Turtle Cheesecake

I made this cheesecake yesterday for my little boy's baseball coach. It was my son's first season and his coach was so great. This was our big 'thank you' to him. Unfortunately, because I gave this away, I don't personally get to tell you how great it tasted. However, I did get a text this evening that read, "We just had the best cheesecake ever!! Oh my gosh it is so good. Thank you!" So, we'll have to take that for what it's worth.

Changes I made- Instead of vanilla wafers I blended up oreos and used them for my crust. I also don't use so much butter in my crust as I think it makes it too dense. I used about 4 Tbsp. butter, and I probably used more than 2 cups worth of oreos, but I didn't measure. Just melt your butter and keep adding crumbs til you get the consistency you want.

Ingredients

* 2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
* 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 14 ounces individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
* 1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
* 1 cup chopped pecans
* 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter one 9 inch springform pan.
2. Toast the pecans at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 6 minutes. Remove pecans and set aside. Leave oven at 350 degrees C (175 degrees C). In a small saucepan, melt the unsalted butter.
3. Combine vanilla wafer crumbs with the melted butter then press into the bottom of the prepared springform pan. Place the pan onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Remove and allow to cool.
4. In a double boiler, or a bowl set over barely simmering water, melt the caramels in the evaporated milk. Stir until smooth. Pour this over the cooled crust. Sprinkle the nuts over the top.
5. In a bowl, combine the cheese, sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth, scraping down the bowl several times. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until smooth. Melt the chocolate chips in the double boiler and mix into the cheese mixture. Pour the batter over the caramel layer.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 minutes or until barely set. Chill over night in the refrigerator before serving.