WHAT’S FOR DESSERT?
Pecan Pie Cheesecake
Array/5
COOK TIME
1 hour 15 min
TOTAL TIME
1 hour 45 min + chill time
SERVINGS
8-10 servings
This Pecan Pie Cheesecake is one heck of a dessert. We are not messing around with this one. If you are looking for a dessert to wow your friends and family, this is the one.
A mix of two classic, and incredible, desserts come together with delicious layers. You get the crunchy texture and the buttery flavor of a pecan pie filling plus a creamy, sweet cheesecake all on top of a graham cracker crust. It’s really incredible and would be a perfect dessert for after a Thanksgiving meal when your guests think it can’t get any better.
Pecan Pie Cheesecake Ingredients
This Pecan Pie Cheesecake has 4 layers, but lots of the same ingredients are in each layer. The best part is I get to use a lot of my favorite Hiland Dairy ingredients for each layer of this cheesecake recipe. Here’s what you’ll need:
Crust
Graham cracker crumbs
Hiland Dairy Butter
Brown Sugar
Pecan Pie Layer
Hiland Dairy butter
Granulated sugar
Light corn syrup
Eggs
Vanilla extract
Chopped Pecans
Cheesecake
Hiland Dairy cream cheese
Granulated sugar
Salt
Flour
Vanilla extract
Eggs
Hiland Dairy sour cream
Pecan Topping
Hiland Dairy butter
Brown sugar
Vanilla extract
Hiland Dairy heavy cream
Chopped pecans
Tips for Making a Perfect Cheesecake
Room Temperature Ingredients: Room temperature ingredients like butter, cream cheese, eggs, or sour cream mix together and combine much easier. The goal with a cheesecake is not to overmix otherwise your cheesecake will crack and end up tasting dry. So the best way to do that is measure your ingredients out and set them out a little while before you start.
Use a Water Bath: A water bath helps to keep the oven environment humid which leads to the cheesecake remaining moist. This also helps with an even and steady baking throughout plus an even decrease in cooling which helps the cheesecake not to crack.
How to do a Water Bath? A water bath is really easy. You’ll just need a pan that is larger than your cheesecake pan and has sides that are higher up than your cheesecake pan. Cover the bottom and sides of the cheesecake pan in a few layers of aluminum foil to protect it from the water bath. Place the cheesecake pan inside the larger pan then pour water into the larger pan until the water fills up and hits about halfway up the cheesecake pan. Then place the whole thing in the oven and bake as normal.
Cooling the Cheesecake: Cheesecakes are very temperamental so they don’t like to cool quickly and will sink and crack if the baking environment becomes too cool, too fast. So what you’ll want to do is, after the initial baking time, turn the oven off but keep the door closed for 30 minutes. Then you’ll crack the oven door (I stick the handle of a wooden spoon in the door to prop open) and leave the cheesecake in for another 30 minutes. Slowly cooling the cheesecake.
Make Ahead Tips
This cheesecake seems like it may be a lot of work because of all the layers, but it’s not as complicated as it may seem. It does end up taking over a day because the layers need to bake, cool, and then chill so this is a good one to make a couple days beforehand and then cover and store in the fridge.
Pecan Pie Cheesecake is going to be a huge hit on Thanksgiving Day and you are going to love all the compliments coming your way!
Other Cheesecake Recipe Ideas
Be sure to check out some of my other favorite cheesecake recipes below!
Print
Pecan Pie Cheesecake
Pecan Pie Cheesecake is a combination of two classic and incredible desserts. You get the crunchy texture and the buttery flavor of a pecan pie filling plus a creamy, sweet cheesecake all on top of a graham cracker crust. Incredible!
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
½ cup Hiland Dairy butter, melted
Pecan Pie Layer
⅓ cup Hiland Dairy butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1½ cups pecans, chopped
Cheesecake
2 blocks (16 oz) Hiland Dairy cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
3 eggs
½ cup Hiland Dairy sour cream
Pecan Topping
¼ cup Hiland Dairy butter
⅓ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup Hiland Dairy heavy cream
1 cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
Crust:
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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
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In a medium bowl, add the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter. Mix together until combined and has a sand consistency.
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Press the mixture into the bottom of the springform pan and up the sides as well. Place the pan in the freezer to chill while you make the pecan pie layer.
Pecan Pie Layer:
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In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, corny syrup, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add pecans and mix again.
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Add ⅓ cup butter to a medium saucepan over medium heat. When melted, add the sugar mixture to the saucepan and mix all together.
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Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, mixture will come to a boil. Once to a boil, move to medium low heat and stir constantly for another few minutes until the mixture turns a darker brown color and gets a bit thicker.
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Remove the crust from the freezer and pour the pecan mix over the crust, spread out evenly. Set aside.
Cheesecake:
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Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer and large bowl, mix the cream cheese and sugar together for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add salt and flour, mix again.
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Add the vanilla and one egg at a time, mix by hand after each egg until they are just combined.
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Add the sour cream and mix by hand again until smooth. Pour cheesecake mixture over the pecan pie filling layer.
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Wrap the bottom of the springform pan in 3 layers of aluminum foil. Place the pan in a larger pan with higher sides. Pour water into the larger pan up about halfway up the springform to make a water bath for the cheesecake.
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Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees. Turn the oven off but leave the door closed for 30 minutes. Open the oven door slightly for another 30 minutes.
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Remove the cheesecake from the oven and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Pecan Topping:
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In a small saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and then continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes.
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Remove from heat and add the heavy cream, vanilla and pecans. Stir all together to combine.
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Remove the outer layer of the springform, spoon the pecan layer on top of the cheesecake and serve!
Notes
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2 Responses
You are amazing! Your cousin Micah (I adore her) introduced me to your recipes. I just can’t wait to try some of them. Keep putting them out for the rest of us. Happy Holidays
You are so sweet, thank you! I adore Micah too! I hope you find something you love!