Week 11: Turtle Cheese Pie

Whew wee, what a week!  It's been a busy week for my husband and me.  We're hosting a family/friends picnic this weekend...this is the first time all week I've been able to sit down and relax :)  Here's hoping next week slows down. 

This week's cheesecake was actually a cheese pie.  It's easy to make and delicious.  I made a few shortcuts as well with this recipe which I'll post at the bottom of this entry.

Here is George Geary's Turtle Cheese Pie recipe:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp unsalted butter melted

2 packages cream cheese softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
3 oz bittersweet chocolate chunks
3 oz caramels, cut into quarters
1/4 cup toasted and chopped pecans
1/2 tsp vanilla (I accidentally grabbed the peppermint extract, but it actually turned out well)

3oz bittersweet chocolate

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and butter.  Press into bottom and sides of 9 inch pie plate and freeze.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium high speed for 3 minutes.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating each one thoroughly into batter before adding the next.  Fold in 3 oz bittersweet chocolate, caramels, pecans an vanilla.  Pour batter over frozen crust and bake in a pre-heated 325 degree for 25 to 35 minutes or until the top is a light brown and middle has a slight jiggle to it.  While the pie is still hot, grate the chocolate over the top.  Cool pie for two hours and then refrigerate for 6 hours.

Due to this week's time constraints, I made the following shortcuts:

• I used a pre-made pie crust for a 9 inch pie pan (I so felt like I was cheating by doing this, but it sure was nice to not have to roll out the graham crackers with a rolling pin)
• Instead of baking chocolate and caramel chunks, I used bittersweet chocolate chips and caramel bits (same size as a chocolate chip).  This saved time on chopping the chocolate and caramel.
• Instead of grating chocolate over the top of the pie, I chopped up chocolate chips and sprinkled them over the top of the pie.

Also, I accidentally grabbed the peppermint extract instead of the vanilla in my cupboard.  It wasn't until I poured the 1/2 tsp peppermint extract and smelled the mint that I realized my mistake.  But really, can't go wrong with chocolate and mint :)