The perfect buttery biscuit crumb base is an essential part of a good cheesecake. Also part of many other desserts, it is a great shortcut to have up your sleeve. But you don’t need to stick with boring biscuits. Any biscuit can be used to make a great cheesecake base.
How to make a biscuit base
A classic biscuit crumb base is made from crushed biscuits mixed with melted butter and set in the fridge. It can form just the base of your cheesecake or dessert, or be pressed up the sides to form a crust.
You can get really creative with your base, and not just in terms of the biscuits used. Try piling the butter/crumb mix into the base of glasses and topping with chocolate mousse, or even just custard mixed with lemon curd.
Classic dishes using a crumb base, other than cheesecake, include banoffee pie, key lime pie, and peanut butter pie. You can make mini versions by lining bun tins with the biscuit crumb mixture. Not so classic ways to use a biscuit crumb base include lemon meringue pie with a biscuit base instead of pastry, or a lemon tart with biscuit base, or even a chocolate tart. Any dessert you can think of that uses a blind baked pastry base is a prime candidate for a buttery biscuit base.
What are the best biscuits for a cheesecake base?
As long as they are crisp biscuits not soft chewy type cookies, you can use any biscuits for your base. A food processor helps with chocolate coated or cream filled biscuits in order to form a nice even crumb. A cream filled biscuit will create a softer sweeter crumb but is well worth experimenting with. Some biscuits will absorb less butter than others, so you may need to play about with proportions.
You could try…
Anzac biscuits
Ginger macadamia
Or even a passion fruit cream.
Make a gluten free biscuit crumb base with our gluten free chocolate chip cookies.
Biscuit base recipe
This will line the base of a 23cm round tin. If you want to press the mixture up the sides, make twice the recipe.
250g biscuits
125g unsalted butter, melted
- Blitz the biscuits in a food processor to a fine crumb. Or, put them in a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin. Whichever you choose, you want something that looks like damp sand.
- Tip the crumb into a bowl. Even if you used a food processor.
- Stir the butter into the crumb using a wooden spoon or spatula. You want something that just sticks together.
- Press the mixture gently into the tin and set in the fridge for half an hour before filling.
- You can pile the crumb loosely onto a baking tray and set without pressing to form a crumble.
Can I make a vegan biscuit base?
You can make a vegan biscuit base as long as your biscuits are vegan and contain no animal products. Just switch out the butter for coconut oil or a plant-based butter. Choose a hard block butter, not a soft spreadable one.
Why is my cheesecake biscuit base too crumbly?
If your biscuit base is too crumbly, you may not have created a fine even crumb, or you may need more butter.
You may not have pressed hard enough when lining the tin.
However a base that is crumbly is infinitely preferable to one that is too hard.
If your biscuity base is too hard then you may have over mixed, which can often result if you blend the butter and the crumb together in a food processor. Too much butter can lead to a mixture that sets too hard – if your crumb mixture looks wet or greasy then you have too much butter. You may also just have pressed too hard when lining the tin.
Check out our range of all Australian cookies or buy your biscuits in bulk online.
FAQs
Remember that the base will set more as it is cooked/chilled so the crumbs don't have to be packed completely solid. If you find that the crumb base is still too hard, then you could slightly reduce the amount of butter used, though we would advise caution on this as the base could become too crumbly instead.
Can you buy cheesecake base? ›
Bird's Cheesecake Base 1kg Wholesale – Buy Bird's Cheesecake Base 1kg in Bulk | Brakes Foodservice.
What can I use instead of biscuit base? ›
Nuts: in the Cheesecake Episode Hayley uses almonds instead of biscuits for her biscuit base. The nuts work a double purpose in the recipe by adding some fat as well as the body of the biscuit crumble. Seeds: in place of nuts, you could also grind seeds to a crumbly texture to use instead of biscuits or nuts.
How to stop biscuit base from going soggy? ›
Blind-bake your base before adding a filling to help to firm the base and avoid liquid being absorbed into it. Prick the base with a fork to help steam escape, cover with foil or parchment, and weigh it down with ceramic baking beans, uncooked rice or white sugar. Then bake at 220°C (425°F) for 15 minutes.
Why is my cheesecake base not crunchy? ›
Occasionally, the cheesecake filling can penetrate into the biscuit base causing it to go soggy. Tip: To get more crispness in the cheesecake base, brush some lightly beaten egg white over the surface of the biscuit layer before you bake it.
What is a good substitute for digestive biscuits? ›
Graham crackers are slightly sweet, whole wheat crackers that are often enjoyed on their own, used as a base for pie crusts, or paired with various spreads. They have a distinct flavor and texture that can make them a suitable substitute for digestive biscuits in certain recipes.
Where can I buy green cheesecake mix online? ›
Amazon.co.uk: Greens Cheesecake Mix.
What are the ingredients in greens cheesecake? ›
Sugar, Skimmed Milk Powder, Modified Maize Starch, Dried Glucose Syrup, Vegetable Oil (Coconut), Emulsifiers: E472b, E450, E341(i); Cheese Powder (2.5%) (hereof 75% Mascarpone) (Milk), Dextrose, Milk Protein, Colour: Beta Carotene; Flavouring.
What can you use instead of graham cracker crust for cheesecake? ›
Go with speculoos or crisp ginger snaps for a spicy kick that works well with cheesecake or cream pies, vanilla wafers or animal crackers if you want something more subtle, or chocolate wafers or even Oreo cookies for something dark and chocolate-y.
What kind of butter is best for cheesecake? ›
Unsalted butter. While a small pinch of salt enhances the sweetness and flavour of sweet dishes like cheesecake, too much will ruin it. Salted butter is about 2~3% salt. Too much for a sweet dish.
I'd say it's too much liquid in the cheesecake batter and it didn't set fast enough and the liquid and moisture got into the base. Baking the base would help, but I guess if you need to bake it then there's no point to make a no bake cheesecake. Buiscuits, butter and a bit of cocoa powder for the base.
Why is the bottom of my biscuits hard? ›
If your biscuits are too tough…
Biscuit dough is moist and sticky, so much so that it may seem too wet after you've added all your flour. If you do think this about your dough, fight the urge to add more dry ingredients — dough that isn't wet enough will bake into a hard, dry biscuit.
Why is my biscuit dough stiff? ›
Kneading too much and overhandling biscuit, shortcake and scone dough overdevelops the gluten in the flour, resulting in a chewy, tough baked product.
Why is my graham cracker crust too hard? ›
If your graham cracker crust turns out a little harder than you'd like, you may have added too much butter, which firms when chilled. You may have also packed the crust too hard when forming it in the pie plate. Pack the crumbs just enough that the crust feels firm yet not too solid.
How do you keep biscuits from getting hard? ›
The solution is as simple as putting the biscuits in an airtight jar along with a small piece of bread (no more than half a slice).
