This Turtle Cheesecake with caramel, chocolate, pecans, and an Oreo crust is a dessert that gets talked about long after the plates are cleaned. Sweet, decadent, and almost magically delicious, this cheesecake steals the show.
Caramel Pecan Turtle Cheesecake
I make this cheesecake only once or twice a year and it is always by request. Just the smallest sliver really is a serving.
Decadent, rich, and worthy of any special occasion, this is a masterpiece of a cheesecake. It steals the spotlight at any dessert table and has been known to cause more than one person to sigh with joy.
Turtle Cheesecake
The cheesecake starts with an Oreo cookie crust that is covered in caramel sauce, then a layer of creamy cheesecake. Once cooled, it is sprinkled with toasted pecans and drizzled with both caramel and chocolate.
This Turtle Cheesecake beats just about any cheesecake I’ve had from a bakery. No exaggeration at all, my friends.
The crisscrossed swirls of caramel and chocolate drizzle make this cake look especially stunning. And it tastes even better than it looks!
Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake
Served for dessert with a strong cup of coffee, this is pure chocolate caramel cheesecake bliss. This is the dessert to bring when you want to wow a crowd!
While this cheesecake looks gorgeous and tastes even better, it’s not a fussy recipe at all. I’m happy to tell you that this dessert is much MUCH easier to make than you might expect.
Can’t get enough of that chocolate and caramel “turtle” flavor? Flourless Chocolate Turtle Cookies happen to be naturally gluten free yet still decadently tasty.
I make at least a couple batches of Shortbread Turtle Cookies and Chewy Caramel Turtle Bark to include in my holiday cookie trays every year. Pecans, chocolate, and caramel go so well together!
Cheesecake with Oreo Crust
It’s an easy swap to make this a gluten-free cheesecake. Simply substitute your favorite gluten-free cookie for the Oreo cookies in the crust.
Gluten-free chocolate sandwich cookies are easy to find at most grocery stores these days and work just as well as traditional sandwich cookies.
I’ve made this recipe for turtle cheesecake with both gluten-free cookies in the crust and regular Oreos. My family couldn’t tell the difference between the two; they’re both delicious!
Turtle Cheesecake Recipe
The buttery caramel combines with the rich chocolate crust and silky cheesecake center to make this one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever had.
I’ve said it once already and I’ll continue saying it. This cheesecake is so much more than the sum of its parts. It tastes like a much fancier dessert than it actually is!
Every time I bring a Turtle Cheesecake somewhere it gets a ton of compliments and requests for the recipe. Everyone’s always amazed when I tell them how simple the recipe is to make.
This is the same basic nine-ingredient recipe that I made for the first time straight off the back of the Philadelphia cream cheese package over 20 years ago.
Kitchen Tip: I use a reliable springform pan when making this recipe. Both 9-inch and 10-inch pans work well for this cheesecake recipe.
You can also use a smaller-sized cheesecake pan but will need to adjust the baking time accordingly. When I make this cheesecake in an 8-inch pan it requires an additional 10 – 15 minutes of baking time.
To make this recipe:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Crush the cookies in a large freezer-weight zipclose bag. You can use a rolling pin or mallet to crush them. Alternatively, you can quickly pulse them in a food processor.
- Combine the crumbs with the melted butter and press the mixture into the bottom of an 8-10″ springform pan. Pour ½ cup of the caramel sauce over this crust and spread it out lightly with a spatula. Refrigerate the caramel-coated crust for 10 minutes.
- Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed just until each one is blended. Pour this mixture over the refrigerated crust. Place the spring-form pan on a large baking sheet prior to placing it in the oven. (If you line the baking sheet with foil first, clean up will be a breeze.) Some of the caramel in the crust will drip through the pan onto your oven if you forget the baking sheet.
- Bake 65 – 70 minutes, until the center is almost set. Run a knife around the edges of the pan while it is still warm. Let cool at room temperature and then refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight before removing the sides of the pan.
- Once the sides of the pan have been removed, sprinkle the pecans across the top of the cheesecake and then drizzle with the remaining caramel and the melted chocolate. Store the remaining cheesecake in the refrigerator.
Check out all of the Gluten Free Dessert Recipes on this website and for another decadent cheesecake to try, this Coffee Cookies and Cream Cheesecake is creamy chocolate perfection!
For a cheesecake outside of the chocolate family, this Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie never fails to impress. It’s a fabulous addition to any Thanksgiving menu but we’ve been known to enjoy it all year long.
In the summer time when I’m craving light, tart citrusy desserts, a No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake from 365 Days of Baking fits the bill nicely.
Light and fluffy No Bake Caramel Cheesecake Mousse and Berry Cheesecake Mousse Cups pack rich cheesecake flavor into easy-to-make treats.
Turtle Cheesecake
Ingredients
- 24 chocolate sandwich cookies about 2 cups finely crushed, gluten free cookies work fine
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
- ¾ cup homemade caramel sauce (store-bought sauce is fine too)
- 3 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 3 eggs
- ¼ cup dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips melted
- ¼ cup chopped pecans toasted if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Crush the oreo cookies in a large freezer-weight zipclose bag. (You can use a rolling pin or mallet to crush them. Alternatively, you can quickly pulse them in a food processor.)
- Combine the crumbs with the melted butter and press the mixture into the bottom of an 8-10" springform pan. Pour ½ cup of the caramel sauce over this crust and spread it out lightly with a spatula. Refrigerate the caramel-coated crust for 10 minutes.
- Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed just until each one is blended. Pour this mixture over the refrigerated crust. Place the spring-form pan on a large baking sheet prior to placing it in the oven. (If you line the baking sheet with foil first, clean up will be a breeze.) Some of the caramel in the crust will drip through the pan onto your oven if you forget the baking sheet.
- Bake 65-70 minutes, until the center is almost set. Run a knife around the edges of the pan while it is still warm. Let cool at room temperature and then refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight before removing the sides of the pan.
- Once the sides of the pan have been removed, sprinkle the pecans across the top of the cheesecake and then drizzle with the remaining caramel and the melted chocolate. Store remaining cheesecake in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
{originally posted 12/14/12 – photos and recipe notes updated 12/16/22}
Darla Whitney says
Having a problem with the cooking time. Do you cook until the middle is almost set?? Right now I’m going on 1.5 hours? Much help please
Mary Younkin says
To test for doneness when baking a cheesecake, gently shake the cheesecake (wearing oven mitts, of course). If the cheesecake looks nearly set and only a small circle in the center jiggles slightly, it’s done. Are you certain your oven is heating to the right temp? Did you change anything in the recipe? It’s hard to help figure it out when I’m not in the kitchen with you. Did it lightly brown?
Heather says
Yum! Instead of 3 eggs, use 2 then add some sour cream. Instead of melting chocolate for the top, use smuckers hot fudge. 😉 Another option for baking is 350° for 33 minutes.
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you like the cheesecake, Heather! I like a sour cream cheesecake too.
Kay says
I am not sure what I did but the crust was a epic fail for me. It was like cement….I could not cut it and basically it was not edible. The cheesecake part was good. I followed the recipe exactly so not sure. If I do it again I think I will use a Graham Cracker crust and bake it before filling.
Misty Steingrabe says
I made this cheesecake for my husbands company Christmas party and the guys were all raving about it!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy to hear that, Misty!
Janie Carroll says
Kay that happened one time when I was doing the crust I pressed down to hard. gently press and I did that from the rest of the time and they were always really good
Karen says
I adjusted and added some sour cream and used 2 pre-made crusts. It turned out fabulous. Great appearance and taste.
Mary Younkin says
I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed the cheesecake, Karen.
Paula says
Made this for a family members birthday and she ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT! Will definitely be making it again for my family to enjoy! Thank you for Sharing this recipe!
Mary Younkin says
I’m thrilled that you love the cheesecake, Paula.
Jo says
WOW! I’ve waited a long time for the right occasion to make this, and finally got the opportunity for a pre-Easter gathering yesterday. I was lucky enough to get a ‘limited edition’ chocolate flavoured cream cheese for extra cheekiness. I used Hobnobs instead of Oreos, and the oaty base really balanced out the caramel. I did end up with a slightly darker caramel than I would have liked, but that was user error (I looked away for thirty seconds at the wrong time! LOL).
I think that I may have slightly overwhipped it (as per a previous comment), because it did puff up like a souffle, which made it a bit harder to tell when it was done (especially as the chocolate in the cream cheese meant it started off dark brown!) – the cake kept on ‘wobbling’ after about an hour and a half in the oven, which is when I decided to take it out. However, but that had no impact on the end result; after the four hours in the fridge, the cheesecake was nice and firm when I took it out of the pan. I used oil spray and base lined the tin with baking paper, and had no issues with getting the cheesecake out.
Overall, the cheesecake got massive thumbs up from everyone there – definitely a winner, and I will be adding it to my ‘keep’ list. Thank you!
Mary Younkin says
YAY! I’m glad you liked it, Jo!
Vanilla Bean says
Hi is there any way I can swap pecans for almonds instead?
Mary Younkin says
Sure thing. That will work fine.
Eunice Auker says
My children choose this rich, delicious cheesecake for their birthday meal. In my experience, using margarine instead of butter for the crust resulted in a softer crust. When I use butter, the crust is so hard we can hardly cut it.
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you like the cheesecake, Eunice!
Laurel Hicks says
Made before amazing!! What if I wanted to use two smaller pans?
Mary Younkin says
It works nicely in smaller pans too.
Kim says
This was a great hit for Christmas dessert. Easy to make. Used 9 in springform pan for 65 minutes came out perfect.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you like it!
bakergirlmd says
I had a request for a turtle cheesecake for my son’s birthday. As cheesecakes go, this is an easy recipe and visually appealing. My only suggestions are to change the base (use Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers instead of the chocolate sandwich cookies) and eliminate the caramel sauce on the base. This makes for an oily base, as it pulls up after cooling. Instead, make a base of the cookie wafers (2 crushed crumbs), 3 TBS granulated sugar, and 7 TBS unsalted butter, melted. Mix the crumbs and sugar. Mix in the melted butter until they clump together slightly. Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch springform pan (line bottom of springform pan with parchment paper and spray paper and sides of pan) and press evenly on the bottom of pan and two inches up the side. Bake at 350 for 9-12 minutes and cool.
Tyler says
Absolutely amazing recipe, need a tip on how to make the crust less sticky. Had a really hard time trying to cut it apart and I’m not sure where I went wrong!
Mary Younkin says
Tyler – Hmmm that is a mystery. Cooling the crust before baking and then letting the cheesecake cool complete – even refrigerating before cutting and serving might help that. Let me know if you try it again. It is definitely addicting recipe.
Lorna Jennex says
Do you use the whole oreo cookie, or remove the filling first
Mary Younkin says
You can leave the filling, Lorna.
Mike Herman says
Turtles are my wife’s favorite candy, as well as store-bought Turtle cheesecake. However, I made this today along with homemade seasalt caramel sauce and toasted pecans with fudge sauce and drizzled on. Lot of loving appreciation by her! Many thanks, Mary.
Mike
Mary Younkin says
I am impressed, your wife is one lucky lady!
Anne says
I love this recipe. How would I adjust the baking time for mini cakes made in a muffin tin? I think the individual cakes would be easier to manange on a picnic.
Any insight would be appreciated.
Mary Younkin says
Anne, I have not tested this recipe in muffin tins to be able to give you an accurate time. I would start with 10-15 minutes and watch it very closely to determine what you need to adjust.
Jara says
I followed the recipe exactly. The cheesecake was very puffy (I must have beat the cream cheese too much?) It still tasted good it just didn’t look very good. But the crust was almost impossible to cut through. I didn’t press the crust too much like one reviewer suggested. I don’t know if it was the caramel sauce I used or what but the crust was so chewy. My guests ate the cheesecake part and then ate the crust like a cookie. They all raved about how delicious it was but it was just awkward to eat. It was very easy to make.
Mary Younkin says
Thank you for the feedback, Jara. I am glad the guests enjoyed the flavor. Cheesecake can be a bit tricky until you master all the components.
Vivian says
Making this for Thanksgiving a week ahead and freezing until I need it on Thanksgiving Eve. Then I’ll thaw it in the fridge for Thanksgiving dinner. It came out great. I substituted a New York cheesecake and added toffee to the recipe. Can’t wait to taste the results.
Mary Younkin says
That sounds delicious, Vivian!
Tickles says
What everyone else should know that messed up all my hard work.
LET THE CREAM CHEESE FILLING COME TO ROOM TEMP BEFORE PUTTING IN OVEN…or you’ll have it rise and fall in the middle.
This would have been great to know.
Mary Younkin says
Great Tip! Thank you for sharing.
Aubrey says
Absolutely hated this! The cheesecake recipe was delicious but it’s glued to the damn springform! I’d recommend making this in a 9×9 glass pan instead!
Mary Younkin says
I’m sorry to hear that it stuck to the pan for you, Aubrey. Glad it was delicious though. If you try it in a 9″ pan, let me know how that works for you. (I’ve never had an issue with this sticking like that in my springform pan.) If you press the crust down too firmly, it is definitely a harder crust though. You might try just pressing it lightly into the pan if you make it again.