Turtle Cheesecake
Last Friday was my mom’s birthday… a great big belated happy birthday to my mom!! She spent the latter part of the afternoon and evening running around with me to do last-minute errands before our party on Saturday. I’ll be making her very favorite dinner (sausage, pepper & mushroom risotto with chocolate chip scones for dessert) soon, but since Friday was spent doing party prep, she only requested some Five Guys takeout for dinner. I couldn’t let her birthday come and go without giving her something special to eat, so I surprised her with this cheesecake. Turtles are by far her favorite candy, and I’ve been wanting to make her a turtle-inspired cheesecake for quite some time. It took me awhile to decide how I wanted to build such a cheesecake, and I finally ran with it. This turned out even more fabulous than I imagined, and was a perfect celebratory cake.
I took all of the elements of classic turtle candies and built it into one extremely dreamy cheesecake. I started with an Oreo cookie crust and topped it with a mixture of homemade caramel sauce and chopped pecans. I chilled the pan in the refrigerator while I prepared a fantastic basic cheesecake recipe. Once the cheesecake was baked and cooled, I topped it with a chocolate ganache, then finished it off with more caramel drizzles and chopped pecans.
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The result? One of the most fabulous cheesecakes to ever come out of my kitchen. My mom absolutely loved it, as did the rest of us. Caramel and nuts, sandwiched by chocolate and a luscious cheesecake layer… it’s all win. A perfect dessert for a mom that deserves only the best!
One year ago: Quick & Easy Chicken Pot Pie
Two years ago: Honey Cake
Three years ago: Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Maple-Cream Cheese Filling
Five years ago: Cream of Mushroom Soup
Six years ago: Cinnamon Rolls
Turtle Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 24 Oreo cookies, finely crushed into crumbs
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- Pinch of salt
For the Caramel-Pecan Layer:
- 1½ cups (339 ml) caramel sauce, omit the salt for a sweeter version
- 1 cup (99 g) chopped pecans
For the Cheesecake:
- 32 ounces (907.19 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1¼ cups (250 g) granulated sugar
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (178.5 ml) heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Ganache:
- ¾ cup (178.5 ml) heavy cream
- ¼ cup (85.25 ml) light corn syrup
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Toss together the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt until all of the crumbs are moistened. Press into the bottom and two inches up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Place pan in the freezer for 10 minutes. Bake for 7 minutes, or until crust is firm. Remove from oven and cool completely.
- Make the Caramel-Pecan Layer: In a small bowl, stir together the caramel sauce and pecans. Pour onto the cooled crust and gently spread into an even layer. Refrigerate while the cheesecake is prepared.
- Make the Cheesecake: Beat together the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well until fully incorporated and scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Add the heavy cream and vanilla and beat until well combined, about 1 minute. Pour the batter on top of the caramel-pecan layer and bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until the edges are set, but the middle still jiggles a little.
- Keeping the oven door closed, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake rest in the oven for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven, and place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely, about an additional 2 hours. Once completely cool, refrigerate for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight).
- Make the Chocolate Ganache: Combine the heavy cream, corn syrup, chocolate and vanilla in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth. Set the glaze aside to cool and thicken at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Pour the ganache over the top of the cheesecake, gently spreading it to the edges. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until set. Remove the sides of the pan, garnish with additional caramel sauce and chopped pecans, and serve. Leftover cheesecake can be stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
- Note: Some readers have mentioned issued with the caramel sauce leaking through the springform pan while baking. To avoid a mess, place a rimmed baking sheet on the oven rack below the cheesecake to catch any drips.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe is fantastic. I found it a few years ago, and keep coming back. This is my go to cheesecake. And that crust is to die for.
When making the crust do you scrape filling out of Oreos?
Hi Jan, No you should use the whole cookie, filling included.
i made this cheesecake, as i have only made New York cheesecakes before for decades, and i wanted to try something new. it turned out wonderful, and very delicious. the only issue i had was when the caramel did melt, it saturated the crust and made it very hard and difficult to cut. (like it candied the crust.) next time i make this, i will incorporate the caramel and pecans into the filling like a swirl.
First time I have ever made caramel and it is addicting!
OMG YUM!!!
I just threw out 2 cups of sugar and 12 oz of butter because it was a total disaster! It never came to a sauce consistency and now at 10pm I have to run out to get a store made carmel sauce…very disappointed
My 16 year old son and I decided to try this as the 2nd cheesecake for his birthday party. Having never made a baked cheesecake before I was a little nervous about the complexity of it. With the caramel cheesecake in the oven we began the Turtle cheesecake. Long story short it was beautiful and delicious! The only issue we had was the ganache separated, it took some work to fix it but mission accomplished! Everyone at the party raved about the The Turtle Cheesecake. I have to say even ours was beautiful! This recipe had easy to follow step by step instructions. Thank you browneyedbaker, you hit this one out of the park!
Michelle M.
Wow this cheesecake looks awesome! I’m making it now except I’m doing a brownie crust. I’ll come back and post a review and let you know how it turns out.
This was posted three years ago and I am only seeing now?!? OMG! I am not much into desserts, until you say cheesecake! I will most definitely be trying this! It looks and sounds fantastic! And, my kids are all moved out now and in college so I get the whole thing to myself! LOL
Be sure and remove sides from springform pan after the cheesecake has cooled for 10 mins, just use the chocolate part of the Oreo. Wrap foil on the bottom of your springform pan and still use another pan to cathch drips. I put mine in the frige overnight and had a hrad time getting the sides of my pan to release, after it sat out for 20 mins it came away but was still stuck in some areas.
If I make this again i will use only the cookie part of the oreo, and I will put half of the cheesecake in the pan add the caremel and nuts and top with the rest of the cheesecake before baking. Topping with gnache and nuts.
I have had mixed results so far. Really hoping this turns out. My caramel sauce burned, even though I did not get to 350, so I had to start over and eye ball it. The second batch was perfect. I also should have read reviews. A lot of us have had issues with leaking. It doesn’t make this recipe bad by any means, just means maybe an addendum in the recipe to put a pan underneath JUST IN CASE could be a good suggestion. And my cheese cake also rose WAY above my large spring form pan. So I am hoping to cover the grand canyon of a crack it created when it started to sink with ganache. After I clear the smoke out of my house from the leakage on the bottom of the oven, I’m really really really hoping this is still a thumbs up in my book. Thank you for always giving yummy recipes!
The layer of carmel is dripping in my stove. Thank god theres a baking sheet under the rack below! And my springform pan is sealed. This worries me
I should have read the reviews from people who actually made the cheesecake! The crust leaked significantly, some of the liquid burnt to the side of the pan giving the crust a burnt taste in certain areas. I would use a different crust recipe. Ganache was very easy and turned out well.
This recipe looks so yummy. I’m making several cheesecakes for a friend’s wedding and plan on freezing them. How would the gnache freeze, or would I add it after the cheesecake thaws?
I think the ganache would freeze just fine!
What if our springform pan is 10in instead of 9? What should i do?
Hi Brittany, You’ll just need to decrease the baking time a bit.
I have made cheesecakes for years and was surprised when this one bombed totally. There was liquid drizzling out and the caramel rose to the top. I’m thinking the butter was running out or the frosting in the cookies. Anyway, it was a disaster and I wanted you to know. BTW, I have been cooking cheesecakes for 30 years.
HELLO, WONDERING IF THE CARAMEL SAUCE THICKENS WHEN IT COOLS, MINE SEEMS TO BE RUNNY
Hi Dawn, Yes, it will definitely thicken!
Best cheesecake I’ve ever made. Thank you so much for this recipe. I’ve made 2 and they were fantastic!!!!!!!!
This was a huge hit at a party last week! I didn’t allow enough time for the ganache to cool so I just drizzled it on top. Yum! Thanks :)
so, I made it tonight to serve tomorrow night. After about 45 minutes in the oven, caramel either started leaking out of the bottom or spilling over from the top or both. Either way, I’m not so sure the cake is done, and the bottom of my oven is coated in caramel. What did I do wrong? I’m so sad.
Hi Renee, Oh no! That makes me sad! In the future, I would wrap your pan in aluminum foil to keep any potential leaks at bay.
For the oreo base, am I supposed to take the filling from the oreo away and make the crust, or do I leave the whole cookie?
Hi Liza, Leave the cookie whole.
Have you ever tried putting a thin layer of ganache under the cheesecake portion? Either directly on top of the crust or the caramel/nut mixture? I’d rather do just a drizzle of chocolate/caramel on top but not lose out on the amount of ganache. Do you think it would work or would the heat of baking mess it up?
Hi Christy, I haven’t tried it with this particular cheesecake, but I’ve done it with others, I think it would be fine!
do you remove the filling from the cookies before you crush them, or are you using the whole cookie?
nevermind…just saw the answer in the comments…
I made this cheesecake about a month ago and got very good reviews. Some saying it was the best they had ever tried. It was such a hit I just finished making another one for thanksgiving. I had never baked anything before this cheesecake but had no trouble with the very easy to follow recipe you provided. Thank you very much and I will try more of your recipes.
I enjoyed making this Turtle Cheesecake. The pictures and instructions were excellent and all the reviews…helped me avoid a few mishaps. Greatly appreciate your site and enjoyed making a more challenging receipe.
I really appreciate your creativity! I just found your blogs a couple weeks ago and have made your regular New York style cheesecake, which got tremendous reviews at work. I am cheating with the Turtle cheesecake and using bottled caramel sauce and gluten free cookies to make this a gluten free cheesecake. I can’t wait to see how it turns out!
I made this 2 days ago for my husband’s birthday (his favorite dessert is cheesecake and his favorite candy is turtles). It is delicious! I wish I could post a pic for y’all to see! I couldn’t find my springform pans and was not going back to the store. So I used 2 round cake pans. I made the crust and put some of the cheesecake batter in one pan and made a crustless cheesecake in the other pan. Once cooled as directed in the recipe, I turned the crustless cake on top of the other and followed the rest of the directions. It worked out well! When I make this again I will leave out the caramel pecan layer. It turned to brittle and made it extremely hard- nearly impossible to cut a slice all the way to the crust. It’s still delicious! Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
oh and a side note the cheesecake tasted………………….AMAZING!!! And trust me i know cheesecake it is my all time fave any style and any flav!!!!
Ok i had to make this but i ended up with a problem and not sure what i did to cause it. my carmel pecan on the bottom floated through out the cheesecake what do you suggest that i could have done to cause this?
Thanks
Gina Marie
Hi Gina, That’s so strange! I’m not sure how that would have happened, unless your caramel sauce was super, super thin. Even then, I don’t see how everything would float up.
so I always love the recipes here. But this one needs a warning. Not even 8 minutes in the oven and the caramel sauce started leaking from the spring form pan. I ow have caramel crust on the bottom of the oven. which is going to be a pain to clean off and there was smoke because of it. I would steer clear of the caramel sauce on the cookie layer and just leave it on the top coating layer. This was supposed to be for a friends birthday but now its a wash! Definitely not a very good recipe!
so I just finished it after all the problems I was having. The middle after leaving it the oven for an hour and a half is still jiggly so Im not even sure if that is how it should be. I bake at least twice a week and never have a problem. This is the first time I have ever had a cheesecake problem. Im not sure if I should leave it in the oven a little longer or if I should leave it be and call it quits. I think this recipe has just frustrated me so much. From leaking caramel burnt on my oven to the jiggly middle that makes the cheesecake look undone. I am not sure if this recipe should be used. I am rating it a 4 out of 10 :( I really wanted it to be good and $46 later it didn’t turn out like I hoped it would. Im very disappointed.
Hi Kristy, I’m sorry that this recipe did not turn out for you. I had no caramel leaking into my oven; it sounds like you may have had some holes or bare spots in your crust. Otherwise, there’s no way the caramel should have seeped through the crust. The cheesecake should still be a bit jiggly when it comes out of the oven to ensure that it hasn’t been over baked. It will set and firm up as it chills in the refrigerator.