Dulce de Leche Cheesecake with a Maria Cookie Crust. Recipe

Get your Maria cookies into a food processor and pulse for about 30 seconds, or until they're finely ground into crumbs. If you don't have a food processor, you can crush them by hand: pop them into a zip-top bag and use the bottom of a heavy skillet to pound them until they're finely crushed.

Once you have your crumbs, transfer them to a bowl.

Tip the cookie mixture into a 9-inch springform pan. Use your fingers to press the crumbs evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the pan, forming a solid crust.

Bake the crust until it's firm and smells fragrant, which should take about 10 minutes.