This Turtle Pecan Cluster Cheesecake is a riff on a favorite Dairy Queen Blizzard ice cream treat. It’s pure heaven!
Ingredients
for the crust:
1c.all-purpose flour
⅓c.packed brown sugar
¼tsp.kosher salt
¼c.finely chopped pecans
6T.cold buttercubed
for the filling:
32oz.cream cheeseat room temperature
1c.sugar
⅓c.packed brown sugar
¼c.plus 1 tsp. all-purpose flourdivided
2T.heavy cream
1T.pure vanilla extract
4large eggslightly beaten
½c.semi-sweet chocolate chipsmelted and cooled
¼c.caramel ice cream topping
⅓c.chopped pecans
for the ganache:
½c.semi-sweet chocolate chips
¼c.heavy cream
16large whole pecans
to serve:
additional caramel ice cream toppingoptional
Instructions
Prepare a 9'' springform pan by lightly spraying it with non-stick spray. Place it on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil that is about 18'' square and securely wrap foil up around the pan's sides. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 325° F.
for the crust:
In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt, and pecans. Cut in butter with a rigid pastry cutter or a fork until crumbly. Press evenly onto the bottom of prepared pan. Place pan on a baking sheet and bake for about 14 minutes, or until set. Cool on a wire rack.
for the filling:
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugars until smooth. Beat in 1/4 cup flour, cream, and vanilla. Add eggs and beat on low speed just until blended. Remove 1 cup of batter to a small bowl and stir in the melted and cooled chocolate. Spread over cooled crust.
In another bowl, mix caramel topping with remaining flour, and then stir in pecans. Drop by tablespoonfuls over the chocolate batter. Top with remaining vanilla batter. Place springform pan in a large baking pan with tall sides and add 1'' of hot water to the larger pan.
Bake at 325° F for about 1 hour and 25 minutes, or just until center is set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath and remove the foil wrapping. Cool the cheesecake on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around the perimeter of the cheesecake to loosen it from the sides of the pan. Cool 1 hour longer on the wire rack. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight (preferred).
for the ganache:
Place chocolate chips in a small heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring cream just to a boil. Pour cream over chips and let sit for 30 seconds. Then whisk until smooth. Let ganache cool slightly, stirring occasionally.
Remove sides of springform pan. Spread ganache over cheesecake, letting it drip down the sides a bit. Place whole pecans evenly around the top perimeter of the cheesecake. Refrigerate until set. If desired, drizzle cheesecake slices with additional caramel topping before serving.
Notes
Adapted from Taste of Home, originally from Sue Gronholz.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.