Apple Pecan Cheesecake - What's Baking Challenge

It's that time again....it's time for the What's Baking Challenge!  First of all, I'm so sorry y'all for being such a slacker on the blog front. Despite how it may look, I really haven't been slacking at home (promise).  We've been very busy and my computer is very, very sick.  I am "temporarily" on Chris' computer for now which is my why my posts have been few and far between.

But it's nearing the end of the month and with that comes the What's Baking Challenge.  If you remember from last month's post, the theme chosen for November is Thanksgiving!  What better way to celebrate Turkey Day than with a non-traditional dessert!  While I love me some pumpkin pie, I'm feeling a little overkill with all of the pumpkin recipes I've been seeing lately.  So I thought I'd liven things up a bit with a cheesecake.  But not just your usual New York cheesecake.  This one has a delightful little mixture of apples and pecans tossed in cinnamon and sugar on top....YUM!

I'm telling you, this is definitely a great alternative (or addition) to the typical dessert fare you see on Thanksgiving.  The cheesecake with the apples and pecans on top really give a warm, comforting feeling in your mouth and really brings it home.  It could definitely stand on it's own at the table next to the turkey and dressing but if you have to go with the traditional T-Day dessert(s), you really should throw this in as an accompaniment...I promise, you won't be disappointed and neither will your guests!

Apple Pecan Cheesecake

Ingredients - Crust
1 1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/4 cup Butter, melted
2 Tbsp. Sugar plus

Ingredients - Cheesecake
4 - 8oz. pkg. Cream Cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups Sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1 cup Sour Cream
4 Eggs
3 Lg. Apples, peeled, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup Pecans, chopped
1 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon

Directions
To make the crust, preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a 13x9-inch baking dish with foil. 

In a small bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar.  Press mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar and vanilla until smooth.  Add in sour cream; mix well.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating between additions until blended together. 

In a medium bowl, combine the apples, pecans, remaining sugar and cinnamon.  Mix until the pecans and apples are coated with cinnamon and sugar.

Pour the cheesecake mixture over the cooled graham cracker crust.  Spoon the apples and pecans over the cheesecake mixture and bake for 1 hour. 

Remove from the oven and place in the refrigerator for 4 hours to let cool and set.  Using the foil, pull the cheesecake out of the dish and cut into serving-size squares.


Yield: 16 Servings
Source: Adapted from Kraft Foods