickel on wax paper over a baking sheet. Freeze dough balls until cold and firm to use later.
- Prepare Cheesecake Batter: Preheat oven to 325℉. Start hot water for a water bath. Beat cream cheese and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes, scraping sides halfway through. Add sour cream, heavy cream, and vanilla and mix on medium until smooth and lump-free. Add eggs one at a time and mix on low until just combined. Fold in 3/4 of the cookie dough balls.
- Assemble and Bake Cheesecake: Pour cheesecake batter over baked crust in springform pan. Prepare water bath by either placing the pan in a larger cake pan set within a roasting pan filled halfway with hot water, or tightly wrapping the springform pan with foil and placing it in a roasting pan with hot water halfway up the sides. Bake cheesecake for 90 minutes until edges are set and center slightly jiggles.
- Cool and Chill Cheesecake: Turn off oven and crack door open, allowing cheesecake to cool inside oven for 30 minutes to prevent cracks. Remove and cool completely on a rack, then wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight for best results.
- Prepare White Chocolate Ganache: Place white chocolate chips in a bowl. Heat heavy cream over medium heat until hot and steaming, then pour over chocolate chips. Let sit 2 minutes before stirring until smooth. If chocolate is not fully melted, heat in 20-second microwave intervals stirring between.
- Finish and Serve: Remove cheesecake from fridge and take off springform pan and parchment paper. Pour ganache over cheesecake and freeze for 10 minutes until set. Top with remaining cookie dough balls and extra Christmas sprinkles. Slice and serve.
Notes
- Pull out all dairy ingredients 2 hours before baking to ensure they are at room temperature for smooth batter.
- Baking the flour before adding it to the dough helps to develop flavor and improve texture.
- Freezing the cookie dough balls ensures they hold shape and maintain texture in the final cheesecake.
- Use a water bath for even baking and to prevent cracks in the cheesecake.
- Chill the cheesecake overnight for the best texture and flavor before serving.
- If white chocolate ganache seizes, warming in short intervals helps melt the chocolate smoothly.
- Press cookie dough crust firmly and evenly to create a sturdy base for the cheesecake.
- Crack the oven door during cooling to avoid sudden temperature changes that cause cracking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 105 mg
