• Preheat the oven to 250°F.

Make the Gingerbread Crust

• Add the crushed gingersnap cookies, dark brown sugar and the melted butter to a bowl and stir until evenly combined.
• Prepare the springform pan. Cut out a parchment circle with tabs snapping the springform pan closed with the tabs sticking out.
• Add the gingerbread crust to the spring form pan and press it into the base using a glass or other flat-bottomed object. If you like, you can line the sides of the springform pan with whole gingerbread cookies for a decorative effect.
• Place the springform pan in an oven bag, folding the it over as needed and secure the bag right below the upper rim of the pan with kitchen twine. Tie it tightly to avoid any water from getting in.

Make the Gingerbread Cheesecake Filling

• Add everything except the eggs (the room temperature cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, dark brown sugar, vanilla extract, ground ginger & ground cinnamon) to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high speed until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as well as the bottom to get any chunks that may be hiding and beat the mixture again til smooth.
• Add all the eggs and beat again on medium speed until the mixture is smooth.
• Pour the cheesecake batter into the springform pan prepared earlier.

Prepare a Water Bath for the Gingerbread Cheesecake

• Place the springform pan in a larger pan allowing for at least an inch of space around the edges of the pan.
• Pour hot water into the larger pan until the water level is about two-thirds up the sides of the spring form pan. Be careful not to get any water in the cheesecake pan.
• Carefully place the water bath in the oven and bake on the middle rack for 2 hours and 15 minutes. Once the cheesecake is done it should jiggle similarly to firm jello with a gentle tap at the center. If the jiggle more closely resembles a water bed the cheesecake is not done yet. Turn the oven off, crack the door open and allow the cheesecake to cool undisturbed in the oven until you can remove the pan comfortably without using oven mitts.
• Once cool, remove the springform pan from the water bath, also removing the oven bag and allow the cheesecake to chill in the in the refrigerator for 6 hours or preferably over night.

Make the Brown Sugar Whipped Cream and Assemble the Gingerbread Cheesecake

• Add the cold heavy cream, dark brown sugar and powdered sugar to a bowl and whip on high speed until it forms stiff peaks.
• Remove the ring from the springform pan and spread the brown sugar whipped cream on top of the chilled cheesecake in an even layer.
• If desired, cut out gingerbread man shapes with parchment paper and place them on top of the cheesecake. Do not press the parchment paper shapes into the whipped cream. Using a sifter dust cinnamon across the top of the cheesecake. Remove the parchment paper shapes carefully with your fingers or a pair of tweezers if needed.
• Keep the cheesecake refrigerated until ready to serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.