When the holidays come around, you need a little bit of comfort food with a side of festive. Sometimes, you need a little bit of comfort food even when the holidays are nowhere near! What better dessert to satisfy your sweet tooth and give you a warm hug than pecan pie?

But, pecan pie is so boring and overdone, you may say. Alright, what if we combine it with the fresh sweetness of cheesecake? Cheesecake and pecan pie are both timeless classics that you will never get tired of. Now, imagine the two together! It is a new spin on the good-old holiday dessert.

How to make Pecan Pie Cheesecake?

Preheat the oven to 325 F degrees.

Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.

Mix graham crackers, butter, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl to make the crust.

Press the crust into the pan.

Beat cream cheese and brown sugar with a hand mixer in a bowl.

Add your eggs in one at a time.

Add sour cream, flour, vanilla, and salt. Mix.

Pour the mixture into the pan with the crust.

Wrap the bottom of the pan in aluminum foil and place it on your baking sheet.

Bake for an hour.

Once the cheesecake is done baking, open the oven slightly and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for one hour while it’s off.

Take the cheesecake out of the oven and let it cool in the fridge for at least 5 hours.

Make your topping by melting butter and brown sugar in a skillet on low heat. Let it start to bubble.

Add in cinnamon, heavy cream, pecans, and salt. Mix.

Let the mixture cool off the heat for 20 minutes.

Pour it over the cheesecake and serve.

How do you crush graham crackers for the crust?

Everybody and their mom has their own method of crashing graham crackers. If you’ve spent more than 5 minutes in the kitchen, you probably have your own method too. I recommend using a food processor. Pulse the graham crackers for a few seconds and they will come out quite fine, if I do say so myself.

How do you prevent lumps in your cheesecake?

To prevent lumps in your cheesecake, make sure all of your ingredients have had the time to warm up to room temperature. Using ingredients straight out of the fridge may be tempting, but it will ruin the texture of your cheesecake. Take your cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream out of the fridge a couple of hours before baking.

Can I start making the topping for the pecan pie cheesecake in advance?

There is no point in making the topping on the same day you make the cheesecake, as you will still have to let your cheesecake cool overnight. It’s best to start making the topping a few minutes or hours before you’re going to use it. The trick is, you can’t put it in the fridge because it will solidify and ruin the texture.