While I’m not a huge cheesecake fan, the colder Fall temperatures give one the perfect excuse to indulge in decadent desserts like this. A few weeks back on Halloween, when I was at my sister’s, she offered me a slice of this English Toffee Cheesecake from Costco. After a few hours of trick-or-treating with the kids, and not having eaten a huge dinner, I accepted her offer…
My God, it was totally worth it!
The topping of English toffee, or pecan brittle, according to the ingredients list, in combination with the cake and icing made for the ultimate dessert experience. So much so that I had to try and make my own. After all, it is one of the things on my Fall Bucket List and I had yet to bake any desserts.
I found this recipe on Pinterest. Christin’s cake slices turned out much prettier than mine, I think because I didn’t grease the pan. This may be the first cheesecake I have ever made, or at least the first I have made in a very long time. We don’t even own a springform pan, so I had to go out and buy one.
ENGLISH TOFFEE CHEESECAKE
Original recipe can be found here.
INGREDIENTS:
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (for a few hours at room temperature)
• 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 3 eggs ( also allow to stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes)
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 (8-ounce) package toffee bits
• 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1 package mini Skor bars, coarsely chopped. The original recipe calls for Heath bars, but I don’t know if we can get those here in Saskatoon, so I just got Skor bars instead.
• 1/3 cup caramel topping (I could only find this butterscotch topping, but it says “caramel” in french)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until evenly mixed.
2. Press crumb mixture into the bottom and part way up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.
4. Beat in eggs and vanilla until blended.
5. In a medium bowl, stir together half the toffee bits and the flour. Stir into the batter.
6. Pour the batter over the crust. Sprinkle the remaining toffee bits on top. Place the springform pan on a baking sheet in case any batter leaks out or overflows.
7. Bake for 60 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.
8. Chill overnight (or at least for 3 hours.)
9. Sprinkle with chopped Skor bars and drizzle with caramel sauce. I did this the day after to prevent the cake from getting weighed down.
I had no idea what it looked like out of the pan or if it was done in the middle – it was! – until the next day.
Something that the recipe did not mention is to grease the bottom of the springform pan. That, or put a piece of parchment on it, to make it easier to cut afterwards. With all the crunchy topping bits, and the nature of the pan I bought (there’s a slight rim around the bottom edge), it was a little difficult to cut through the cake and remove the slice cleanly.
But looks aside, it still tasted delicious! Not exactly like the one from Costco… “Better!” I was told by my mom or my sister, who got to have some when we had family over at our house this weekend.
Matt made Poké bowls for several of us like he made when his family visited us in the summer, while my mom and my sister also brought a variety of yummy food. They got to enjoy their meal in our recently updated dining room.
We made sure to save room for this decadent dessert, though! If you’re in the mood for a slice of indulgence, definitely try making this cheesecake for your next family gathering! Or pick one up at Costco, if you see it!
