Turtle Cheesecake

I am finally done with exams and on break for a little more than a month. During this time of year I love spending time with family and friends. This usually includes the activity of eating! :)

I recently made a Turtle Cheesecake. Have you ever had chocolate turtles? They are caramels and pecans covered in chocolate. They are one of my favorites during this time of year. The Turtle Cheesecake puts a spin on this delicious dessert.

Turtle Cheesecake
Originally from Southern Living

Ingredients

2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs (38 wafers) (can make GF - see directions)
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter
1 cup (6 oz package) semisweet chocolate morsels
1 (12 oz) jar caramel topping
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Combine first 3 ingredients (wafer crumbs, sugar, butter); stir well. (Trying to make it gluten free? I made my own crust from GF cookie crumbs that I keep on hand in the freezer). Firmly press mixture into bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a lightly greased 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes (I skipped this step since I already had my cookie crumbs and didn't want to add the extra sugar). Cool in pan on a wire rack.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed with a mixer until creamy; gradually add 1 1/4 cups sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping sides and bottom as needed. Stir in sour cream and vanilla. Pour batter into prepared crust.

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes. (Center will not be completely set.) Turn oven off, and partially open door; leave cake in over for one hour (This is important, so really do follow these steps!). Cool completely on a wire rack; cover and chill at least 8 hours. Gently run a knife around the edge of cheesecake to release sides of pan; carefully remove pan. Transfer cheesecake to a serving plate.

As you can tell, I didn't put the crust up the side...
or spray with non-stick spray. lol

Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a small heavy saucepan; add chocolate morsels. Stir over low heat just until chocolate melts and mixture blends. Spread warm chocolate mixture over cheesecake; chill 15 minutes. (I attempted to drizzle the chocolate over the sides after covering the middle of the cake).

Combine caramel topping and pecans in a small saucepan (I didn't have a jar of caramel sauce, so I melted down about half a bag of caramel cubes with 1/4 cup a milk, adding caramels until I had the consistency I wanted -- added the pecans and followed the rest of the directions). Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, over medium heat; boil 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes. Spread over chocolate; cool completely. Serve immediately or cover and chill. Let stand at room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving.

This cheesecake will rock your world! It was so good that I didn't want to stop eating it! It's pretty rich, but not too heavy. It may become a Christmas food staple in my family!

Turtle Cheesecake

 A word of caution: this thing takes forever to make, so I suggest starting it at night and letting it cool in the fridge over night to finish in the morning. Just make sure you follow the cook times pretty consistently, especially the time it takes to cook the actual cake. As long as you follow the directions, the cheesecake should come out... even if it is your first time making a cheesecake! Slice and enjoy!