Vanilla Bean Brown Butter Cheesecake

Ingredients

For the Brown Butter:

1 cup unsalted butter

For Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 cup ground pecans

½ cup plus 1 tablespoon browned butter

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

For the Filling:

2 packages cream cheese, room temperature, soft

¼ cup brown butter (Try to get mostly the bottom brown bits, less of the yellow liquid)

½ cup labneh

1 cup brown sugar

1 vanilla bean, scraped

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Two large eggs

For the Whipped Cream Topping:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Pinch salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or vanilla bean scrapings)

Directions

Set butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, increase to medium-high until the butter stops foaming and shows brown bits at the bottom.

Pour into a bowl, ensuring to include all the brown bits. Let it cool slightly.

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 9" cake pan with parchment paper.

Mix the pecans, graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and browned butter liquid (reserve most brown bits for the filling).

Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pan.

Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 325°F.

Beat the cream cheese, brown sugar, salt, reserved brown butter bits, and vanilla until smooth.

Add labneh, then the eggs, beating just enough to combine. If the mixture appears lumpy, strain it into the crust.

Place the filled pan in a water bath and bake in the oven for approximately 1 hour 15 minutes. Let it cool in the oven with the door slightly ajar, then move to the counter before chilling in the refrigerator for 8 hours.

Whip the cream, vanilla, salt, and brown sugar untill thick.

Top the chilled cheesecake with this whipped cream before serving.