Pecan Praline Cheesecake is THE cheesecake for pecan lovers. The crust is made from crushed Pecan Sandies cookies and dark brown sugar and pecans that have been toasted in butter give the cheesecake filing that wonderful praline flavor. The filling isn’t overly sweet but with a super sweet praline sauce dripping down the sides, this cheesecake will surely satisfy your sweet tooth.
My son adores cheesecakes so I try and make one at least once a month. It’s so much fun to try out different flavors and I find they are perfect for the holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas, since they can be made well in advance. Plus, cheesecakes are so rich, you can get a whole lot of mileage out of one cheesecake.
Creamy Cheesecake
This cheesecake recipe reaches new levels of creaminess that will leave you craving more.
For this Pecan Praline Cheesecake I’ve used both Challenge cream cheese and butter. They have become the only cream cheese and butter that I use in my kitchen. Challenge Butter is 100% real cream butter made the old-fashioned way with no artificial ingredients. One taste of it and you’ll feel like you’ve tasted butter for the first time. And you won’t find a creamier cream cheese than the one made by Challenge. Delicious holiday desserts are so much easier to make when you start with quality products.
Can I Use A Graham Cracker Crust?
Yes! The Pecan Sandy Cookie crust for this cheesecake adds extra pecan flavor, but you can use a store-bought graham cracker crust or you can use graham cracker crumbs in place of the Pecan Sandy crumbs.
Storage and How To Freeze
Cheesecake can be stored in the refrigerator for 4 days or it can be frozen for up to 2 months. To freeze, wrap well in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Pecan Praline Cheesecake makes a wonderfully indulgent holiday dessert but it’s also a dessert I think you’ll enjoy all year long. Don’t forget to make it for Mardi Gras!
If you love Southern Pralines, you’ll fall in love with Pecan Praline Cheesecake. Be sure to have a little whipped cream or Cool Whip on hand. Not only does it add a nice decorative touch, I love the way something light and creamy tastes with the dense cheesecake filling.
More Praline-Flavored Recipes
- Southern Praline Bundt Cake
- Praline Brownies
- Peanut Pralines
- Microwave Pralines
- Praline Cream Cheese Pie
More Cheesecake Recipes
- Amaretto Cheesecake
- Pecan Pie Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust
- Chocolate Amaretto Cheesecake
- English Toffee Cheesecake
Pecan Praline Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups Pecan Sandies cookie crumbs
- 4 tablespoons butter,, melted
Filling
- 1 3/4 cups chopped pecans,, divided
- 3 tablespoons butter,, melted
- 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese,, softened
- 1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs,, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Praline Topping
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine cookie crumbs and 4 tablespoons melted butter in a medium bowl. Mix well and press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Place in refrigerator while you get filling ready. (Note: To make a harder crust instead of a soft crust, bake crust at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Let crust cool before proceeding.)
- Combine pecans and 3 tablespoons melted butter on a baking sheet. Toast in a 350 degree oven until golden, about 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool and set aside ½ cup of pecans for topping.
- Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, 1 ¼ cups dark brown sugar, and flour until smooth.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition.
- Beat in vanilla. Stir in the toasted pecans, except for the ones set aside for topping.
- Pour filling over crust and bake at 325 degrees for 60 minutes. Turn oven off and open the oven door slightly. Leave cheesecake in the turned off oven for 30 minutes.
- Using a knife, loosen cheesecake from edge of pan and remove the rim. Let cheesecake cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 8 hours.
- To make topping, combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking constantly for 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened some. Stir in reserved pecans. Let cool before drizzling over cheesecake.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I appreciate the opportunity to share products I love and use in my own kitchen.
Can I make this in a 9×13 pan?
Go good!
This was delicious!I drizzled Carmel sauce on the baked crust before adding the filling. Also added some toffee crumbles and mini semi sweet chocolate chips to the filling. Scrumptious!
This cheesecake is superb. I have made it several times and quit toasting the pecans and I don’t think it changed anything. And it saves time.
This is a great cheesecake. I skip the pecan toasting and it tastes the same to me.
I’ve made this several times. Always delicious! It’s so much better when you leave the pecans out of the filling.
I wrap my pan in damp cake strips ( wet towels) and put foil on the rack above to prevent the top from over browning during the last 20 minutes before turning the oven off.
Excellent cheesecake! I made it this evening for New Years but already snuck a piece to sample. AMAZING! Thanks so much for the simple but delightful recipe. I know it’ll be a big hit!!
Can I use light brown sugar instead of the dark brown sugar?
I would recommend covering the cheesecake with foil after the first 15 mins or so. Mine is quite brown after following the recipe exactly. I’ve made several cheesecakes in the past and recipes usually call for this.
What about covering with foil?