Description
A festive and indulgent Sugar Cookie Cheesecake featuring a buttery sugar cookie crust, vanilla speckled cheesecake studded with sprinkle-filled cookie dough balls, all topped with a silky white chocolate ganache and vibrant Christmas sprinkles. This rich dessert combines the best of cookie dough and cheesecake for a holiday-worthy treat.
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 (prepared earlier)
White Chocolate Ganache
- 1 cup White chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup Heavy cream
Instructions
- Prepare Sugar Cookie Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper, spraying again. Spread 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour on a cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes, then cool. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. Using a mixer, beat butter and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes. Add vanilla, egg, and egg yolk; mix on medium until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Stir in Christmas sprinkles. Press dough evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan, not up the sides. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden.
- Make Cookie Dough Balls: While crust bakes, mix flour and salt in a bowl. Beat butter and sugar on high speed for 2 minutes. Add vanilla and milk; mix on medium until combined. Incorporate dry ingredients on low speed, then fold in Christmas sprinkles. Roll dough into dime- to nickel-sized balls and place on wax paper-lined sheet. Freeze until firm.
- Prepare Cheesecake Batter: Preheat oven to 325°F and start heating water for water bath. Beat cream cheese and sugar on high for 2 minutes, scraping bowl midway. Add sour cream, heavy cream, and vanilla; mix on medium until smooth with no lumps. Add eggs on low speed until just combined. Gently fold in 3/4 of the cookie dough balls with a spatula.
- Assemble and Bake Cheesecake: Pour batter over cooled crust. Prepare water bath by placing springform pan inside a larger cake pan, then set inside roasting pan filled halfway with hot water, or wrap springform pan tightly with foil and place in roasting pan similarly filled with hot water. Bake for 80-90 minutes until edges are set and center slightly jiggles. Turn off oven, crack door open, and cool cheesecake in oven for 30 minutes to prevent cracks.
- Chill Cheesecake: Remove cheesecake from oven, place on cooling rack to reach room temperature. Wrap the pan tightly in foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.
- Make White Chocolate Ganache: Heat heavy cream in a small pan over medium heat until hot and steaming. Pour over white chocolate chips in a bowl. Let sit for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth. If lumps remain, microwave in 20-second bursts until melted completely.
- Finish and Serve: Remove cheesecake from fridge and take off pan and parchment paper. Pour ganache over cheesecake evenly. Freeze for 10 minutes to set ganache. Top with remaining cookie dough balls and extra Christmas sprinkles. Slice and serve chilled.
Notes
- Pull out dairy ingredients at least 2 hours before baking to ensure room temperature, which helps avoid lumps in batter.
- Freezing cookie dough balls before folding them in prevents spreading and melting during baking.
- Water bath is essential for gentle, even baking and crack-free cheesecake; ensure pan is sealed well to avoid water leaks.
- Cooling with oven door cracked minimizes cracking by gradual temperature reduction.
- Chilling the cheesecake overnight greatly improves texture and flavor development.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/16 of cheesecake)
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 32g
- Sodium: 220mg
- Fat: 32g
- Saturated Fat: 18g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0.3g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 125mg
