Recipe(tried): Turtle Cheesecake

This is the most delicious chocolate cheesecake. The caramel is absolutely decadent. It gets even better after a day in the refrigerator. I have used 1/3 less fat cream cheese, just to cut down on a few calories and fat and it is still great!

Chocolate Turtle Cheesecake

Crust:
2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
14 ounces individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped (Werther's are yummy)
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Filling:
1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
1 cup chopped pecans
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter one 9 inch springform pan.

Toast all of the pecans at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 6 minutes. Remove pecans and set aside. Leave oven at 350 degrees C (175 degrees C). In a small saucepan, melt the unsalted butter.

Combine chocolate cookie crumbs and 1/2 cup chopped pecans with the melted butter then press into the bottom of the prepared springform pan. Place the pan onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove and allow to cool.

In a double boiler, or a bowl set over barely simmering water, melt the caramels in the evaporated milk. Stir until smooth. Pour this over the cooled crust. Sprinkle the nuts over the top.

In a bowl, combine the cheese, sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth, scraping down the bowl several times. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until smooth. Melt the chocolate chips in the double boiler and mix into the cheese mixture. Pour the batter over the caramel layer.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 minutes or until barely set. Chill over night in the refrigerator before serving.