Turtle Cheesecake

A cheesecake fashioned after turtle candies; it has an Oreo crust, a layer of caramel and pecans, a creamy cheesecake, then topped with a chocolate ganache and drizzled with more caramel sauce and sprinkled with additional pecans.

Prep time: PT30M

Cook time: PT70M

Total time: PT100M

Rating

4.37 stars (58 reviews)

Keywords

baked cheesecake, caramel cheesecake, oreo crust

Ingredients

24 Oreo cookies (finely crushed into crumbs)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
Pinch of salt
1½ cups caramel sauce
1 cup chopped pecans
32 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)
1¼ cups granulated sugar
4 eggs (at room temperature)
¾ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¾ cup heavy cream
¼ cup light corn syrup
8 ounces semisweet chocolate (finely chopped)
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Cuisine

American

Steps

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.

Nutitrion

Serving Size: 1 serving
Calories: 892 kcal
Carbohydrates: 77 g
Protein: 10 g
Fat: 62 g
Saturated Fat: 31 g
Cholesterol: 194 mg
Sodium: 493 mg
Sugar: 46 g

Reviews

Tammara Kuhlmann on 2026-03-28 (5 stars):
Omg! This recipe is amazing! One of all time favorites!
Sticky oven on 2023-05-13 (1 stars):
Why would you put the caramel bit at the end? You should probably put that up front.
Barbara Pierson on 2021-12-07 (5 stars):
This is a master recipe. Visually it looks like a professional made it. I decided to buy a well known caramel sauce to cut down on time as I was concerned about consistency. Sometimes when I make Sticky Toffee Pudding sauce it’s quite runny so the store bought was perfect. I used a crock pot bag and set the cheesecake in it for leaks. I am making it again today and bought smaller springform pans to do two smaller sizes. One for a luncheon and I’m keeping one! It’s that yummy. When this doesn’t turn out for people it’s definitely not your recipe. Thanks every so much.
Mary Jo Kraft on 2021-12-03 (5 stars):
This is absolutely the best turtle cheesecake that I have ever made! It is a bit complicated and time consuming, particularly the first time I made it, but it is well worth it for a special occasions. I now make it for Christmas and for my son's birthday since it is his favorite dessert. Method of baking the cheesecake makes a big difference in the final result. Unlike past recipes for cheesecake, I have never had this recipe crack. It is perfect! The caramel is a bit tricky and takes close watching and experience, at least for me. The first time I made it, it was slightly over-cooked and tasted a little bitter, but still delicious. The second time I made it, it was not cooked enough and ran all over the cake. My first attempts were incredibly good, however, even with the mistakes .Now I have conquered it!! The turtle cheese cake is rich , but I usually serve small pieces. I also have enough left offer to give it to special friends who also think it is the best they have ever eaten.
Barbara Pierson on 2021-10-03 (5 stars):
I made this for my son’s birthday. He was thrilled and it’s a gorgeous presentation. It looks a like you spent a fortune at a bakery. It was delicious. Thank you! I’m making it again for a luncheon. Yum!
Francie on 2021-08-21 (5 stars):
Made for a birthday cheesecake and It was beautiful and amazingly delicious! Perfect in every way! I can’t think of anything I would want to do differently, although I did garnish with whole pecans. Thank you!
Jerry on 2021-08-09 (5 stars):
I made this cheesecake for my wife's birthday and it was the best cheesecake we have ever tasted! Thanks browneyedbaker!!
Alyssa P. on 2021-03-25 (2 stars):
Honestly I did not read the reviews prior to making this which was my bad but following this recipe to a tee and it was... not good :( I hate to write a bad review but while the flavors were there the caramel and nut layer over the crust did ruin it but worst of all the texture of the cheesecake itself was weird and "grainy" as someone else mentioned below. Overall just very disappointing and I wish I had tested it out before bringing it somewhere. Would skip out on this one.
Caitlin on 2020-11-25 (5 stars):
Yum, yum, yum! I have made this cheesecake twice now and both times it turned out beautifully! After reading the reviews, I skipped the step of adding the caramel onto the crust. Instead, I add the caramel on top of the ganache and then add the pecans. It was delicious. I also had "leakage" during the baking process, even without having the caramel included. Maybe it is the butter? I definitely recommend putting a pan underneath to catch all the drips and make clean up easy. Thanks for another "go to" recipe, Michelle!
Britt on 2020-03-13 (4 stars):
Cheesecake came out beautiful and delicious! One question though @browneyedbaker my caramel caramelized my crust making it hard, Amy suggestions to avoid this?
Becky on 2020-01-02 (2 stars):
I followed the recipe exactly. The cake rose higher than the 10” pan I baked it in and then shrank to less than half the size as it cooled. The texture was very grainy which I’ve never had in any of the many cheesecakes I’ve made. The taste was good.
Suzi on 2019-11-28 (1 stars):
The pecan caramel mixture right about the crust makes it very difficult to cut. Cake fell apart when cutting and wasn’t pretty. Taste was mediocre. It was the only cake at thanksgiving that didn’t get demolished by large family. I don’t recommend this recipe.
Alyssa Happy on 2019-03-10 (5 stars):
Awesome recipe family and I love it! Thank you so much for sharing this! Made the impossible seem doable. Ive made this three times now. I use 4.5 tbsp of butter for crust n wrap aluminum foil around the base n sides of the pan while it bakes. Also freezing the crust And carmel layer may help so it doesnt become so runny n leak. Love the results from this! Thanks brown eyed Baker!
Linda on 2018-12-23 (2 stars):
Would not recommend this recipe to anyone. . I made this without the Carmel nut layer. (so that is not what leaked on other bakers) While baking the cream cheese layer, the butter from the crust was leaking all over my oven. Causing severe smoke. I have made many cheesecakes over the years and never had this problem. 1st time using this Oreo crust recipe.