Caramel Apple Cheesecake

This is a wonderful Fall dessert, combining two favorites... Caramel Apples & Cheesecake. This particular cheesecake is soft and creamy with a little crunch on top. It's sure to make your kitchen smell warm and sweet. Mangia Mangia!  
Prep time: 20 min     Cook time: 35 min     Serves 8


Ingredients:

• 1 (21 oz) can apple pie filling
• 1 (9 inch) graham cracker crust
• 2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup caramel topping
• 12 pecan halves, plus 2 TBSP chopped pecans

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Reserve 3/4 cup of the apple filling; set aside. Spoon the remaining filling into the crust. Beat together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add the eggs and mix well. Pour this over the pie filling.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center of the cake is set. Cool to room temperature.
• Mix the reserved pie filling and caramel topping in a small saucepan and heat for about 1 minute, or until spreadable. Spoon the apple-caramel mixture over the top of the cheesecake and spread evenly. Decorate the edge of the cake with pecan halves and sprinkle w chopped pecans. Refrigerate the cheesecake until ready to serve. Of course, the longer it sits in the fridge, the better.