White Chocolate Caramel Macadamia Cheesecake

This is a nice alternative to plain cheesecake - the macadamia nuts give the crust a little added crunch.

Recipe:

1 1/2 cup crushed graham crackers

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup white chocolate chips

1/2 cup macadamia nuts

1/4 cup caramel topping

2 pkgs cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 degrees and place a cookie sheet with water on the bottom inside. Mix together graham crackers and melted butter. Pat into the bottom of a 9" Springform pan and about 1/2 way up the sides. Sprinkle macadamia nuts on to the crust.

Mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until creamy. Then beat eggs in one at a time. Melt white chocolate chips in the microwave, being sure to stir and careful not to let them burn (should only take about 30-60 seconds).  Mix melted chocolate into batter and stir thoroughly.

Pour batter into crust. Swirl the caramel topping into the cream cheese mixture with a knife.

When oven is heated, cover the bottom of the outside of the springform pan with aluminum foil and fold it up against the sides (so water doesn't leak in). Then place in the hot water bath for about 5-7 minutes.

Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Drain water from the pan, remove tin foil from springform, then place cheesecake back on the cookie sheet and bake for about 30-35 min or until top is golden brown. Cool for about 30 minutes before refrigerating, then refrigerate at least 4-5 hours, or until firm.

Tips - This recipe was quite simple and I don't have very many suggestions.  The original recipe called for pouring the unmelted white chocolate chips on top of the crust, but I was worried it would burn, and since I've made white chocolate cheesecake before I knew another option was to melt and mix into the cheesecake itself. Anyway, just a minor modification, I'm sure it would taste good either way.  Enjoy!