This decadent Turtle Cheesecake is so creamy and topped caramel, nuts, and chocolate chips on top of a buttery crust.. Always a crowd favorite and my favorite dessert! 

Turtle Cheesecake

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TURTLE CHEESECAKE

I have been on a streak of recipe flops. I’m trying not to feel defeated so…I went back to my tried and true Turtle Cheesecake recipe. This is the first cheesecake recipe I ever made back in college.

I didn’t realize what a good recipe it was until I tried other cheesecake recipes. They always turned out dry and flavorless. This is sweet, moist, and has the best texture. If you are going for the WOW factor, here is your recipe.

It’s creamy, rich and no-fail. The lime juice may seem a little strange but trust me it works! It isn’t really even detectable but gives it a bright flavor that cuts the sweetness.

People are always so amazed that I actually made this cheesecake and it’s not store bought. It looks like it could be from the Cheesecake Factory!

INGREDIENTS

  • CREAM CHEESE – To make sure you have a creamy cheesecake filling, use room temperature cream cheese. I always use full fat cream cheese for best results.
  • CHOCOLATE GRAHAM CRACKERS – This is the base of our chocolate cookie crust. You can use Oreo cookies for an Oreo cookie crust as well.
  • MELTED BUTTER
  • SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK
  • SUGAR
  • EGGS
  • LIME JUICE – This adds a little tang to the cheesecake batter.
  • VANILLA EXTRACT
  • MILK CHOCOLATE CHIPS – We use melted chocolate chips in the batter and then semisweet chocolate chips on top.
  • CHOCOLATE SYRUP – This sauce drizzled on top of the cheesecake makes for a decadent topping. You could also use this homemade chocolate ganache.
  • CARAMEL SYRUP – This is really good with a salted caramel sauce.
  • PECANS

HOW TO MAKE THIS

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease 9-inch springform pan.
  2. Combine crumbs and butter in medium bowl. Press crust ingredients onto bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the pan.
  3. BEAT cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk in large mixer bowl until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, lime juice and vanilla extract; beat at medium speed until combined.
  4. Remove 1 cup of filling and set aside. Melt chocolate chips about 1 minute, (just until melted) and mix completely into the 1-cup reserved filling to make your chocolate filling.
  5. Pour 1/2 of the plain batter on top of the crust, then the chocolate filling, then the last 1/2 of the white. Take knife and gently swirl.
  6. BAKE turtle cheesecake for 60-75 minutes or until edge is set and center moves slightly. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; run knife around edge of cheesecake. Cool completely. Drizzle chocolate syrup and plenty of caramel syrup over cheesecake in an even layer. Sprinkle with pecans and mini morsels. Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Remove side of pan. Slice to serve.

cheesecake batter

The hardest part of this recipe is layering the chocolate and vanilla batter. It’s not even that hard! The batter eventually settles into layers and really however you layer it, it’s delicious.

whole cheesecake

You are going to be tempted to drown this in chocolate syrup and caramel. It really is plenty sweet on its own and does not need a lot more to make it delicious. Of course, these toppings do look really pretty and give it that professional look.

Turtle Cheesecake

CAN I FREEZE THIS CHEESECAKE?

Yes! Cheesecakes freeze beautifully. You can freeze this up to three months. It’s best to freeze it without the toppings. Thaw in the fridge, add the toppings, and serve.

slice of cheesecake

OTHER CHEESECAKE RECIPES

Turtle Cheesecake

Turtle Cheesecake

4.38 from 8 votes
This Turtle Cheesecake is so creamy and topped caramel, nuts, and chocolate chips.
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1 (14 ounce can) sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips, (you can use semi-sweet morsels if you want it less sweet)
  • 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
  • 2 tablespoons caramel syrup or ice cream topping
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
  • 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate mini morsels

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease 9-inch springform pan.
  • Combine crumbs and butter in medium bowl. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of prepared pan.
  • BEAT cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk in large mixer bowl until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, lime juice and vanilla extract; beat until combined.
  • Remove 1 cup of filling and set aside. Melt chocolate chips about 1 minute, (just until melted) and mix completely into the 1-cup reserved filling to make your chocolate filling.
  • Pour 1/2 of the white filling into crust, then the chocolate filling, then the last 1/2 of the white. Take knife and gently swirl.
  • BAKE for 60-75 minutes or until edge is set and center moves slightly. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; run knife around edge of cheesecake. Cool completely. Drizzle chocolate syrup and caramel syrup over cheesecake. Sprinkle with pecans and mini morsels. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Remove side of pan. Slice to serve.

Notes

Source: adapted from Allrecipes
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Christy Denney
Turtle Cheesecake