Pumpkin pecan caramel cheesecake

 This is our Thanksgiving go-to instead of pumpkin pie. Sorry it’s taken forever to post! 

Crust:

1 cup Graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Filling

1 cup chopped pecans, divided

3 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened 

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

3 eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 (15 oz) can pure pumpkin

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Caramel sauce

Place one oven rack in lowest position in oven; place second rack in center of oven. Heat to 350. Grease inside of springform pan. Line outside of pan with tinfoil. 

In medium bowl, stir together all crust ingredients. Press into bottom of pan. I use a the bottom of a cup to press it smoothly/evenly. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the pecans over the crust. Bake 5 minutes; remove from oven. Reduce oven temp to 325.

In a large bowl, beat ROOM TEMP cream cheese until smooth. Then add sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. One at a time. If you dump it all in at once. The texture will be lumpy. Beat all until smooth and creamy. Reserve and set aside one cup of batter. Then beat in the pumpkin purée and cinnamon into remaining batter until we’ll blended. Pour into crust.  Evenly spread reserved batter over top. 

Fill shallow positing pan with water, place on bottom rack of oven. Bake cheesecake on center rack for 1 hr and 15 minutes- 1 hr and 30 minutes or until edges are puffed and top looks dull and is dry to the touch. Center will be less set than edges and will move when pan is tapped but it should NOT ripple as if liquid. If it does, then cook it longer. 

Once cheesecake is done cooking, cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Spread caramel sauce of choice (I love Trader Joe’s or I make homemade) over top and sprinkle with tensing chopped pecans. Refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours. 

To serve, wipe knife with damp cloth after cutting each slice to keep edges near. Refrigerate leftovers. Serves 16.