Preheat oven to 325 F/160 C
For ease of use, I normally place a layer of wax paper on the spring pan and then clip on the side. This protects the base from scratches when cutting the cheesecake.
Prepare the crust. In a small pot or sauce pot, melt the butter. Once fully, or almost fully, melted, add in the sugar and cookie crumbs and mix well.
Using a spoon, add crust to spring pan and smooth out crust until flat and smooth. Make sure crust is even and no cracks form.
Using a kitchen aid or mixer, add the sugar and cream cheese and start mixing. Then add the vanilla essence and 1 egg at a time until all eggs are added and mixture is smooth. Using a spatula, fold in any cream cheese that may be above the reach of the mixing arm so that it mixes in properly.
Once properly mixed, pour cheesecake mix over crust. Use spatula to scoop out any remaining cheesecake mix. Shake spring pan slightly to even out the cheesecake mix until flat. You can also use the spatula to assist you.
Bake at 325F/160C for 1 hour. Top should be lightly browned. If it is starting to brown too much, remove and cover with foil before continuing to bake for the remainder of the time.
Once done, let cool for about 30 minutes, then put in fridge for 8 hours
Optional: For topping ideas, consider cherry or strawberry jam with actual cherries/strawberries in it. Or maybe drizzle on some caramel or chocolate.