Hazelnut Cheesecake

Creamy creamy cheesecake made with homemade hazelnut paste, housed in a mix of cookie crumbs and ground hazelnuts.

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 2

Chill Time 6

Servings tall 8" cheesecake

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Set the nuts on a cookie sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, shaking the pan at the 5 minute mark.
While still hot, pour the nuts into a food processor. Grind the nuts on high, they’ll first chop, then turn powdery, after about 5-7 minutes of processing and scraping down the bowl as needed, they’ll begin to turn into a paste. Keep processing on high until the paste is very runny. Transfer to a jar and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. You'll likely have more than you need for this recipe.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a greased 8” cake pan (not springform!) with parchment paper, using metal clips to keep the parchment in place.
In a food processor, grind the nuts for the crust until chopped very finely. Process the cookies until you have crumbs.
Melt the butter in a bowl and add the powdered sugar, nuts, and cookie crumbs. Mix well until the texture is like wet sand. Press the wet crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the cake pan. The crumbs won’t stick perfectly to the sides, just do your best. Use the bottom of a ⅓ measuring cup (coat it in powdered sugar or flour) to help you tuck the crumbs into neat, tight layers.
Bake the crust for 10 minutes, and lower the heat to 325 F. Set aside to cool while you make the filling.

In the bowl of a stand mixer affixed with the paddle attachment, start mixing the cream cheese on the lowest setting. Use a rubber spatula to scrape it down and press it until you cant find any lumps. Add the brown sugar, salt and vanilla and mix well.
Add the hazelnut butter, scrape down the bowl and mix until well blended.
Add the flour, and eggs and while the mixer is on, pour in the heavy cream. Mix to just combine.
If you see any lumps in the cream cheese at this point, consider running the batter through a fine mesh sieve to remove them. There will be very tiny 'bits' from the hazelnut paste but those are fine to keep in the filling (and they add a hint of texture).
Pour the batter into the cooled crust. Fill a 13 x9” cake pan halfway with water. Place the cheesecake pan in the water and set it in the oven.
(If you see any dark spots starting to form on top it’s probably from some hot spots on the roof of the oven, gently nudge the pan away from those areas.)
Bake for 60-75 minutes, until you can gently shake the cheesecake pan and most of it looks set. The middle will still have a bit of jiggle.
Turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool while still inside. Prop a wooden spoon in the door to allow it to cool. After about a half hour you can take the cheesecake out and set it on the counter. When it’s at room temperature, transfer to the fridge. Chill overnight, or at least for 8 hours.