**Nutella Party Recipe: Creamy Nutella Cheesecake

One word to describe this recipe…Wow!  This recipe turned out exactly as it says in the title…CREAMY!  The exact title…Creamy Nutella Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache and Toasted Hazelnuts.  Unfortunately, I had to leave the toasted hazelnuts off because I was unable to locate them.  Instead, I opted for local-grown Southern Pecans for an added layer of flavor and a touch of the South.  This was a great combination. 

This is a recipe courtesy of Cara with ThePickyApple.com.  You can view her full write-up and recipe by clicking here. 

This was such a delicious and easy cheesecake.  Another ingredient I couldn’t locate, was chocolate cookie crumbs.  Instead, I opted for Chocolate Teddy Grahams.  There was something so wrong about chopping their cute little smiley bodies up.  But, they made the most amazing crust for the cheesecake!  I ended up making this cheesecake in a 12″ springform pan, so in turn I had to use the whole box of Teddy Grahams to make the crust, basically doubling the crust recipe below.  I think this is a great crust for any cheesecake frankly, and I will probably use it again if I venture into the baking world again soon.  Right now, I’m slightly baked out from all of the party goodies…Enjoy the below recipe and check out Cara’s website!

Creamy Nutella Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache and Southern Pecans courtesy of Cara with ThePickyApple.com

(with additions from me in parenthesis)

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (I used the Chocolate Teddy Grahams, 1 box for my 12″ springform pan)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup melted butter (I used margarine, either would work)

Filling:

• 24 ounces cream cheese, softened (3 blocks)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 whole egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 (13 ounce) jar Nutella (this is the smaller jar)

Topping:

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cups toasted hazelnuts (or pecans in my case)

Directions for Crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small mixing bowl, combine crust ingredients. Pat into the bottom of springform pan and bake for 10 minutes.

Directions for Filling: In the bowl of a mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla extract until just combined. Add egg yolks and egg, beat on low until just combined. Add milk and Nutella and mix completely. Pour filling into springform pan. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Place springform pan on a cookie sheet and then place in oven. (The addition of the extra margarine in my pan, may have caused some of the margarine to melt out the bottom.  So, the pan sitting on a cookie sheet worked out great for me.  Although, it serves a different purpose for even baking and not burning the crust.)  Bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until center appears set when shaken lightly. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Directions for Topping: Bring cream to a (gentle) boil. Pour over chocolate chips. Stir until smooth. Spread evenly over top of cheesecake. Sprinkle toasted hazelnuts (or pecans) over chocolate. Refrigerate cheesecake for at least 4 hours to set. (Mine set for 24 hours in the fridge.)

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