Turtle Cheesecake

Earlier in the month I had a slight mishap. I may or may not have scortched the bottom of a pan with sugar that I was cooking..... Who knew that electric cooktops could get so hot?! Needless to say I was a little nervouse to make anything involving cooked sugar. However, my mom mentioned making caramel and chocolate sauce and I couldn't get those two things out of my head. So I put on my big girl apron and went to work making a delicious caramel sauce.


Once I had produced a thick and creamy sauce I figured that I should make something to put it on. Although eating it straight from the jar crossed my mind a few times! I decided I would make a plain vanilla cheesecake and then dress it up with caramel, chocolate, and pecans to make a Turtle cheesecake.

As you can see in the photo, I was a little heavy handed on the chocolate sauce, but it really helped to balance out the sweetness from the caramel sauce. This is another dessert that is definitley in the running for the Thanksgiving menu!!

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake (adapted from Cheesecake Factory)

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup grnaulate sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

4 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 vanilla bean, scraped
2 tsp vanilla extract
5 eggs, room temp

caramel & chocolate sauce (recipes to come!)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 9" springform pan.

2. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and the melted butter until uniform. Press mixture into the bottom of your pan and half way up the sides. Place in fridge until ready to use.

3. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.* Add the sugar and beat until combined. Mix in the sour cream, vanilla bean, and vanilla extract. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until just incorporated.

4. Pour the filling into the chilled crust. Tap the pan a couple of the times to bring any bubbles to the surface. Take a toothpick and pop the bubbles. Place in the oven for 70-80 minutes or until there is only a 2" jiggle in the center. Turn off the oven an leave the cheesecake in there until cooled. Take out of the oven and put in the fridge to chill for at least 6 hours. Serve with your favorite topping!

*Your cream cheese must be completely smooth or else you will end up with a chunky filling!