Tic Tac Toe Toffee Cheesecake!

Auntie C has been telling me alot about this Magazine that I just HAVE to get called "Garden&Gun"  I was very sceptical about this...until she shared a link on my Face book wall.  Nashville's Toffee Emporium.  I have to admit that this was the most awe inspiring of any Cheese Cake that I have ever made.  I generally look for a recipe, take some things out, add some things, and call it my own.  I must admit that this is not a possibility with this one. 

This Cheese Cake was tough for me to make.  It seemed too simple.  There had to be a catch, well I found a catch.  The catch was that it was simple, I had to shift to a lower brain gear, and after that it was all good.  If you follow this recipe to the T, you will end up with something that will satisfy your most finicky eater, woe your most vicious critic....I mean this Cheese Cake could quite possibly bring around word peace!

Here is the recipe.  If you make this, and you like it, please comment on the web link  in the beginning of the post;

Crust:

1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup melted butter

Filling:

4 (8 oz.) packages soft cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs

Topping:

Caramel sauce ( Mrs. JellyMan wouldn't let me make my own, so I settled for Smuckers Carmel Ice Cream Topping....it STILL turned out awesome )
½ lb – 1 lb chopped Nashville Toffee Company almond toffee ( As I live far away form the south =(  I settled for Trader Joe's English Toffee )

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Grease 9 inch spring-form pan with baking spray. Combine crust ingredients and press into pan. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar, then lemon juice, vanilla, and eggs. Pour filling into pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes and let cool. Top with caramel and gently press toffee into cake

This was VERY easy.  Since we were putting a topping on, I did not do the water bath. 

If you have time, check out Garden&Gun.  I get alot of my cooking inspiration from Southern Cooking.  What I truly love about Southern Cooking, is that there is so many recipes that seem to be passed down, and under NO circumstances are things changed.  They seem to be exactly how it always has been.  My two favorite foods are Buttermilk Biscuits, and Gravy.  My Step Mom tried to teach me how to make biscuits, and it was a hand full of this, a dollop of this, and add liquid until it looks like this.  I tried the modern way approach and asked her to measure as she went....and I got hand full of this, a dollop of this, and add liquid until it looks like this.  Cant say I didn't try!  As for Gravy....she showed me how to make gravy, then it was my turn to cook a couple of days later, and I stopped off at the store and picked up a couple of packages of instant Gravy...yeah...that didn't turn out well.  She tossed my instant gravy packages into the Cabinet and told me to make it from scratch.  I did it.....just took me a couple of ruined batches! 

Southern cooking really seems to be from the heart.  There is not a quick way, or many short cuts you can take.  You need to pay attention, do it the same way you do every time.  But I love it...my arteries may not, but I do.  As we prepare for Fathers Day, why don't you give this cheesecake a try.  I promise you.  If you like Toffee, and Cheesecake, you will not be disappointed.  Later!