Ingredients
Crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs either store bought or use a food processor to create fine crumbs from whole graham crackers
1/3 cup light brown sugar packed
1/2 cup salted butter melted
Pecan Pie Filling
1/3 cup salted butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup pecans chopped
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup granulated sugar
Cheesecake
2 8-oz package cream cheese softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
Pecan Topping
1/4 cup salted butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup pecans roughly chopped
Instructions
Crust
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Line a 9” round springform pan with parchment paper and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Begin by preparing the crust. Mix graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter until combined. Press the crust into the prepared springform pan, coming up the sides of the pan about halfway.
Place the crust into the freezer to chill while the filling is being prepared.
Pecan Filling
In a 2 quart saucepan, melt ⅓ cup butter over medium heat.
Add eggs, vanilla, chopped pecans, corn syrup, and sugar to the melted butter and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes total. The mixture will come to a boil.
Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium low and continue simmering until the mixture deepens to a golden brown and thickens. Stir constantly while the mixture is cooking to ensure it doesn’t stick or burn to the bottom or sides of the saucepan.
Pour the pecan pie filling into the chilled crust and spread into an even layer.
Cheesecake
Beat together cream cheese and sugar until fully mixed and fluffy.
TIP: Overbeating the cheesecake will add too much air to the batter, leading to it puffing during baking and then cracking while cooling.
Mix in salt and flour.
By hand, gently stir in vanilla extract and one egg at a time until fully combined.
Mix in the sour cream and stir until smooth.
Pour cheesecake mixture evenly over the pecan filling mixture.
TIP: When you layer the cheesecake over the pecan pie layer, add it in spoonfuls around the top instead of pouring it all into the center and then spreading it. This will help keep it from displacing the pecan pie filling and will keep the two layers separate and more even.
Wrap the bottom of the springform pan in 1 to 2 layers of aluminum foil. Place the pan into a larger pan and pour water into the larger pan until it comes up about 1 inch around all sides of the springform pan, forming a water bath for the cheesecake.
Place the water bath package into the oven and bake for 1 hour, until the cheesecake is just slightly jiggly.
Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside with the oven door closed for 30 minutes. Then crack the door open for another 30 minutes while the oven and cheesecake cool.
When the cheesecake has cooled completely, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill overnight.
Once chilled, remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and prepare pecan topping.
Pecan Topping
Melt together butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer. The mixture will deepen in color.
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and heavy cream. Whisk until smooth.
Stir in pecans and spoon topping over cheesecake.
Adapted from spaceshipsandlaserbeams.com
