The Experiment

The Idea:  Mary picked out a cheesecake the other night when we ate at Spaghetti Eddies.  She originally wanted a plain one, until Doug talked her into strawberry.  Of course, it was fantastic.  It got me thinking...I've never even tried to make a cheesecake and I have a springform pan brand new, just waiting for me.  Seriously, I've had this pan for over 4 years and never opened it.  However, if you know me, you know I'm not a baker, so it shouldn't be too much of a surprise.  Hmm, so what kind should I try?  Doug loves chocolate and I try to be nice to him every once in a while, so chocolate it is.  But knowing me, I just can't try something new.  I have to go over the top.  I love caramel, so a Turtle Cheesecake was going to be my experiment.  

The Process:  My helper did a thorough job of crushing most of Doug's pack of Oreos we had stashed in the pantry.  Hmm, if it turns out well, he won't need cookies for a while.  

Did you know that 4 yr olds love unwrapping all the tiny caramels and it makes your job so much easier?  They do!  It does!

Melting the caramels in a double boiler took too long.  The microwave was a much better choice.  

 It did, however, work great for the yummy chocolate.  6 oz. of German sweet chocolate.

 First, the Oreo cookie crumb crust, a layer of ooey, gooey caramel, sprinkle on some pecans, add half the cheesecake, another layer of caramel and nuts and finish off with the rest of the cheesecake.

 The best part about being the helper is licking the spoons.  Mmm, caramel and chocolate!  Mary said the caramel was her favorite.  Ahh, she takes after mommy.  Funny, Adam's the chocoholic like daddy.

 Time to go in the oven!

The Finished Product:  An extra coating of melted chocolate went on top after it came out of the oven.  You can't really tell I put a middle layer of caramel and nuts in there, so next time, I'll probably just put it all on the bottom.  It gave the crust a wonderful chewy quality.

 I think he liked it.  In fact, we all liked it.  You can see the sugar rush setting in...it gives him quite a mischievous sparkle to his eyes.

 Went outside afterward to burn off some post cheesecake sugar before bedtime.  

I'd say the experiment was a success.