Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray the inside of the springform pan with baker’s spray and place a parchment round onto the bottom of the pan.

Tear off two large pieces of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Using a 9-inch springform pan, set the pan on one of the pieces of foil and bring it up around the sides of the pan. Repeat with the second piece of foil. Be sure that the foil is tightly wrapped around the sides of the pan to ensure that none of the water from the water bath will leak into the pan while the cheesecake bakes.

To make the crust, mix together, in a large bowl, the graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and melted butter until fully combined. Press the crumbs into the bottom and halfway up the sides of the prepared springform pan. Be sure to tightly pack the crumbs to make a sturdy crust.

Bake the crust on the middle rack of the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

Start your water boiling by adding water to a 6-8 cup, microwave-safe spouted measuring cup. It typically takes 3-4 minutes (in an 1100-watt microwave) on high to boil the water. Alternatively, you can boil water on the stovetop in a kettle.

To make the cheesecake filling, add the room-temperature cream cheese and granulated sugar to a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, using a handheld mixer, until smooth.

With the mixer on low speed, add the vanilla extract and the eggs, one egg at a time, to the cream cheese mixture, being sure to fully incorporate each egg before adding the next. Be sure to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as needed to ensure that all the ingredients get blended well, and your cream cheese is free of any lumps.

Add the sour cream and mix just until fully incorporated. Be sure not to overmix this cheesecake filling, as you want as few air bubbles in the batter as possible.

Slowly pour the cheesecake filling into the cooled graham cracker crust. Spread out the top surface into an even layer. Gently tap the pan on the counter 2-3 times to remove any air bubbles from the cheesecake filling.

Place the cheesecake into a large roasting pan and place the roasting pan into the oven on the center rack. Very carefully pour the boiling water into the roasting pan, being sure not to get any of the water into the cheesecake, until it comes up about 1 inch on the side of the springform pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the cheesecake is just barely set in the center (it will just barely wiggle) when the pan is lightly nudged. It will continue to bake as it cools. Turn off the oven, do not remove the cheesecake, and crack open the oven door about 1 inch. Allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 1 hour.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven and remove the springform pan from the roasting pan. Take the aluminum foil off of the sides of the springform pan. Run a sharp knife along the edges of the cheesecake to make sure that as it cools, the cheesecake does not stick to the sides of the pan.

Allow the cheesecake to cool on the counter for another hour, then place it into the refrigerator for a minimum of 8 hours, or up to overnight, to cool and set completely.

While the cheesecake is cooling, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking pan with a piece of parchment paper.

In a small bowl, add the melted butter and strawberry gelatin powder. Stir to dissolve the strawberry powder.

Add the crushed golden Oreo cookies and the strawberry-flavored butter to a medium mixing bowl. Stir to coat the cookie pieces. Note that not all the cookie crumbs will be coated in the strawberry butter. This is good as you want a contrast of color. Spread the strawberry crunch mixture into an even layer on the prepared baking pan.

Bake the strawberry crunch topping for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool completely. Once cooled, break up any large chunks on the strawberry crunch.

Remove the outer ring of the springform pan from the chilled cheesecake. Spread the strawberry preserves in a thin layer on top of the chilled cheesecake. Be sure to leave about a half inch of space around the outer edge of the cheesecake.

Add the strawberry crunch topping onto the top of the strawberry preserves to completely cover the preserves.

Garnish the strawberry crunch cheesecake just before serving by adding the thawed whipped topping to a large piping bag fitted with a large piping tip, and pipe ten dollops of whipped topping around the outer edge of the cheesecake. Add one of the halved strawberries to the center of each whipped cream dollop. Slice and serve.