Toffee Crunch Caramel Cheesecake

We make this every year for our next door neighbors, but originally it was our friend Kellee's birthday "cake." The recipe, printed in Bon Appetit January 2005, is from Zoom, a restaurant in Park City, Utah.

Caramel Cheesecake with Toffee Topping

Ingredients:
Gingersnap Crust
nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 cups ground gingersnap cookies (about 7 1/4 ounces)
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar

Cheesecake
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temp
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, melted
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel topping
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup heavy whipping cream

4 1.4 ounce English toffee candy bars (such as Heath or Skor), chopped

Directions:
For crust: Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray bottom of 9-inch springform pan with 2 1/2 inch high sides with nonstick spray. Stir ground cookies, butter and sugar in medium bowl until moist clumps form. Press cookie mixture firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Wrap outside of pan with 3 layers of heavy-duty foil (I do this step first before putting the crust in the pan.) Bake crust until firm and beginning to darken, about 14 minutes. Cool crust. Maintain oven temperature.

For cheesecake: Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Beat in butter, then eggs, one at a time, until just blended. Beat in vanilla. Pour batter over crust in pan. Place springform pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to come halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake cake uncovered until filling is puffed around edges and moves slightly in center when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove pan from water; remove foil. Place hot cheesecake uncovered in refrigerator overnight.

For caramel topping: Stir sugar, water, and lemon juice in large saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until mixture turns deep amber, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 9 minutes. Add cream (mixture will bubble). Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Chill until thickened but still pourable, about 15 minutes.

Spoon caramel over top of cake just to edges (do not allow caramel to drip down sides). Garnish top edges with chopped English toffee. Chill at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.

Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake; release pan sides.

Number Of Servings:10-12

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

An unbelievably delicious treat, especially if you love peanut butter cups!

from Bon Appetit June 1993, introduced to us by hubs’ University of Houston colleague and friend, Coleen

Crust

1 cup chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (about 5 ½ oz)
½ cup roasted unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped (about 2 ½ oz)
¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 Tablespoons firmly packed golden brown sugar
pinch of salt

--OR—

1 pre-made oreo cookie crust

Filling

4 8-oz packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 ½ cups firmly packed golden brown sugar
½ cup creamy peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned or freshly ground)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
¼ cup whipping cream
2 ½ cups ¾-inch pieces Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (about 10 oz)

Topping

2 cups sour cream
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For Crust: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Butter 9-inch diameter springform pan with 2 ¾ inch high sides. Mix chocolate cookie crumbs, chopped peanuts, melted butter, brown sugar and pinch of salt in bowl until well combined. Press mixture evenly onto bottom and ½ inch up sides of pan. Bake until crust is set, about 8 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. (--OR—use the cheater method. Spray the bottom of a springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Dump the contents of a premade oreo cookie crust into the pan. It’ll break into pieces. Press evenly across the bottom and a little way up the side. If it seems a little dry, spray the top lightly with nonstick cooking spray (just a tiny touch!!). Then put it in the oven for just a minute or two until it is set.)

For Filling: Using electric mixer, beat room temperature cream cheese and brown sugar in large bowl until smooth. Add peanut butter and vanilla extract and beat just until blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add whipping cream and beat until smooth. Stir in peanut butter cup pieces.

Pour filling into crust. Bake at 325 until sides of cake are set but center still moves slightly, about 55 minutes. Cool cake in pan on rack 10 minutes.

For Topping: Blend sour cream, sugar and vanilla extract in medium bowl. Carefully spoon topping over cheesecake. Return cheesecake to oven and bake 5 minutes.

Cool cheesecake in pan on rack. Run small sharp knife around edge of cheesecake to loosen. Cover and refrigerate overnight. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Keep refrigerated (HA HA, it would NEVER last 3 days untouched in our house.).) Release pan sides. Let stand 20 minutes at room temperature before serving.

10 servings, maybe more actually since it is a big tall cheesecake.

[Note (12/23/2010): This year we baked the big cheesecake, on right, but saved some of the batter and made a few mini "tasters" in a muffin tin. T added a chocolate chip to the top of the one at the bottom left. Delicious!!]