#gastronomia Pecan Pie Caramel Cheesecake

Happy Friday, friends! Before we get into this delicious and fabulous Thanksgiving dessert, let me take a minute to discuss a contest I entered. Remember my Apple Fritter Cakes with Warm Caramel Syrup recipe? Well, I entered these little babies into a fun little contest over at the blog Kitchen Corners. Maybe you’ve heard of them? Anyways, I entered it and come Monday you all are going to be able to vote for mine! There aren’t very many entries, so the odds seem good. I bring this up because if we all pull together and vote for my recipe and win, then I will give away my winnings to you! Just something to keep in mind! Click here to see where they are at!

NOW, let’s talk cheesecake! Well, actually, before I get into cheesecake, I would just like to say that my husband is doing yoga right now as I type this and is actually sweating. After almost 3 years of marriage and trying to get him to do yoga, he finally gave in and is realizing it’s not just stretching! Eureka! It’s a miracle. I’m sorry, I was just so excited I had to tell someone. Thank you for listening.

Ok, now lets get into this awesome dessert! A few weeks ago, I posted my Cheesecake FLOP. Well, I kept thinking about it and thinking about it and I finally couldn’t take it anymore! I just HAD to make another one to redeem myself. I ended up with a similar version that is so much easier to make and much fancier looking but still just as amazing! All you do is make a regular cheesecake that is spiked with cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix it all up, let it bake, let it cool–you know the drill. THEN, you top it with pecan halves and cover the entire thing with caramel sauce. I’m telling you right now, it’s to die for. Especially if you warm up the caramel sauce and drizzle that over the cold cheesecake. Hot and cold desserts are downright delicious and at the moment, I just can’t get enough. It’s a problem. I’m doing hypnosis and taking shots for it, actually. (j/k)

Moral of the story: MAKE THIS. That’s pretty much it. Oh, and my husband is awesome. He does yoga now. And he has big muscles. And he wears pink shirts. And he eats my cheesecake even though I put pecans on it and he hates pecans. But most importantly, he knows how to keep his wife happy! The End.

Happy Weekend, friends!

Pecan Pie Caramel Cheesecake
yield: 12 servings

Ingredients:
for the crust-
3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar

for the filling-
3-8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

for the top-
1 1/2 cups toasted pecan halves
2 cups good quality caramel sauce (homemade would be best )

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients for the crust until moist. Press into a 10 inch spring form pan and set aside.

For the filling, in a stand mixer, whip cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. With mixer on low, stir in vanilla and eggs, one at a time. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl and stir again. Whip in flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Scrape sides and stir again if necessary. Pour filling into prepared crust and smooth the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes until cheesecake is set and hardly jiggles if at all when moved. Remove from oven and cool completely to room temperature.

Arrange pecan halves over top entire cheesecake in concentric circles. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Once ready to serve, run a knife around edges of cheesecake and remove sides of spring form pan.
To serve you can either drizzle 1 cup of caramel syrup over entire cheesecake and cut (with extra syrup to serve along with) or cut first and drizzle individual pieces.

*Side note: I prefer to warm my caramel syrup to have a delicious contrast of hot and cold for this dessert. Totally optional!*

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