Brown the butter: Set the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, turn heat to medium high. Cook until the butter foams and starts to brown, then pour into a heatproof bowl, scraping the pan to retain the brown bits. Let cool slightly.

Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line a tall 8 or 9” cake pan with parchment paper. In a bowl, stir together ground pecans, cookie crumbs, powdered sugar, and ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon of the yellow liquid from the browned butter (reserve most of the browned bits). Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°F.

Make the filling: Beat softened cream cheese, brown sugar, salt, reserved browned butter bits, and vanilla bean scrapings until smooth. Add sour cream and mix until smooth. Add eggs and blend just to combine. If lumps remain, pour filling through a fine mesh sieve into the cooled crust.

Bake the cheesecake: Fill a 13×9” cake pan halfway with warm water and place the cheesecake in the center. Bake for at least 1 hour but closer to 1 hour 15 minutes. Cheesecake is done when no longer jiggly in the center and the top appears matte. Turn off the oven, prop it open, and let cool for at least 30 minutes before removing. Cool on the counter for another half hour, then refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours.

For the whipped cream: In a food processor, combine heavy cream, vanilla, salt, and sugar. Process until thick enough to scoop but not overwhipped. Top cheesecake and serve.

Store cheesecake in the fridge for about a week.