Family Secrets

{ My Mom's cheesecake recipie with J's Grandmothers crust } 

This weekend I promised J that I would make him anything of his choice. Since he's been my constant taste-tester and photo-assistant, I felt like I owed him one! His choice was something sweet (of course): strawberry cheesecake with crust just like his grandmother's. So I dug into the depths of my emails, found my moms cheesecake recipe, got the secret to his grandmothers caramelized graham cracker crust, and voila!
 

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE

Crust
2 cups Annies Bunny Grahams (I get the gluten-free chocolate and vanilla mix) 
2 tbsp melted butter
2tbsp brown sugar

Crush graham crackers until they are almost ground with a few chunks, mix in the melted butter and brown sugar. Press the crust into the base of the pan, saving half for the middle layer. Use the back of a water glass to press the crust down; it'll really pack it in there.

Filling
1 8oz package of cream cheese
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp vanilla
Dash of salt
2 eggs

Beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually blend in sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. Add the eggs one at a time beating well after each one. Pour half the mixture into crust, then crumble the second half of the crust mixture evenly on top. Pour the remainder of the filling in and bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes.

Topping
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp sugar
½ tsp vanilla
One package of strawberries (chopped)

Combine the sour cream, sugar, vanilla and half the strawberries. After removing the cake from the oven, spoon the topping over the pie and put it back into the oven for 10 minutes. Cool and refrigerate overnight. Top with the second half of strawberries, serve and enjoy.