There are two types of people in this world; those that like cheesecake and those who don’t. Of my two boys, one likes cheesecake and the other does not. I, myself, LOVE cheesecake! However, being the frugal (okay, cheapskate) person I am, I refuse to pay $5.99 for a slice (aka. sliver) of cheesecake, much less $30 for a whole cheesecake. No way.

It was my inner tightwadness (yeah, I just made that up) that went out years ago in search of the springform pan in order to make my own. I truly knew nothing about a springform pan. In fact, I couldn’t for the life of me wrap my brain around how it worked. But my love for cheesecake forged my brain forward into the depths of its nether regions. Either that or I figured it out on the Internet. You gotta love the Internet for educational purposes alone.

Okay, so you combine my love of cheesecake and my love of cookbooks and you take away that fear of the springform pan and THIS is what you get:

Doesn’t that look fabulous? It’s simply delicious. . . IF you like cheesecake. And it’s really easy to make. Once you make your first cheesecake, you’ll never buy one ever again. This particular cheesecake is a Toffee Bits Cheesecake. I’d never made it before, but found it in a new Hershey’s Holiday Favorites cookbook that I picked up at the store. (It’s an addiction; I can’t help myself)

We’ll start with the crust. Here’s what you need:

CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST

1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (approximately 40 wafers)
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put vanilla wafers into a food processor and grind, or put them in a ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin. Mix vanilla wafer crumbs, powdered sugar, cocoa and melted butter. Press mixture onto the bottom of the assembled springform pan and 1/2 inch up the sides. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool slightly.

This is what you get. No need to be perfect because we’re just going to cover it up with gooey goodness. Here’s what you need for the gooey goodness:

TOFFEE BITS CHEESECAKE

3 (8oz) pkgs cream cheese. softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 (8oz) pkg Heath Bits ‘O Brickle toffee bits, divided

Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Set aside 2 tablespoons of toffee bits. Stir in remaining toffee bits and vanilla. Pour into prepared crust. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove from oven to wire rack. Run a knife around edge of pan to loosen. Cool completely.

Remove the outer ring from the springform pan and this is what you get. Delicious goodness. Sprinkle with your reserved toffee bits and grab a fork.

So tell me. . . Which of the two are you? One that likes cheesecake or one who doesn’t?