Coconut Macaroon Crusted Cheesecake (Pesach Friendly)

I started making this cheesecake for Pesach when I was in high school when I was trying to find a new idea for a non-leavened dessert that wasn’t a super dried out Passover cake. This cheesecake can be made all year round, and the crust can definitely be swapped for crumbled cookies or graham crackers mixed with some melted butter!

Ingredients:

• 4 packages of cream cheese, room temperature

• 1 cup of sugar

• 4 eggs

• 2 tsp of vanilla extract

• 3 tsp of lemon juice

• Lemon zest of 2 medium sized lemons

• 1 canister of store-bought macaroons

Preheat your oven to 325F and using butter, vegetable oil or some cooking spray, grease a large springform pan. Crumble your coconut macaroons directly into the springform pan. Push down the crumbled macaroons with your hands, bringing it slightly up the sides of the pan to create a crust. Firmly push the crust down to create a compact texture.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand held electric mixer), mix together the room temperature cream cheese, sugar, eggs and lemon juice. Beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy. Add in your vanilla, and lemon zest and Whisk again.

Pour the mixture into the spring form pan over the crust. With a plastic spatula, even out the top.

Bake the cake for about 1 hour (60 minutes) or until the top has a light golden brown color and the inside of the cheesecake is no longer wobbly. It is also completely fine if your cheesecake has a crack on the top of it.

Once the cheesecake has been baked, let it cool completely. Your cheese cake will sink in the middle slightly, but that is totally normal! Place in the refrigerator (unwrapped) for about 4 hours. Take it out of the refrigerator about 30 minutes prior to serving so it isn’t freezing.

Serve with a fruit compote, fresh berries, or even a salted caramel or chocolate sauce.