Recipe Rated: GOURMET EASY*

 (need caramels,food processor,electric mixer,springform pan)

I love cheese cake.  It’s not a secret–everyone knows I love cheesecake.  Middle son, David, has inherited the cheesecake gene and it has, over the years,  become our mutual vice.  We have collided in the middle of the night at the fridge when a cheesecake was known to be in the house.  We have battle scars from fighting to the bitter end over the last piece.

The one exception to the “last man standing gets the cake” rule is Dave’s birthday. From the time he turned 5, cheesecake has been his birthday cake of choice,  and doting mother that I am, I have accommodated him–right down to relinquishing that coveted last piece–most of the time.  I’m only human.

We’re both typically purists (plain white, no adornment), but this year I mixed it up a little and decided to make chocolate caramel pecan cheesecake.  Alls I can say is, OH BABY!!  (patting myself on the back)   It was good.  Yes, it was very very good.  It was better than good.  It was…….an EXPERIENCE.

It was such an experience that I decided I had to share it.

WORDS OF WARNING!  This was not a 5 minute Jello instant cheesecake!  It took some time.  It was the real deal.  It was worth it.  So gather your ingredients and your utensils and follow me to the kitchen.

The first thing I did was to coarsely chop 1 cup of pecans.  I put them in a hot dry skillet, and turning constantly, let them sizzle and toast for about 1 to 1/2-2 minutes. Be careful with this step as the pecans can easily scorch.  Put on a paper towel to cool.

Next, put a sleeve of chocolate graham crackers  and 1/3 c. sugar in a food processor and pulverize.  Melt 1/3 c. butter or margarine, (I used butter) in the microwave.  Stir into the graham cracker/sugar mix until crumbly.  Press onto the bottom of a springform 9 or 10″ pan, pushing the mixture up the sides about an inch.

Take the wraps off a 14 oz. bag of Kraft Caramels (is there any other brand? And, by the way, this is labor intensive. Removing a million little wrappers from a million little caramels is NOT, I repeat, NOT fun!)

Put the caramels into a microwave safe container. I used a glass loaf pan.  Add 1/3 c. evaporated milk.

Microwave 4 minutes on high, stirring after the first 2. (or however long it takes to melt the caramels)

Pour this luscious liquid gold into the chocolate graham cracker crust and sprinkle the pecans on top.

Oh, Lord.  I could skip the filling at this point and just bury my face in that springform pan–but I didn’t did I?

Next, put 4 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese in the bowl of your mixer and blend on medium speed until smooth with no lumps. (1 to 1 1/2  minutes).

Add 1 can of sweetened condensed milk and mix thoroughly on medium speed. (about 1 min.)

Add  4 large  eggs (or 5 medium- cuz’ that’s what I had) and mix well. (approx.  1 min.)

Add 1 T. good vanilla. (NOT imitation vanilla!!! BLECK!)  Mix well. (30 seconds-1 min)

Last, but not least, add 1 cup (8 oz) sour cream and mix thoroughly. (about 1 min.)

Pour this truly lovely concoction on top of the caramel pecan mix in the springform pan.

Put hot water in a cake pan and place on lowest rack in your oven. Put the cheese cake on the middle  rack  and bake at 400 degrees for 10 min.

Reduce the heat to 200 degrees and bake for 40-45 minutes.  (The center should be  jiggly when you shake the pan. It should still be a creamy color and not browned in the least.) 

Turn off the oven and forget about it for 3-5 hours. (No, that wasn’t a typo!  Leave the sucker alone til it’s cooled)

Run a knife around the rim of the pan,  cover, and  put in the fridge til ready to serve. (at least a couple of hours-24 hours is better–48 hours is sublime!)

And yes, I know the oven needs cleaning. The sad part about that is that I have a self-cleaning oven and I’m too lazy to turn it on.

Remove the metal ring and drizzle Smucker’s caramel and chocolate ice cream toppings in an “artistic” manner over the top of the cake. (Art is subjective and beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I say!)

Quick-fast cut the cake and remove a slice.  If you have any will-power at all you will take a moment to admire your masterpiece before the first bite ever touches your or anyone else’s lips.

Take a picture.

Because the truth of the matter is that this cake lasted in my house  all of 20 minutes before it was nothing more than a sweet memory…..

…………….and an extra roll of fat around my middle.

Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake