Pre-heat the oven to 300F. To protect the cheesecake from cracking and cooking unevenly, use a water bath by finding a roasting or other pan that will fit your cheesecake pan. Fill it with about 1" hot water and place it in the oven to get hotter. You can place a towel in the bottom to help reduce splashing when moving the pan. If using a spring form pan (which leaks) wrap the pan with a layer of heavy duty aluminum foil.

Add the sour cream to your mixing bowl and start it mixing.

Turn off the beaters and add the 2.5 bars of cream cheese and the sugar, starting at a slow speed then increasing as the batter softens. If you have a stand mixer, leave it to mix for a few minutes while you go on to the next step.

Prepare your eggs. Separate three eggs and keep the yolks. Mix (don't beat) the three yolks, two whole eggs, vanilla and whipping cream.

You can reserve the whites for later by freezing them into ice cubes then transferring them into a freezer bag. If you plan to whip the whites (which hate oil), make sure you don't get any yolks in them. Here you can see a ramekin I use to catch the whites. If I find any yolk in them, I use the whole egg and clean out the ramekin and separate a new egg.

Stop the mixer and scrape the sides with a spatula then start mixing again at medium speed and slowly add the egg mixture. Let it mix until smooth, scraping at least one more time.

When smooth and uniform, pour 3/4 of the batter into the prepared cookie crust, reserving 1/4 of it for later.

I added a ribbon of caramel sauce by drizzling it around the batter in a circle. I later learned that this will cause a crack in the top of the cheesecake so use the remaining 1/4 batter to cover it up.

Carefully place the pan into the water bath in the oven, being careful not to splash any water into your batter. The water should reach about 1/2 of the way up the pan. If it is too low, carefully add more hot water to the bath.

Bake at 300F for 60-75 minutes.

The cheesecake is ready when it is almost set, but not yet. It will continue to set up as it rests so just turn off the heat, crack the oven door open for a minute, then close it again and leave it for another hour to cool.

After the hour of cooling, put it in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours to continue resting.

After the cheesecake has cooled, carefuly remove the outer ring of the springform pan and the parchment on the sides. Carefully remove the cake from the bottom of the pan to a pie round or other platter for cutting and serving.

If not using a spring form, carefully cut around the cake with a knife to make sure it isn't sticking to the sides and remove the parchment paper. Then warm the bottom of the pan by placing it in 1/2" of hot water in the sink so the butter on the bottom melts. Cover the top with wax or parchment paper and invert so the cake falls from the pan. Carefully remove the cake to a pie round or other platter for cutting and serving.

Cut the cheesecake with a long knife, pushing straight down, then pulling straight out the side. Rinse and wipe the blade before each cut.

To add turtle toppings, roast the walnuts in the oven at 300 for 10-15 minutes. Let cool and then mix with the mini chocolate chips.

Sprinkle over your cheesecake. If you want it on the sides as well, hold the cheesecake over the bowl and use your hands to scoop up the toppings and pat them onto the side of the cheesecake, letting any excess fall back into the bowl.