Lemony Greek Yogurt Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan; set aside. (Note: If you want your cheesecake to easily come off the bottom of the springform pan, I suggest lining the bottom with parchment paper as well as greasing the sides.)

In a small bowl, stir together the cookie crumbs, brown sugar and lemon zest. Add in the melted butter; stir until all of the crumbs are moistened. Turn into the prepared pan; use your fingers to tightly pack the crust into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, combine the filling ingredients. Blend until smooth and fully incorporated. Pour into the hot crust. Bake for 35 minutes.

Cheesecake is done when it is still slightly jiggly in the center but has a “done” look to it and the edges have started to pull away from the sides of the pan. Be cautious not to overbake (or else, there goes your lovely texture!).

Let cheesecake cool, then chill for at least 2-3 hours in the fridge before removing the sides of the springform.

Top with sliced fresh fruit.

*I used pecan shortbread cookies as the base of my crust. You could certainly just use plain shortbread, or go with a traditional graham cracker crust. If you do use the pecan shortbread, I suggest pulsing your cookies in a food processor to sufficiently break down any larger pieces of pecans that might otherwise impede your crust-making.

The filling for this crust was adapted slightly from the Greek Yogurt Cheesecake from Eat, Live, Run.