Cheesecake Experiment

I have never made cheesecake before. Although I have thought about making cheesecake before, I quickly learned that just doesn't cut it. I know Marshall likes cheesecake; so I thought it was only fitting to cook him up a gooey cheesebirthdaycake. I combined two recipes and made a somewhat substantial, yet completly fixable, mistake along the way (I will point it out so your don't end up with a tasty yet totally 'cement' crust).

Crust
12 ounces, weight Storebought Gingersnaps
½ cups Chopped Pecans
6 Tablespoons Butter, Melted
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 dash Salt

Filling
4 sticks of cream cheese, 8 oz each; room temperature
1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs; room temperature
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

You also need a springfoam pan. It is a fancy pan that makes the cheesecake pretty in the end; totally worth it.

To Make Crust
-You gotta crush those gingersnaps into tiny pieces. This step always produces my imminent 'KitchenAid envy'. Yep, whenever I have to mix, chop or blend I covet those people with brightly colored KitchenAids complete with random attachments (ie., a sauerkraut slicer. If only I were lying). But instead of wallowing in my elbow grease and pity; I got out a giant zipperlock bag and had an instant arm workout. I broke up all the little gingersnaps into itty bitty pieces.
-Chop up pecans in little pieces too.
-Dump brown sugar into the mix.
-Melt that butter and pour it in too; mix it all around.
-Line your springfoam pan with this sweet mixture; placing it up the sides too.

My Critical Error
Whatever you do, do NOT, I repeat, do NOT put caramel all over the crust. While it sounds delicious in thought; it may or may not almost break the teeth of your guests. One of my classic 'good intentions & bad delivery' moments. But DO put caramel on top of the finished product. Superb.

To Make Filling
In a bowl, combine the sugar and cream cheese and cream together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each before adding the next. Make sure to scrape down the bowl in between each egg. Add heavy cream and vanilla and mix until smooth. Take a taste and dump it into the crust. Smooth out the top.

Put it into a 350 degree oven for no less than 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Let it cool for 30 minutes; then do something creative for the topping. I poured on half a jar of Smucker's caramel sauce. You could chop up candy bars or sprinkle on some more pecans. Totally up to you. Enjoy!