Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients in a small bowl. Stir in the butter a little at a time until the mixture resembles damp sand. You may not need all of the butter.

Then press inside the bottom of your 8 or 9 inch spring form pan or a parchment lined 9x13 pan (you will need to double the crust recipe for this size pan). Bake for 10 minutes and let cool.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until well combined.

Add eggs 1 at a time.

Add remaining ingredients and beat until combined. You will likely need to scrape the sides of the bowl several times.

Pour into cooled crust.

If using a spring form pan, wrap the pan in a layer of aluminum foil (this will help to prevent water from leaking into the cake & soaking the crust). Place your cheesecake inside a larger pan. Fill the larger pan with water until it comes halfway up the cheesecake pan. Loosely cover with a piece of aluminum foil so it doesn't brown. Bake until slightly puffed and just barely set, approximately 1 ½ hours. Let it cool overnight in the refrigerator.

Remove the cheesecake from the pan by carefully running a knife around the outside before releasing the spring form or pulling the cake out of the pan by the parchment paper. You can use a cake wire or dental floss in a sawing motion to cut the cake into even slices or use a very clean knife for each slice.

Garnish with whipped cream and candied pecans (directions below). Enjoy!

Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat, add the pecans and remaining ingredients.

Stir continuously until sugar crystals dissolve and mixture bubbles. Be sure that the heat doesn't get too high and burn the sugar or pecans.

Pour onto a sheet of parchment paper and let cool until ready to use. Try not to let your family eat them all before you can decorate the cheesecake with them;-) These can be made ahead and stored in your fridge or freezer.