Rich and creamy cheesecake, sweet and gooey caramel, and toasty pecan come together for a one of a kind treat. This decadent dessert is sure to make you go weak in the knees. Luckily it is pretty simple to put together and it tastes even better than it looks!
In the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan, mix together the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar. Stir in the butter into the mixture until it resembles wet sand. Then press the mixture to form a crust that covers to bottom of the pan. Try to form a small lip of crust around the edge of the pan as well to keep the caramel sauce contained.
In a medium microwave safe bowl, melt about half of the caramels and half of one can of sweetened condensed milk until it is smooth and creamy. Gently pour the warm caramel over the graham cracker crust and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then set aside to cool
In your mixer, beat cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl and the mixer paddle to ensure there are not lemps.
Slowly incorporate the second can of condensed milk into the cream cheese until the mixture is smooth.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until full combined after each. Don’t over mix at this point, you don’t want to whip too much air into the batter. Stir in the vanilla and pour cheesecake over the cooled crust. Tap the pan on the counter a couple of times to release any trapped air.
Bake for about an hour or until the middle is just set. Turn off the heat and open the oven door just a crack to allow the cheesecake to cool slowly. After about an hour, run a knife around the edge of the springform pan to allow the cheesecake to release later. Then transfer the cheesecake to the fridge to cool completely.
Before serving, remove ring from the springform pan. Melt together the remaining caramels and sweetened condensed milk until creamy. Pat the top of the cheesecake dry if there is any condensation, then spread melted caramel over the cheesecake. Garnish with pecan halves.
Store any leftover cheesecake in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.