WERTHER'S CARAMEL CHEESECAKE PIE

CARAMEL SAUCE:

Werther's Original (10.8-oz) package soft caramels, unwrapped

2 tbsp water

1/3 cup half and half

CRUST:

25 chocolate sandwich cookies

5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

CHEESECAKE LAYER:

8-oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 (8-oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

To Make Caramel Sauce:

Place unwrapped caramels in a medium saucepan with the water. Heat over medium-low heat to melt the caramels. When they start melting, stir often until completely melted with no lumps remaining. Remove from heat and stir in the half and half.

Pour caramel sauce into a jar, set aside and cool to room temperature before pouring onto the cheesecake. Excess sauce may be stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Make Crust:

Grind cookies in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Place crumbs in a medium-size bowl, add the melted butter, stirring with a fork. Press crumbs onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Chill until ready to fill.

Make Cheesecake:

Beat cream cheese, brown sugar and vanilla extract together in a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, until smooth. Fold in the whipped topping.

Spread the mixture over the crust. Drizzle some of the cooled caramel sauce over the cheesecake. Use a skewer or butter knife to swirl. Chill at least one hour before cutting to serve.

Pie may be kept in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for up to 3 days.

Yield: 12 servings

recipe and photo from Crazy for Crust