Preparation

For the Crust

• 1 Preheat oven to 365 degrees F
• 2 Pulse or ground graham crackers until they are fine crumbs
• 3 Add butter, sugar, salt and maple syrup, and use hands to incorporate well
• 4 Press crumb mixture into a 9-inch pan with a removable bottom, or springform pan. Crust should be about 1 inch thick
• 5 Bake for12-15 mins

For the Cheesecake

• 1 Arrange oven racks to lower and middle positions
• 2 Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
• 3 Butter the sides of the pan that contains the crust
• 4 Place a baking dish or pan on the lower rack of oven and fill it halfway with water, to prevent the cheesecake from cracking during baking
• 5 Beat cream cheese until creamy
• 6 Add in maple syrup, beat until smooth
• 7 Add sugar and beat until fully mixed
• 8 Add eggs and beat well
• 9 Add sour cream, heavy cream and vanilla, and beat till smooth
• 10 Add in chopped sweet basil leaves and mix into batter
• 11 Pour batter into the pan with the crust
• 12 Bake until cheesecake is just set in the center and no longer jiggles, about 40 to 45 minutes
• 13 Remove cheesecake from oven and place on wire cooling rack
• 14 .Immediately run a thin spatula around the edge of the pan to loosen cheesecake from sides of pan. This will prevent any surface cracking as the cheesecake cools and contracts
• 15 Allow cheesecake to cool completely before removing it from the pan