Chocolate & Pecan Cheesecake

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 3/4 cups crushed vanilla wafers
• 24 ounces ricotta cheese
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 whole eggs
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 8 ounces good semisweet chocolate, broken
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans
• 3/4 cup chopped pecans (garnish)
• 3 ounces grated semisweet chocolate (garnish)

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees f.
• 2 grease 8 inch spring form pan.
• 3 prepare melted butter and combine with vanilla wafer crumbs.
• 4 press onto bottom of buttered pan.
• 5 to prepare the filling, beat the ricotta, maple syrup, eggs in a large bowl.
• 6 beat until nice and smooth.
• 7 bring whipping cream to a low boil and stir int the broken chocolate.
• 8 remove from heat and melt completely.
• 9 cool slightly.
• 10 blend into the cheese mixture.
• 11 stir in the 3/4 cup chopped pecans.
• 12 pour into prepared crust.
• 13 place in preheated oven and bake 45 minutes, or until set.
• 14 cool thoroughly on a wire rack and then wrap and chill.
• 15 remove rim just before serving, and place nuts around outer edge, and sprinkle with grated chocolate and powdered icing sugar.