This pecan caramel cheesecake has an Oreo cookie crust, a creamy caramel cheesecake filling dotted with crunchy pecans, and a chocolate whipped cream topping!
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🍰Pecans and Caramel belong in a Cheesecake
I have sooo many cheesecake recipes on my website (lemon meringue cheesecake, or this one)! I had to add to my collection so here is pecan caramel cheesecake.
This cheesecake has an Oreo crust, a caramel cheesecake with chopped pecans in it, and is topped with chocolate whipped cream and pecan halves. It's basically a mashup of pecan pie and cheesecake!
🥘Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Oreo Cookie Crumbs - You can use any chocolate crumbs, or put Oreo cookies in a food processor. No need to take out the white filling before putting them in the food processor.
- Cream Cheese - Make sure you use block cream cheese, which is meant for baking or cooking.
- Sour Cream - I used full fat sour cream in this recipe. You can use a lesser fat sour cream, but don't go too light. Cheesecake is supposed to be creamy and rich.
🔪Instructions
Caramel Sauce
Add sugar, water, and butter to a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until everything is melted. Continue heating without stirring, until the mixture reaches a caramel colour. This can take about 10 minutes of heating. Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn.
Remove from heat, add heavy whipping cream and stir. Then add vanilla and salt and mix to combine. Let cool at room temperature while you make the cheesecake.
Chocolate Crust
Add Oreo cookie crumbs and melted butter to a medium bowl. Stir well, then pour the mixture into a springform pan with the bottom lined with parchment paper and the sides greased.
Press evenly into the bottom and up the sides. Bake at 325°F (170°C) for 10 minutes, then let cool on a wire rack while you make the filling.
Caramel Cheesecake
Combine cream cheese, sugar, and flour to a large bowl. Mix until combined. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add eggs, one a time, until mixed in. Then mix in caramel sauce and chopped pecans. Pour cheesecake batter into the prepared crust.
Cover the outside of springform pan with aluminum foil. Place the springform pan in a crock pot liner bag. A chicken bag works well too. You want the bag to go up the whole sides of the pan. Tie or use a wire tie to tighten the bag around the pan.
Place the springform pan in a larger pan, and fill the larger pan with water to go halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake at 300°F (150°C) for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the center of the cheesecake is slightly jiggly.
Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside for 30 minutes. Crack open the oven door and leave the cheesecake in for another 30 minutes. Remove from oven and leave the cheesecake to cool at room temperature for about an hour. Remove from water bath, cover, and cool in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
Chocolate Whipped Cream
Remove cheesecake from the springform pan. Place it on a cake plate. Add heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla to a large bowl.
Whip on high speed until you get stiff peaks. Decorate the top of the cheesecake with the whipped cream and pecan halves.
✔️Expert Tips
- I know it's a pain, but don't skimp on the water bath. It makes the cheesecake bake evenly and helps against cracks.
- Make your own Oreo cookie crumbs - pulse 24 Oreos (you can leave the filling in the cookies) in a food processor and pulse until no large crumbs are left.
- Don't open the oven door while the cheesecake is baking as it can fall or get cracks in it.
- If you do get a crack in your cheesecake after following all the steps (it happens sometimes), just cover it with the whipped topping.
💭FAQs
Cheesecakes need to chill in the refrigerator for many hours before serving. I like to chill mine overnight. You can chill this for 48 hours if needed.
You can freeze a cheesecake without any toppings on it. Wrap in several layers of plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Then place in a large freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
🔖Related Recipes
📋 Recipe
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Pecan Caramel Cheesecake
Ingredients
Caramel Sauce
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Chocolate Crust
- 3 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
- 5 tablespoons salted butter
Caramel Cheesecake
- 24 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup sour cream room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup caramel sauce recipe below (or use store bought)
- ¾ cup pecans chopped
Chocolate Whipped Cream
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup pecans halved (for decoration)
Instructions
Caramel Sauce
- Add sugar, water, and butter to a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until everything is melted.
- Continue heating without stirring, until the mixture reaches a caramel colour. This can take about 10 minutes of heating. Watch it carefully so it doesn't burn.
- Remove from heat, add heavy whipping cream and stir. Then add vanilla and salt and mix to combine. Let cool at room temperature while you make the cheesecake.
Chocolate Crust
- Preheat oven to 325°F (170°C). Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides of the pan.
- Add Oreo cookie crumbs and melted butter to a medium bowl. Stir well, then pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
- Press evenly into the bottom and up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes, then let cool on a wire rack while you make the filling.
Caramel Cheesecake
- Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C).
- Combine cream cheese, sugar, and flour to a large bowl. Mix until combined.
- Add sour cream and vanilla and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add eggs, one a time, until mixed in. Then mix in caramel sauce and chopped pecans. Pour cheesecake batter into the prepared crust.
- Cover the outside of springform pan with aluminum foil. Place the springform pan in a crock pot liner bag. A chicken bag works well too. You want the bag to go up the whole sides of the pan. Tie or use a wire tie to tighten the bag around the pan.
- Place the springform pan in a larger pan, and fill the larger pan with water to go halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the center of the cheesecake is slightly jiggly.
- Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake inside for 30 minutes. Crack open the oven door and leave the cheesecake in for another 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and leave the cheesecake to cool at room temperature for about an hour. Remove from water bath, cover, and cool in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
Chocolate Whipped Cream
- Remove cheesecake from the springform pan. Place it on a cake plate.
- Add heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla to a large bowl.
- Whip on high speed until you get stiff peaks. Decorate the top of the cheesecake with the whipped cream and pecan halves.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- I know it's a pain, but don't skimp on the water bath. It makes the cheesecake bake evenly and helps against cracks.
- Make your own Oreo cookie crumbs - pulse 24 Oreos (you can leave the filling in the cookies) in a food processor and pulse until no large crumbs are left.
- Don't open the oven door while the cheesecake is baking as it can fall or get cracks in it.
- If you do get a crack in your cheesecake after following all the steps (it happens sometimes), just cover it with the whipped topping.
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