For the Crust:

Preheat the oven to 350°F and set out the chilled filling ingredients (cream cheese, eggs, whipping cream) to come to room temperature. Set out an 8″ or 9″ spring form pan, or a pan with a removable bottom.

Pulse the Oreo cookies in the jar of a blender or food processor until they ground into crumbs. You may need to to do half at a time.

In a medium mixing bowl, combined the cookie crumbs and melted butter. Stir until they are well combined in a clumpy, sandy mixture.

Press the mixture into an even layer in the bottom of the pan, and slightly up the sides of the pan. Bake it for 10 minutes, then set it aside to cool.

For the Pomegranate Swirl:

While the crust is baking, prepare the pomegranate swirl. Place the pomegranate and lemon juices in a small saucepan with the sugar.

Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce it to a simmer until it has reached the consistency of maple syrup. This will probably take about 20-30 minutes, depending on how high the temperature is.

Set the pomegranate syrup aside to cool completely before using it in the cheesecake. You can make it ahead of time (it will keep for at least a couple of months) and store it in the refrigerator.

For the Cheesecake Filling:

Make sure that all of your chilled ingredients are at room temperature. In a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese with an electric hand mixer until it is smooth and fluffy.

Note: You can use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment instead of a hand mixer if you’d like.

Add the sugar and beat it with the cream cheese until it’s well combined. After adding each ingredient, use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and make sure that the filling is well combined.

Next, add the eggs, whipping cream, and vanilla or vanilla bean paste and mix until the mixture is smooth. This may take a few minutes as the eggs may not blend in quickly.