Vanilla Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping

1Preparation Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and grease a springform pan.

2Crust Preparation In a bowl, mix the crushed cookies (1½ cups), sugar (¼ cup), and melted butter (⅓ cup) for the crust. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan to form the crust.

3Filling Preparation In a food processor, blend the cottage cheese (16 oz.) until smooth. Add sugar (1 cup), vanilla extract (2 tsp), eggs (3 large), and sour cream (½ cup). Blend until well combined and smooth.

4Baking the Cheesecake Pour the filling over the crust in the pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the center is set.

5Topping Preparation While the cheesecake is baking, prepare the sour cream (1½ cups) topping by mixing sour cream (½ cup), sugar (¼ cup), and vanilla extract (1 tsp) until smooth.

6Adding the Topping After the cheesecake is done, remove it from the oven and spread the sour cream (1½ cups) topping evenly over the surface. Return the cheesecake to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

7Cooling and Serving Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.