Nutella Cheesecake

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. 

Make the Crust

1. In a medium sized bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs together with sugar and melted butter until well incorporated and mixture looks like damp sand. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, press crust into the bottom and half way up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 7 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 325° F.

Make the Nutella Cheesecake Batter

1. In a large bowl, stir softened cream cheese* together until smooth. Stir in granulated sugar until well incorporated. Add in vanilla and nutella and stir until completely incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl well and stir again briefly to get a uniform batter.
2. Crack all eggs into a liquid measuring cup or bowl and whisk well. Pour eggs into the nutella cheesecake batter all at once and stir until just incorporated. Scrape the sides and edges of bowl to ensure a well mixed, smooth batter.
3. Tap the bowl on the counter for 30-45 seconds to remove as many air bubbles as possible. You should see them popping on the surface as you tap the bowl. Pour filling into the center of the graham cracker crust and gently smooth the top. Will be full!

Bake Cheesecake

1. Bake for 30 minutes at 325° F. Reduce temperature to 250° F and continue cooking for 45 minutes more. Once this time has elapsed, turn oven off and keep cheesecake inside for another 30 minutes for some carryover cooking without opening the oven door. Crack oven door to let cheesecake cool slowly for one hour before removing. At this point, cheesecake should be slightly warm. Bring cheesecake to room temperature on the counter (3-4 hours) before covering with plastic wrap and transferring to the fridge.
2. Refrigerate until chilled completely (6 hours to overnight). To serve, open springform pan and remove collar.
3. Decorate as desired. I added another layer of nutella with whipped cream and chopped hazelnuts. Dip a sharp knife into hot water, wipe off any excess water and slice. I like to dip my knife in water between each slice to get really clean-looking pieces. Enjoy!