I love cheesecake. I like it plain. I like it with strawberries, and I like it with that famous combination of caramel, pecans and chocolate!  Turtle cheesecake is my family’s favorite, too… and because of that, I’ve had to learn to make it at home before we became permanent residents at the Cheesecake Factory!

Don’t let homemade cheesecake intimidate you, though.  I love to bake, but if you would have told me 10 years ago that one day I’d stand in my kitchen making the best turtle cheesecake from scratch, I’d of laughed and fell down right then and there — probably with my whisk in my hand.  This recipe is easy and the preparation is well worth it!

 

best turtle cheesecake

Turtle Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients

Crust:

2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup melted butter

Crust Layer 2:

caramel or hot fudge chocolate sauce
1/2 Cup chopped pecans

Filling:

3 (8 ounces each) packages cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 whole eggs

Topping:

1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup hot fudge or chocolate sauce
1/2 cup caramel sauce
chocolate chips, optional

Directions

Crust:

Mix together graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter.  Press the mixture into the bottom of an 8-10″ springform pan. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 8 minutes.  Let cool. 
*TIP: I like to put the springform pan on a baking pan to catch drips.

After the crust has cooled, pour 1/2 cup caramel or chocolate sauce on top of the crust.  Sprinkle on 1/2 cup of pecans.  Refrigerate for 10 minutes.  (Start on the filling 5 minutes after crust has started to chill!)


Filling Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth; scraping side of bowl often.  Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Pour this mixture over the caramel layer on top of the crust.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 40-50 minutes, or until center is set (no more jiggles!)
*TIP: Use that baking pan to catch drips!

Let cool at room temperature and then refrigerate 4 hours or overnight before removing from the springform pan.

Before serving, arrange pecans around the outside edge of the cheesecake.  Drizzle the top with melted caramel, hot fudge and chocolate chips.  Store remaining cheesecake in the refrigerator.

6 Comments

  1. Oh my goodness does this look AMAZING! I love cheesecake and everything “turtle” (desserts and reptiles! LOL)
    Yummed, pinned, tweeted and hopefully MADE AND CONSUMED very soon.
    Come to my recipe party tomorrow?
    Sinea♥
    Ducks n a Row recently posted…Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop #171My Profile

  2. This was the best cheesecake I’ve ever had, much less made! Everyone loved it!! The crust was amazing – all thick and chewy, and the caramel and hot fudge drizzle on top with the pecans – omg to die for!

    The only thing I did differently was use chocolate honey grahams, and I forgot to sprinkle the pecans on the caramel layer (added them all on top instead). I also toasted the pecans. It took 46 minutes.

    My new “go to ” dessert. Thanks for the delicious recipe!

  3. Wow!!! This is an amazing recipe. I did use 1/2 coconut sugar in the filling to lower the calories. And then I accidentally nearly doubled the sugar in the crust. 😝 But all to say THIS is the recipe I will ALWAYS bring to friends that are moving!! I just think it’s a perfect move-in gift!

  4. I made the turtle cheesecake yesterday for Easter and I followed the directions to a t and my oven is spot on but it took FOREVER for mine to get to the NOT jiggly stage. Then the crust was so stinking hard you couldn’t eat that part. What did I do wrong? The inside of my pan is 9 and a quarter. I want to try it again but am afraid to. Louise said hers took 46 minutes and im telling you that’s just nuts! Mine took at least an hour and a half!

  5. I made this for my son-in-law and it came out beautiful! I will note it took mine over an hour to cook and I probably won’t put the chocolate and caramel on the crust before filling. All in all it was still a hit.

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