October 13, 2015
This Best Turtle Cheesecake Recipe has to make one of the richest, most delicious cheesecakes! With a graham cracker crust, toasted pecans layered over a smooth caramel, and a creamy chocolate cheesecake topped with a layer of shiny chocolate, garnished with pecans dipped in caramel, this dessert has it all! Creamy, crunchy, and gooey all in one decadent dessert.
For as long as I can remember, everyone I know seems to have a fear of making cheesecake. Who started that fear? Maybe someone in the business of making and selling cheesecake! Ever the venturous one, I attempted a cheesecake in my earlier days, and it was amazing! No store-bought cheesecake can compare. That cheesecake was the ‘almond cheesecake’, which was featured in one of my earlier blog posts. That initial cheesecake success has taken me down a road of cheesecake experimentation.
Although I have made lots of cakes, I think I love making cheesecakes the most. People are so impressed with them. There is always the, “You made this?”
It is pretty much a cookie crust mixed with melted butter and pressed into a springform pan. (Could it get much easier than that?)
Next, you combine cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and flavoring. From there, adding different flavorings and layers of caramel, chocolate, and nuts makes this unique cheesecake. Making sure the cream cheese and eggs are at room temperature is key to easily creating a smooth batter.
Funny story! A co-worker of mine decided she would make a cheesecake. She did not particularly like the cookie crusts. So…she used pie pastry for the crust!
Okay, so the pie dough did not cook at all! The cheesecake portion was good, but the crust was a major fail. How could you not like a cookie crust with a creamy cheesecake? The perfect counterpoint, right? A veritable party in your mouth, right?
Cheesecake is more like a custard than a cake and that is why I always use a bain-marie, which is simply a hot water bath. The steam from the hot water keeps the cheesecake moist and prevents cracking.
I always check my cheesecakes five to ten minutes before the suggested baking time. If the cheesecake seems to be set in the middle and beginning to brown, ever so slightly, the oven is turned off and the oven door is left slightly ajar so the cheesecake can cool slowly. Obviously, with this process, the cheesecake will continue to bake a little. Turning the oven off before the cheesecake is cracked and just slightly browned, ensures that the cheesecake will not be overdone.
If you have never attempted a cheesecake before, try it! It really is not that difficult, if you can read and follow directions. Since that first cheesecake, I have made so many that I feel more confident experimenting with different flavors. Actually, I think cheesecakes are more forgiving than cakes. In order to bake a perfect cake, the ingredient ratios have to be correct or the cake won’t be!
Have no fear! Try this perfectly delicious ‘Best Turtle Cheesecake Recipe’ and be sure to let me know how you have amazed and delighted your family and friends!
Turtle Cheesecake Recipe
Ingredients
Crust:
- 3 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
- 8 Tablespoons melted Butter
Cheesecake filling
- 11 - ounce bag vanilla caramels
- 3 -3/4 ounces evaporated milk
- 3/4 cup chopped pecans - toasted
- 3 (8-ounce) pkgs. cream cheese - softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
Chocolate Topping
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3 Tablespoons evaporated milk
Instructions
Turtle Cheesecake
Crust:
To make the crust, combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 10 minutes. Set to the side and prepare the filling.
Cheesecake Filling
In a heavy saucepan, melt the caramels with the evaporated milk over low heat.
Stir until smooth.
(Dip a few pecan halves in melted caramel and place on parchment paper for garnish. Set aside.)
Pour the caramel and milk mixture over the graham cracker crust.
* I pour the caramel onto a spoon and hold it over the crust, so the crust is not disturbed.
Top with the toasted pecan pieces.
Cheesecake Filling:
In a medium bowl, add the sugar to the cream cheese and mix with an electric mixer until well blended. One at a time, add the eggs and mix well after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix well. Add the melted chocolate and blend well. Pour the batter over the pecans and caramel layer. * Use a spoon again to pour the batter onto the crust and caramel-pecan layer.
Bake in a 350° preheated oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Turn the oven off, prop the door open slightly, and leave the cheesecake in the oven to cool for about an hour.
Cover the springform pan with tin foil and refrigerate overnight.
Unclip the springform pan and using a knife, loosen the cheesecake, if necessary.
Chocolate topping:
Melt the chocolate chips over low heat. Add the evaporated milk and stir until smooth.
Spread the chocolate over the chilled cheesecake. Garnish with the pecan halves dipped in caramel.
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