Sugar Cookie Cheesecake

Lush creamy cheesecake infused with vanilla flavor over sugar cookie crust and loaded with Christmas-colored sprinkles. It is a creamy, rich, and delicious dessert for the holiday season.

Do you love sugar cookie flavor? And what about cheesecake?

And the culinary progress has reached far beyond boring recipes, so here we are with a crispy chewy doughy sugar cookie crust loaded with vanilla cheesecake and topped with decadent white chocolate ganache. Oh yes, and since it is the holiday season, sprinkles are everywhere!

Even though traditional cheesecake recipes do take time, it is mostly because we need the dessert to chill overnight. Other than that, it is not as intimidating as it sounds. In fact, we will only need 10-11 ingredients to feed the crowd. And a cheesecake for a celebration is always a no-brainer.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Amazing cheesecake for the holiday season! Add festive sprinkles to the cheesecake layer and on top of the white ganache and you have a beautiful Christmas dessert.
• Classic baked cheesecake. I know the no-bake cheesecakes are amazing, but there is so much satisfaction in baking cheesecake, and when you pull it out it is just perfect!
• No water bath. Yeah, I know it may help with even baking, but honestly, my cheesecake doesn’t crack without it.
• No soggy crust as we pre-bake it. Plus sugar cookies usually have baking soda in them making the crust crisp and firm.

Ingredients Notes

This is a recipe overview. Exact measurements and instructions are in the recipe card at the end of the post.

Sugar Cookie Dough Crust

• Refrigerated sugar cookie dough, homemade or store-bought (Pillsbury’s is good). 

Cheesecake Filling

• Cream cheese – room temperature. I use full-fat cream cheese for the best texture and flavor. The brick-style like Philadelphia is the best.
• Granulated sugar and a bit of salt
• All-purpose flour or gluten-free flour to thicken the filling.
• Eggs – as it is a baked cheesecake we can use eggs for airy fluffy texture. 
• Vanilla extract for flavor.
• Sour cream for a rich creamy texture.
• Red & Green Sprinkles, technically are optional if you are not making this perfect dessert for Christmas.

White Chocolate Ganache

• White chocolate. It is better to use high-quality chips or chopped chocolate bars. 
• Heavy cream
• Red, White & Green festive sprinkles

Kitchen Equipment

• 10-inch springform pan (classic cheesecake pan) lined with parchment paper and greased with nonstick cooking spray,
• Saucepan
• Electric mixer, medium bowl with a hand mixer
• A rubber spatula is generally best to gently fold ingredients in cheesecake recipes.
• Aluminum foil

Homemade Sugar Cookie Dough

If you want to use homemade sugar cookie dough in this cheesecake, here is an easy recipe. You can keep it simple or make it with Christmas sprinkles

• You will need a stand mixer fitter with a whisk and paddle attachment

Beat half a cup of unsalted butter and half a cup of sugar for 1-2 minutes until fluffy. Mix in one egg and vanilla extract. Then, add a pinch of salt and baking soda, mixing until well combined. Scrape the sides to make sure everything is mixed. As a last step add 1 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour and mix until smooth.

If you will eat the cookie dough balls raw or use them for decoration, do not add eggs, but use milk instead.

How To Make This Sugar Cookie Cheesecake Recipe

1: Blind Bake The Sugar Cookie Crust

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line the springform pan with parchment on the bottom and up the sides.
3. Press the cookie dough into the bottom of the prepared pan in a flat, even layer.
4. Blind bake for 5 minutes. Remove and set the prepared crust aside.

2: Prepare Cream Cheese Mixture For Filling

1. Beat cream cheese in a large mixing bowl well until creamy.
2. Add the sugar, flour, and salt to the cream cheese and beat well until combined.
3. Mix in the eggs, one at a time. One the last addition, also add the sour cream and vanilla. Beat the cheesecake batter until smooth.
4. Fold in the sprinkles to the thick cheesecake filling.
5. Pour the cheesecake filling on top of the partially baked cookie crust.

3: Bake Cheesecake

1. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until the edges are set and the center jiggles ever so slightly.
2. Turn off the oven, crack the oven door open, and let the cheesecake sit in the hot oven for one more hour. Then move it to the wire rack and let it cool completely.

4: Chill The Cheesecake

Remove the cheesecake, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for no less than 6 hours, but preferably leave it in the fridge overnight. You want a really cold cheesecake.

5: Top With White Chocolate Ganache

1. Before serving, prepare the sauce by heating the heavy cream in a small saucepan. Bring to steaming, but not boiling.
2. Add the white chocolate chips. Let them sit in the hot cream for 30 seconds before whisking together.
3. Pour the ganache over the top of the baked cheesecake. Optional, pop for 10 minutes in the freezer to help the ganache set.
4. Top with desired sprinkles before serving.

How To Bake Cheesecakes Using A Water Bath

You will need at least 2 pans.

Place the springform pan inside a 1-inch bigger cake pan and the cake pan inside a roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with boiling water. Bake cheesecake on the middle rack.

Water bath takes longer to bake. About 1 hour 40-45 minutes.

If only using 2 pans, wrap the bottom of the springform pan with heavy-duty foil, then place it inside a bigger pan and fill that pan with boiling water halfway.

Storage

Storing. Store leftover sugar cookie cheesecake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

Freezing. You can freeze individual slices wrapped in two layers: one of plastic wrap and the second one of foil for 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for 1-2 hours before serving.

Making ahead. You can make the sugar cookie cheesecake 1 day ahead. Make the ganache the day of.

Substitutions & Variations

• Homemade whipped cream to decorate. Use a whisk attachment on the mixer and beat heavy cream and powdered sugar until soft peaks form.
• Sugar cookie crust. I made mine with the dough but the shortcut is to make it with sugar cookies. Start by mixing sugar cookie crumbs with melted butter in a large bowl. Then you press it into the prepared pan. You can pre-bake it as well. You can either use store-bought sugar cookies or make the dough and bake them on a cookie sheet. That would significantly increase the total time to make this cheesecake though.
• Sugar cookie dough balls can be refrigerated and mixed into the cheesecake filling. You can even mix in some sprinkles inside the dough too before shaping tiny balls. Adding the dough in the filling may cause cracks but it doesn’t affect the taste.
• You can also use shortbread cookie crust.
• Other occasions. You can find pumpkin sugar cookies to make this recipe in the fall or use heart-shaped sprinkles and Valentine’s Day sugar cookies and pink-colored whipped cream to celebrate St Valentine’s Day.
• Toppings. I use white chocolate ganache but you can add sugar cookie crumble, canned cherry pie filling, fresh berries or fruit, whipped cream frosting with instant pudding, sour cream frosting, Christmas-themed sugar cookies or edible cookie dough balls, meringue, or classic buttercream frosting. Endless options!
• Make sugar cookie cheesecake bars – they are easier to serve at a party.

Expert Tips To Make The Best Sugar Cookie Cheesecake

• The cheesecake chilled overnight is easier to cut. You can also hold the knife under hot water, and dry it, and it will be easier to make a clean slice of sugar cookie cheesecake.
• Use room temperature ingredients to make sure they can be properly combined until smooth with no lumps.
• Do not overbeat the cream cheese mixture. Air creates pockets and they will sink and crack during baking.
• Beat eggs one at a time and at low speed/slowly as they are easy to overbeat which also leads to cracks.
• Do not rush the cooling process. Again, it can make the top crack or even split. 

If you love this cheesecake recipe, you’re going to love these other cheesecake recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Sugar Cookie-Inspired Recipes

Edible Sugar Cookie Dough

Sugar Cookie Truffles

Frosted Sugar Cookie Fudge

Cannoli Sugar Cookie Cups

---

---