Cottage Cheese Cheesecakes

Steps

1. 1Crank your oven to 350 F and place a rack in the middle position.
2. 2Break up the graham crackers in your food processor's work bowl and add the sugar. Lid up and pulse until the crackers are mostly broken down, ten - 1 second pulses. Drizzle in the butter, then pulse 5 more times to fully incorporate. Distribute the crumbs into six 7-8-ounce ramekins (about 3 tablespoons each), and tamp evenly with a small glass (a shot glass works well), while allowing some crumb to creep up the sides.
3. 3Place ramekins in a 9x13-inch baking dish and bake for 15 minutes, then remove the ramekins to a trivet or cooling rack while you fabricate the filling.
4. 4Combine the cottage cheese and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer) with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl down halfway through. Add the sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and beat 30 seconds, then reduce the speed a notch and add the egg and yolks, one at a time. Continue beating until just combined.
5. 5Line the now empty 9 x 13-inch baking dish with a clean kitchen towel, place the cooled ramekins inside, and spoon the batter evenly among them. Bring about 4 cups of water to a boil (we like an electric kettle for this).
6. 6Pull the oven rack out and park the pan containing the ramekins in the middle then gently pour the water into the baking dish, taking care not to splash any inside the batter. The water should come halfway up the ramekins. Carefully slide the rack back in and bake for 25 minutes, or until your favorite instant-read thermometer reads the filling at 150-155 F.
7. 7Carefully extract the cheesecakes from their water bath (spring loaded tongs make quick work of this) and cool on a dry kitchen towel for 30 minutes before moving to the fridge to chill. Consume, or cover with plastic wrap and keep refrigerated for up to a week.