Turtle Cheesecake
Creamy cheesecake... soft, chewy caramel... crunchy pecans... rich chocolate... Oreo crust- this cheesecake is to die for.
This cheesecake is seriously good. I made it for a work party for my dad, and it was a huge hit. I was originally going to make cake, but we decided not to because we were making an Italian Creme Cake for my dad's birthday. So then after much research and hours on the computer (ok... maybe just two hours) me and my mom decided to try cheesecake, and she thought my dad liked the creamy dessert. We told him and he said cheesecake is "ok". But we made it anyway. I knew he would like it. And who wouldn't?!?
(He ended up LOVING it, what a suprise.) ;)
Cheesecake is actually extremely easy to make, and doesn't take much time. It's perfect for a summer party. Just make sure you have enough time to bake and refrigerate it.
While it was baking, I came back downstairs into the delicious smell of cheesecake baking in the oven. But then- it smelled like something was burning! I rushed to the oven (which had smoke billowing from the top) and checked the cheesecake. It looked perfect. But then, I could just see the little drops of liquid falling from the bottom of the pan. The oil from the crust was seeping through the springform pan, and into a puddle at the bottom of the oven. So, I took it out and put the pan on a baking sheet to prevent the oil from escaping. Make sure you don't skip this step, or else your smoke alarm might go off!
When the cheesecake finally came out of the smoking oven, it looked absolutely perfect. I could not wait to eat it, but first, it had to go into the refrigerator.
When it was finally time for dessert, I took out the pan and me, my best friend, and sister all decorated it, which was so fun! Although it was very tempting to stuff my face in it.
After what felt like years, I finally took a bite out of the cheesecake, and I felt like I was in heaven. It was so rich and creamy and just... absolutely perfect!
The oreo crust went perfectly with the cheesecake and gave each bite a delicious chocolatey- cookie- crust flavor.
For the "Oreos" I used Trader Joes brand Joe Joes. They taste just like traditional Oreos but are gluten free and super delicious! They work wonderfully for this crust.
And the caramel- uh. Don't even get me started! Since I have braces, I am not supposed to have caramel but the milk makes the caramel soft enough for me to eat, even refrigerated! I love caramel so this was very exciting for me!!
And finally, the pecans just finished off the cheesecake to give it the "Turtle" taste this cake is based off of.
Make sure to save yourself a piece, because this cheesecake is bound to mysteriously dissapear within a day. ;)
Turtle Cheesecake
Ingredients:
24 Joes Joes, finely crushed (or other gluten free oreo style cookies) (about 2 cups)
6 tbsp. melted butter
1 pkg. (11 oz.) Kraft Caramels
6 tbsp. milk
1 cup chopped pecans
3 pkg. (8 oz. each) softened Philadelphia Cream Cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla
3 eggs
2 oz. Semi-sweet Chocolate
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Mix cookie crumbs together with butter. Gently press the mixture onto the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.
In a small bowl, microwave caramels (make sure all plastic has been removed from the individual packaging) and milk on high for about 3 minutes or until the caramel has completely melted. Stir after each minute. Add pecans to the caramel mixture. Then pour half on top of the oreo crust. Put the pan and the remaining caramel mixture into the fridge for later.
Beat cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar together using a stand mixer. Add the eggs one at a time. Mix on low speed after each egg addition until everything is just blended.
Take out the springform pan and pour cream cheese mixture over the caramel.
Before putting in oven, put springform pan on a baking sheet to prevent oil from leaking and the smoke alarm going off. ;) Then, bake for about 1 hour and 5-10 min. or until the center of cheesecake is only a little "jiggly". When done, take out the cheesecake and run knife gently around the edge of the pan to prevent cake from sticking. Don't remove rim of pan until cooled. Refrigerate for four hours.
When ready to serve, microwave remaining caramel and pour over cheesecake. Melt chocolate and drizzle on cake.
I put the caramel ontop of the chocolate, but I think it would be even more pretty if you drizzled chocolate over caramel. Either way it's a showstopper. ;)
