Bourbon Salted Caramel Cheesecake

By StacyP

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 6 tbsp butter, room temp
• 6 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese
• 1.5 cups sugar
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt
• 6 large eggs
• 3/4 cup salted caramel sauce
• 2 tbsp bourbon
• 12 pralines, chopped

Preparation

Step 1

-Preheat oven to 350. Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter in bowl of a food processor or a stand mixer. Blend until crumbs stick, Press crumbs onto the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with 3-inch-high sides. If an outer edge crust is desired, press crumbs up 2 inches on the sides. Bake crust for 10 minutes. Cool.
-Reduce oven temp to 300. In the bowl of a mixer with a paddle attachment, m ix cream cheese until soft. Add sugar, vanilla, and salt; mix on low until very smooth. Remove the bowl from the mixer; scrap the sides of the bowl. Return the bowl to the mixer. Slowly add eggs just until blended, stopping occasionally to scrape sides of bowl. Carefully add and fold 1/2 cup of salted caramel sauce and bourbon into the mixture. Pour batter into crust.
-Wrap foil around the outside of cheesecake pan using heavy duty foil. Place a sheet try or larger pan underneath the wrapped cheesecake. Slowly add water to the pan to create a water bath approx 2 inches deep.
-Carefully place the cheesecake in the oven. Bake untils its center is set and the rest of the cake has a uniform jiggle, at least 50 minutes - probably will need much more time, maybe 1.5 hours.
-Start checking the cake after 30 minutes. If the top gets too dark, gently cover with foil. Remove cake from the oven as well as the water bath pan. Cool to room temp, and then cool completely in the fridge. When ready to remove from pan, gently run a knife around the outside edge of the cheesecake and unlock the springorm. Cover the top with 1/4 cup of caramel sauce and chopped pralines.