CCC: Pecan Pie Cheesecake

**August is Cheesecake month!**

A big change has happened for the Crazy Cooking Challenge! Now participants can find their recipe ANYWHERE. Famous or not famous. Or create your own. I am still going to try and find mine on blogs though. That's how I roll :P I like to share other blogs.

So I have umpteen million different cheesecake recipes on my list of recipes I want to try. My decision was based solely on wanting to spoil my husband before he went out to the field for 2 weeks and survived on MREs. My husband loves pecan pie. I don't. He only gets it at Christmas if his Granny brings it for Christmas Day dinner. I had a Pecan Pie Cheesecake recipe in my arsenal from a blog called Heidi's So-Called Life and decided that even though it's not autumn yet, it would hit the spot perfectly for my husband. :)

The recipe itself was actually pretty simple even though it looks complex. I took Heidi's tip of a casserole dish full of hot water underneath the cheesecake while it baked and I had NO cracking! I don't have a dish big enough to sit my springform pan in to do an actual water bath. This was the best cheesecake I've made - I'd almost say my very first successful cheesecake.

The cheesecake was rich and decadent - perfectly smooth and the crust with the vanilla wafers was so much more delicate than the traditional graham crackers. Do I really need to sell the pecan pie filling part? It was the traditional gooey, sweet pecan pie layered in between the cheesecake and crust. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of pecan pie, the crunchy sweetness paired perfectly with the cheesecake. This is sure to be a hit for any pecan pie lover!

I will be hopping around today - stumbling, pinning, tweeting, and FB-ing lots of entries :)

(Print)
What you need:
Crust:

• 1 3/4 cup vanilla wafer crumbs
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

Pecan Filling:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Cheesecake Filling:

• 3 pkg. cream cheese
• 1 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

1. Crust: Combine crumbs and brown sugar. Stir in butter.
2. Press into a springform pan. Bake for 6 minutes at 350*. Cool. Reduce oven heat to 325*.
3. Pecan Filling: Combine ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer on low for 8 to 10 minutes. Pour onto crust. 
4. Cheesecake Filling: Beat cream cheese at medium speed until creamy.
5. Add brown sugar and flour. Mix until combined.
6. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
7. Stir in cream and vanilla. Mix until just combined.
8. Pour on top of pecan filling.
9. Bake for 1 hour. Then turn off the oven and leave cake in the oven with the door closed for one more hour. Remove from oven. Run a knife around the edges to loosen the sides. Chill for 4 hours before serving.

Recipe from Heidi's So-Called Life

Below you can find all the other cheesecake recipes from the other Crazy Cooking Challengers, make sure you stop by and show them some love :)