Viral Japanese Cheesecake (Sarah’s Version)

Directions

• Cinnamon Shortbread Cookies
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and ground cinnamon. To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the softened butter and beat at medium-high speed for 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and the brown sugar and beat again at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add vanilla extract and beat again at medium-high speed for 30 seconds. With the mixer at low speed, slowly add the flour mixture about 1/2 cup at a time. Once it’s all added, increase the speed to medium and continue to mix until a soft and cohesive dough forms. Remove the dough from the bowl, form it into a ball, and press the ball into a disc. Wrap the dough disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C/gas 3), set a rack in the middle, and line a large (18-inch x 26-inch), rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly dust a work surface, a rolling pin, and a 2-inch x 1-inch rectangle cookie cutter (or something similar) with flour. Using the rolling pin, roll the dough out to ¼-inch thick and cut out as many rectangles as you can. Re-roll the dough and cut until no dough remains. Place the cut-outs on the prepared baking sheet, about ½ inch apart. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar over each cut-out. Bake until the edges of the cookies are set and firm to the touch, about 17 minutes. Rest until cool enough to handle, and then transfer to a wire rack. If using, sprinkle the cookies with confectioners’ sugar once they have cooled completely.
• Strawberry Sauce
• Add the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. This should take about 10 minutes. Once simmering, reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for another 20 minutes. Using the back of a silicone spoon or spatula, press down on the strawberries as you stir. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 10 more minutes. The mixture should have thickened up, should coat the back of a spoon without running off, and should have reduced down to about 2 cups. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Once cool, cover and refrigerate until you’re ready for it.
  
• No-Bake Cottage Cheese Cheesecake Filling
• To a medium bowl, add the cottage cheese, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and lemon juice. Stir together and then blend using an immersion blender until completely smooth, about 5 minutes, pausing to scrape down the sides as necessary. Alternatively, you can use a blender or food processor to blend the cottage cheese mixture. Cover and refrigerate for an hour to set.
• Crumble the Cookies
• I like to crumble the cookies rather than to stick whole cookies into the cottage cheese mixture. I crumble two cookies per serving plus one additional cookie to sprinkle over all of the tops. To the bowl of a food processor fitted with an S blade, add 9 cookies and pulse until they resemble the texture of sand.
  
• Assemble the Cheesecakes
• I used four 13-ounce jelly jars for these cheesecakes, but you can use anything in a similar size. Add about 2 to 3 teaspoons of cookie crumbs to the bottom of each jar. Top with about 2 tablespoons of the cottage cheese cheesecake mixture. Add about 2 tablespoons of strawberry sauce on top of the cheesecake mixture. Repeat once more with the cookie crumbs, cheesecake mixture, and strawberry sauce. Refrigerate for 3 hours, or up to overnight to set. Because the cheesecake mixture has time to set in the refrigerator while you are completing other steps, it is ok to skip the overnight refrigeration.
• Make the Whipped Cream
• This step should be completed just before serving the assembled cheesecake jars. Place a metal bowl and the beater attachments to a hand mixer into the freezer for 10 minutes. To the cold bowl, add the cream, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Starting at low speed, and increasing to medium-high, beat with the hand mixer until medium peaks form, about 3 minutes.
• Top and Serve!
• Top the layered cheesecake jars with 1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh whipped cream, press half of a cookie and half of a strawberry into the whipped cream, then sprinkle lightly with the remainder of the cookie crumbs. Serve and enjoy! Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container on the countertop.