I was invited to a small gathering by one of my churchmates. Her youngest son got baptized so they had a small party at their house. They invited only a few friends and a few relatives. I was one of those friends who were invited. I didn’t know what to bring so I decided to make a cake which everyone in the party would enjoy eating. This butter pecan cheesecake never even saw the light of day. It was empty in minutes! Everyone just wanted a slice.
See what our friends over at Bake or Break have to say about this recipe:
“The flavor of this cheesecake is remarkably reminiscent of butter pecan ice cream. If we share a mutual adoration of that wonderful ice cream, then this may very well become your favorite cheesecake. It’s like a wonderful mashup of that ice cream and cheesecake. And I have to say that I am 100% okay with that.”
It’s the perfect transformation for me. Butter pecan can be overwhelming if the recipe is not good. But this recipe gave justice to butter pecan and my family is just not over it! I don’t think they will be soon.
Ingredients
FOR THE CRUST:
- 1 & 1/4 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Domino granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon Morton salt
- 1/2 cup Land O Lakes unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
FOR THE PECANS:
- 2 cups Fisher pecan halves and pieces
- 2 tablespoons Land O Lakes unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons Domino granulated sugar
- pinch of Morton salt
FOR THE FILLING:
- 16 ounces Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup Domino granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup Domino firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons McCormick vanilla extract
- 1 cup Borden heavy cream
Instructions
TO MAKE THE CRUST:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter, and mix with a pastry blender, a fork, or your fingers until thoroughly combined. The mixture will be crumbly but should hold together when pinched.
- Press the crust mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.*
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crust is lightly browned. Set aside to cool.
TO MAKE THE PECANS:
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans, sugar, and salt.
- Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the pecans are toasted and the sugar sticks to them (about 7 or 8 minutes). Set aside to cool.
- If desired, set aside some of the pecans for garnish. (I used about 20 pecan halves for the garnish you see in the above photos.) Once cooled, roughly chop the remaining pecans.
TO MAKE THE FILLING:
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until thoroughly combined and smooth.
- In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer with a whisk attachment to whip the cream until soft peaks form.
- Fold about a third of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Then gently fold in the remaining whipped cream.
- Stir in the chopped pecans.
- Spread the filling evenly in the cooled crust. Garnish as desired. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving.
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Quick Tip: Be sure your butter is cold and that you’ve measured the ingredients accurately. Avoid dark pans. Don’t overbake. If at all possible, make sure your oven temperature is correct with an inexpensive oven thermometer.
Thanks again to Bake Or Break for this amazing recipe.
