A delicious twist on holiday classics! If you like cheesecake and you like pecan pie, why not combine them into one tasty dish? I’ll be honest, the sticky pecan pie has never been my favorite, so I’m very excited about this alternative. Besides baking the crust, you don’t even need the oven. I used Trader Joe’s gluten free pie crust for convenience, but a graham cracker crust would also be delicious and make it taste even more like cheesecake.

Ingredients:

· 9-inch pie crust, store bought or homemade.

· 1 cup heavy whipping cream

· 1/3 cup powdered sugar (or less, to taste)

· 2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened

· 1/2 cup light brown sugar (or less, to taste)

· 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

· 1 tsp vanilla extract

· 1.5 cups pecans finely chopped

· 1/4 tsp salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Bake crust according to recipe (or package directions if store bought). Let it cool completely.

2. In a medium bowl, beat the whipping cream and powdered sugar together until stiff peaks form.

3. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, brown sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla until smooth.

4. Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until combined, then stir in 1 cup of the pecans.

5. Spread mixture into the cooled pie crust, and top with the remaining pecans.

6. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours. (If making a few days in advance, once the mixture is firm, you can cover it with plastic wrap and freeze. Let it soften at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before serving.)

This recipe took inspiration from the website 12tomatoes.com