Bourbon Pecan Cheesecake is inspired by the southern classic Bourbon Pecan Pie. We’re going to start with a buttery Biscoff cookie crust, fill it with a bourbon flavored cheesecake and top the whole thing off with a beautiful bourbon pecan topping.
Y’all. It’s Thanksgiving Season, the most wonderful time of the year. Normally, I love to bake traditional pies, like apple or sweet potato pie. But this year there was an epic debate about whether or not cheesecake is a pie. It has a crust and a filling = pie. So this year, I’m making a cheesecake for Thanksgiving!
Disclaimer:
This recipe does not call for sour cream. Most importantly, this recipe does not involve making a water bath. The trick to a crack free cheesecake is patience, but having a to-die for bourbon pecan topping covers up all sins.
Equipment:
1 9-inch springform pan; a food processor, a hand mixer and an optional wooden spoon.
No Water Bath?
Let’s talk about water baths y’all. The idea is that hot water will gently bake the custard creating a smooth and creamy cheesecake slice. I am sure that this works, however, I am the most accident prone person in the entire world. The idea of pouring all of that hot water anywhere is just setting me up for having to buy a bunch of burn cream.
Instead of using a water bath compiled a couple of tricks to still end up with a creamy slice of cheesecake.
- Make sure all of the ingredients are room temperature – eggs & cream cheese.
- Use the hand mixer to make sure that there are no lumps and the texture of the base is exactly how I want it before I add in the eggs.
- Do not over mix the eggs.
- Reduce the bake time by 10 minutes and let the cheesecake cool in the warm oven for 1 hour.
- Continue cooling on the counter for another 30 minutes before finally putting the cheesecake in the refrigerator.
Double Bourbon
More bourbon seems like the right approach here, so I’m sneaking a healthy amount of Woodford Reserve into the cheesecake batter itself AND in the Pecan Topping. If you don’t have Woodford, other great bourbons to bake with include Maker’s Mark, Jack Daniels and my newest favorite: Uncle Nearest.
PrintRecipe
Bourbon Pecan Cheesecake
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings
Description
Bourbon Pecan Cheesecake is inspired by the southern classic Bourbon Pecan Pie. We’re going to start with a buttery Biscoff cookie crust, fill it with a bourbon flavored cheesecake and top the whole thing off with a beautiful bourbon pecan topping.
Ingredients
For the Bourbon Cheesecake
1 8 ounce package Biscoff Cookies, crushed
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
4 oz melted unsalted butter
3 8-ounce bricks of full fat cream cheese, room temperature
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp. Vanilla extract
2 tbsp. Bourbon
3 eggs, room temperature
For Bourbon Pecan Topping
1 ½ cup pecan halves
5 tbsps unsalted butter
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon bourbon
Pinch of salt
Instructions
For the Bourbon Cheesecake:
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Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
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Make the Biscoff Cookie Crust. In a medium bowl, stir together the crushed Biscoff cookies, sugar and melted butter. Press the cookie crust into the bottom of the spring-form pan. Bake for 10 minutes and let cool.
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Add the room temperature cream cheese and granulated sugar to a large mixing bowl. Mix with a hand-mixer until smooth. Pour in the vanilla extract and bourbon and mix. NOTE: Take care to get the mixture as smooth as possible and to Taste the batter BEFORE the next step.
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Stir in the eggs, mixing until just combined. Do not over mix the eggs!
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Bake at 325ºF for 30-35 minutes.
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When the timer ends, turn the oven off and crack the oven door open slightly using a wooden spoon. Cool the cheesecake in the oven for 1 hour. Remove the cheesecake to the countertop for an additional 30 minutes. Once the cheesecake is room temperature, set it in the refrigerator uncovered (this prevents the cheesecake from sweating) for another hour. Then cover the cheesecake and cool completely.
For the Bourbon Pecan Topping
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Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line a small cookie sheet with parchment paper and evenly spread the pecan halves on the pan. Bake for 7-9 minutes, until the room smells fragrant and not a moment longer. Cool.
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In a heavy bottomed pot, melt the butter over medium heat and let it cook until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
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Stir in the brown sugar, followed by the heavy cream, corn syrup, vanilla extract, bourbon and salt.
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Stir in the toasted pecans.
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Cool the bourbon pecan topping slightly, about 10-15 minutes before spreading it on top of the cooled cheesecake.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Cheesecake
Christa says
The BEST holiday cheesecake recipe! Not having to do a water bath was a huge help and NO cracks!