9-13-Browned Butter Pecan Cheesecake

[nverland]

Browned Butter Pecan Cheesecake
Yield: 12-14 slices

Ingredients:

BUTTER PECANS
1 1/2 cups (247g) chopped pecans
2 tbsp light brown sugar, loosely packed
2 tbsp (28g) Challenge salted butter, melted


CHEESECAKE FILLING
6 tbsp (84g) butter
24 ounces (678g) cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (104g) sugar
3/4 cup (108g) light brown sugar. loosely packed
3 tbsp (24g) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (173g) sour cream, room temperature
1 tbsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup toasted pecans (above)

CRUST
2 ¼ cups (302g) graham cracker crumbs
½ cup (112g) Challenge salted butter, melted
3 tbsp (39g) sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Cinnamon Whipped Cream
1 cup (240ml) heavy whipping cream, cold
1/2 cup (58g) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Caramel sauce
* recipe below

Directions:

TOAST THE PECANS:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Combine the melted butter, pecans and brown sugar in a medium sized bowl and toss to coat.
3. Spread the pecans evenly onto the cookie sheet and bake for 5-7 minutes, or until toasted.
4. Set pecans aside to cool.

BROWN THE BUTTER
5. To make the browned butter for the cheesecake filling, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. It’s best to use a light-colored pan so that you can see the butter browning. Whisk the butter occasionally so that it cooks evenly.
6. Cook the butter until it turns a nice toasty brown. It will foam up at first, but it will eventually subside and you’ll have browned butter. Some of the brown bits may separate, but that’s ok. Once the butter has browned, pour it into a heat-proof bowl and set it aside to cool.

CRUST
7. Preheat oven to 325°F (163°C). Line a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan with parchment paper in the bottom and grease the sides.
8. Combine the crust ingredients in a small bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan.
9. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
10. Cover the outsides of the pan with aluminum foil so that water from the water bath cannot get in. Set prepared pan aside.

CHEESECAKE FILLING
11. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F (148°C).
12. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugars and flour on low speed until well completely combined and smooth. Be sure to use low speed to reduce the amount of air added to the batter, which can cause cracks. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
13. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract and browned butter and mix on low speed until well combined.
14. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly to combine after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.
15. Stir in 1 cup of the toasted pecans.
16. Pour the cheesecake batter evenly into the crust.
17. Place the springform pan inside another larger pan. Fill the outside pan with enough warm water to go about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. The water should not go above the top edge of the aluminum foil on the springform pan.
18. Bake for 1 hour 5 minutes. The center should be set, but still jiggly.
19. Turn off the oven and leave the door closed for 30 minutes. The cheesecake will continue to cook, but slowly begin to cool as well.
20. Crack the door of the oven for 30 minutes to allow the cheesecake to continue to cool slowly. This process helps prevent cracking.
21. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and water bath wrapping and refrigerate until firm, 5-6 hours or overnight.
22. To finish off the cheesecake, make the whipped cream. Add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon to a large mixer bowl. Whip on high speed until stiff peaks form.
23. Pipe swirls of whipped cream onto the cheesecake and finish off with the remaining toasted pecans. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

**Homemade Caramel Sauce

Yield: about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
6 tbsp salted butter, cubed, room temperature
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature

Directions:
1. Pour sugar into an even layer in a large saucepan.
2. Heat on medium-high heat, whisking the sugar until melted. The sugar will clump up first, but will eventually completely melt. This will take about 10 minutes.
3. Once the sugar has melted, stop whisking and allow to cook until the sugar has turned to a little darker amber color. You may notice a nutty aroma. The change in color will happen quickly, so don’t let it go too long or get too dark or it’ll burn. Remove caramel from the heat.
4. Add butter and whisk until combined. The mixture will bubble up, but keep whisking until all the butter has melted and combined.
5. Slowly pour the heavy cream into the caramel and whisk until incorporated.
6. Cool for about 10-15 minutes before using. Store leftovers in a jar with a lid. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.