​PECAN PIE CHEESECAKE

CRUST:
1 and 3/4 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Combine wafer crumbs and brown sugar. Stir in melted butter. Press into bottom and up sides of a 9″ springform pan. Bake for 6 minutes. Set aside to cool.
PECAN FILLING:
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup dark corn syrup
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 and 1/2 cups chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour into crust and set aside.
CHEESECAKE FILLING:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 and 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 eggs
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Reduce oven to 325 deg. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat cream cheese at medium speed until creamy. Add brown sugar and flour and beat until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Stir in cream and vanilla. Pour over pecan filling. Bake for 1 hour. Turn off oven and leave cheesecake in oven with the door closed for 1 hour. Remove from oven and run a knife along the outside edges to loosen cheesecake from sides of pan. Let cool. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.
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BUTTERFINGER CHEESECAKE

CRUST:
1 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 stick unsalted butter, melted   
1/8 cup packed golden brown sugar
scant 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients until moist. Butter a 10-inch springform pan. Press crust onto bottom and 2-inches up sides of pan.
FILLING:
1 and 1/2 cups crushed Butterfinger bars
24 oz. cream cheese, room temp.
1 cup sugar  
2 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
4 large eggs

Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl until well blended. Beat in sour cream. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Fold in Butterfingers pieces. Pour into crust.
Bake cheesecake in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees until golden brown on top, cracked slightly around the edges, and just set in the center ( a little over an hour ). Take out of oven and set pan on cooling rack. Let it cool completely. Remove from pan when cooled.
CHOCOLATE GLAZE:
5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
5 oz. heavy cream
1/2 cup crushed Butterfinger bars

Coarsely chop the chocolate and place in a bowl. Heat the cream to just boiling and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth.
Take 1/3 of the mixture and put in a ziplock bag; put aside. Put the remaining 2/3 chocolate mixture in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to thicken. Spread the cooled 2/3 mixture over the cheesecake. Sprinkle the crushed Butterfingers over the chocolate. Finally, snip off an end of the ziplock bag to make a tiny hole, and drizzle the glaze over the crushed candies. Chill.
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OREO CHEESECAKE

1 cup crushed Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (about 12 cookies)
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs
20 Oreo Chocolate Sandwich Cookies, quartered

Mix crushed cookies and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes if using a silver springform pan. (Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes if using a dark non-stick springform pan.)
Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Gently stir in quartered cookies. Pour over crust.
Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour or until center is almost set if using a silver springform pan.
(Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour or until center is almost set is using a dark non-stick springform pan.)
Run knife or metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Garnish with additional cookies, if desired.
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SINFUL CHEESECAKE
(My original recipe)

CRUST:
2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons butter

Melt butter and mix in crumbs until well blended. Press into a 9-inch springform pan.
BROWNIE LAYER:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons water
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup pecans, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine sugar, butter and water in a bowl. Stir in egg and vanilla.
Combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in another bowl. Stir into sugar mixture.
Spread in pan over crust. Sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans on top.
Bake for 10 minutes. While it is baking, prepare the filling.
CHEESECAKE FILLING:
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 egg, beaten

Blend cream cheese, milk, sour cream, and egg. Blend well.
Now, after the brownie portion has been in oven 10 minutes, take it out of oven. Spread the cream cheese filling on top of brownie. Sprinkle white chocolate on top.
Put back in oven for 30 minutes.(when you take it out, the center might be a little shaky..that's ok).
Let the cake cool until firm and set--couple of hours. Once cooled, carefully remove the side of your springform pan.
Add the next ingredients in this order:
1/3 cup melted chocolate chips, drizzled on top
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup white chocolate chips
1/3 cup caramel sauce, drizzled on top
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PEANUT BUTTER CHEESECAKE

CRUST:
2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
1 Tbsp. sugar
5 tablespoons butter

Melt butter and mix in sugar and crumbs until well blended. Press into bottom and up the sides of an 8-inch buttered springform pan.
FILLING:
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temp.
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup peanut butter ( I use the crunchy style )
1 egg, beaten

Blend cream cheese, milk, sour cream, peanut butter, and egg. Blend well.
Pour into the crust. Bake in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes (until just set in center). Take out of oven and cool on rack. Remove from pan when completely cooled.
GLAZE:
4 oz. chocolate chips  
4 oz. heavy cream

Heat the cream until just boiling and pour over chocolate chips. Let it cool down for about 10 minutes then drizzle onto the top of the cooled cheesecake.
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LIME CHEESECAKE WITH CARAMELIZED MANGOES
(My original recipe)

1 and 1/4 cup graham cracker
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
3 packages (8 oz. packages) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lime juice
2 Tbsp. lime zest
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter; press crumb mixture evenly over bottom and up side of 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 6 minutes. Let cool.
In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream until fluffy. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk, beating until smooth. Add vanilla and eggs; mix well. Add lime juice and zest; mix well. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees. Take out of oven and set pan on cooling rack for an additional hour.
Refrigerate at least 6 hours until firm. Carefully remove sides of springform pan. Top with caramelized mangoes.
CARAMELIZED MANGOES:
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon unsalted chilled butter, cut into small pieces
5 cups chopped mango

Combine sugar and water in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat; cook until sugar dissolves. Continue cooking 3 minutes or until golden; do not stir. Add butter to pan; stir to blend. Reduce heat to medium. Add mango to pan, tossing gently. Cook 10 minutes or until mango is lightly browned, stirring frequently. Let cool and top cheesecake.
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