This Thanksgiving is different than most. COVID has made it difficult to gather together with family without the fear or possibility that we could be exposing our loved ones. With all the changes we made to be able to gather safely, I knew I needed a dynamite dessert to make everything seem alright again. So I pulled out the big guns. I knew one dessert wouldn’t be enough so I looked to combine 2 classic Thanksgiving desserts. I always wanted to make a cheesecake. But in the past, the fear of cracking the top shell made me shy away from wasting all that cream cheese in the attempt. But with this recipe there is no such risk. The pecan pie topping covers any potential imperfections cheesecakes commonly subcome to.
The ground pecans in the crust add to the nutty sweet flavor. While the cheesecake adds a light and fluffy texture. And the pecan pie topping is a sweet and sticky which holds the pie together. I’d like to think this is somehow a metaphor for the global pandemic. I’ll leave that up to you to put together. Anyways, to make this recipe, you will need a spring pan and a precise lining of parchment paper on the inside of the pan. It tastes best with the recipe below, but I also included some potential substitutions.
The cheesecake will last about 4 days in the fridge. However it can also be frozen if you want to make it ahead.
The recipe is from Baked by an Introvert.
Pecan Pie Cheesecake
Ingredients
- For The Crust
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs about 18 whole crackers
- 1 cup finely ground pecans
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- For The Filling
- 16 ounces cream cheese softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature, lightly beaten
- For The Topping
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- ⅔ cup dark corn syrup can substitute with light corn syrup or maple sugar but the taste may change
- 1 tablespoon rum or vanilla extract if you don’t have rum
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 and ½ cups coarsely chopped pecans
Instructions
- Make The Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. And line the inside bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. Wrap aluminum foil around the outside bottom as well and set aside.
- Mix the graham cracker crumbs, ground pecans, brown sugar, and melted butter together with your fingers until it’s evenly mixed and looks like sand. Then press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up 75% of the sides of the pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool while you make the filling.
- Make The Filling
- Preheat oven to 300ºF.
- In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add the sugar, sour cream, vanilla, and salt. Beat until well combined.
- Then using a spatula, gently stir in the eggs just until combined. Pour the batter into the baked crust.
- Bake for 40 minutes. Once the cheesecake goes into the oven, begin working on the topping.
- Make The Topping
- Combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, rum, and butter in a medium saucepan. Cook until it reaches a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to boil for 2 minute then remove from heat and let cool while the cheesecake is baking.
- In a separate container, whisk the eggs, salt, and cream together; set aside.
- Once the cheesecake has baked for 40 minutes, remove it from the oven.
- Slowly whisk the egg mixture and pecans with the cooled sugar syrup until well combined.
- Gently spoon the pecan topping over the cheesecake, draining some of the syrup. (do not fill above of the crust or else it will make the crust soggy and make the spring pan too sticky to open)
- Return the cheesecake to the oven and bake for another 40-50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crisp.
- Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Cover the cheesecake and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
- Enjoy!
