Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Celebrate fall with these Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars with caramel, chocolate and pecan turtle topping! The combination is unbelievably incredible!

We hosted our neighbors for a final summer hurrah outdoor BBQ last week. I’m finally coming to grips with the fact that autumn is almost here. The evenings cool off quickly and we can see our breath outside in the mornings. We’d been meaning for months to have these sweet friends over and with all the craziness that happened, just didn’t.

We grilled up the most amazing tri tip and served it with a yummy green salad, fresh green chile salsa and chips, and rolls. All the food was nothing short of delicious, but I have to admit that I was carefully saving room all evening for this dessert! It was a show-stopper! Our guests were giving it praises all evening, up until they said their goodbye’s.

I made these Turtle Cheesecake Squares a few years back and haven’t stopped thinking about them since. 🙂 So with pumpkin season in full swing, I came up with a brilliant idea that I think your taste buds are going to get very excited about. The basic recipe remains mostly the same with the addition of pumpkin, of course.

The graham cracker crust, cream cheese and pumpkin layer, and caramel, chocolate, and pecan topping are to die for!  I just used a thick caramel topping from the jar, but you can melt your own caramels with a little bit of milk, if you’d like.

I couldn’t control myself around these suckers. That’s why I made sure to invite company when I made them so I could share the scrumptious calories. 🙂

Cheesecake is typically my #2 favorite treat, right behind Chocolate Chip Cookies. But fall always has me in the mood for all things pumpkin, so right now these are topping my list.

I’m already planning on making these about 100 times this season. They’re that good!

Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars

Christine

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Ingredients

  

• Crust:
• 2 1/2 c. crushed graham crackers
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 1/2 c. chopped pecans
• 1/2 c. butter melted
• 1/2 c. chocolate chips I prefer semi-sweet
• Filling:
• 16 oz. 2 blocks cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 3/4 c. granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 1 c. canned pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling
• Topping:
• 1 c. chopped pecans optional: toasted
• Thick caramel sauce from the jar or 3/4 bag caramels and 2-4 Tbsp. milk for thinning melted in the microwave.
• 1 c. chocolate chips I prefer semi-sweet, melted

Instructions

 

• For the crust, preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9x13" cake pan with parchment paper so it comes over the sides. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, chopped pecans, and melted butter until fully combined. Press crust mixture onto the bottom of the parchment paper in the pan. Bake crust for about 25 minutes.
• While crust is baking, prepare the filling by mixing together cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and canned pumpkin in the bowl of an electric mixer until combined well.
• Remove crust from oven when done, sprinkle with 1/2 c. chocolate chips, then pour filling mixture over and spread evenly. Return to the oven and bake for approximately 50 minutes, or until set and not jiggly.
• Let cool for one hour and then cover and place in the refrigerator overnight so the flavors can come together and filling can chill.
• The next day, add the topping by drizzling with caramel sauce (as much as you want), then melted chocolate chips, then sprinkling with chopped pecans. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Now, if you’d like to stop by and help a girl out so my waistline doesn’t grow as round as a pumpkin, you’re more than welcome to do so! I’ll happily share!