This is a pumpkin cheesecake with fabulous turtle caramel drizzled over top, combining the delicious candy flavor with creamy cheesecake decadence.
Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecake
Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecake Ingredients:
Crust Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups thin chocolate wafer crumbs (about 30 cookies)
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
Filling Ingredients:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup granulated sugar
5 eggs
Topping Ingredients:
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped*
2 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup caramel topping
* To toast pecans, sprinkle in ungreased heavy skillet. Cook over medium heat 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently until pecans begin to brown, then stirring constantly until light brown.
Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecake Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Wrap foil around outside bottom and side of 9-inch springform pan to prevent drips. Spray bottom and 1 inch up side of pan with cooking spray.
2. In small bowl, mix cookie crumbs and melted butter. Press crumb mixture on bottom and 1 inch up side of pan. Bake crust 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool at room temperature 5 minutes. Refrigerate about 5 minutes or until completely cooled.
3. In another small bowl, mix flour, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin; set aside.
4. In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in brown sugar and eggs, one at a time, just until blended. Gradually beat in pumpkin mixture until smooth. Pour filling over crust.
5. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes or until edge of cheesecake is set but center still jiggles slightly when moved.
6. Run knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake. Turn oven off, open oven door at least 4 inches, and let cheesecake remain in oven 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool in pan on cooling rack 30 minutes.
7. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight before serving. Just before serving, sprinkle pecans over top of cheesecake.
8. In small microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate and oil uncovered on high 1 minute to 1 minute, 30 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds, until melted. Drizzle chocolate over pecans.
9. To serve, run knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake, carefully remove side of pan. Drizzle caramel topping over each serving.
Other Turtle Desserts to Try
Turtle is a really popular flavor of dessert, and for good reason. The taste of pecans, chocolate, and caramel is unique and will surely delight everyone. There are many desserts aside from this cheesecake that use this flavor well. You can start by trying a regular turtle cheesecake; afterwards, compare the two and see which one is your favorite!
There are a number of no-bake turtle desserts out there. A no-bake dessert is great for days when you don't have a lot of time, or when it's hot and you don't want to spend time running the oven. Turtle pie is an excellent choice as well, especially if you need something to bring to Thanksgiving that isn't the usual apple or pumpkin pie.
Turtle candies will be a favorite with the whole family. They're easy to eat quickly at any time of the day. In fact, you might find that they disappear faster than you expect! Having these available for guests to snack on before a dinner is a good idea. Or, offer them as a simple dessert.
Cheesecake Recipes List
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Olha_Afanasieva/ via Getty Images