Lime Coconut Macadamia Nut Cheesecake

*You put the lime in the coconut......* My daughter loves that tune.

Have you ever tried the Mango Key Lime Cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory? OMG! It is to DIE for. I'm not much of a cheesecake eater, but occasionally when we find our way into the Cheesecake Factory, I like to split a cheesecake with someone or with a few people. One day, one of my good friends and I met for lunch and I wanted to try the Mango Key Lime Cheesecake. But I was stuffed. So I took it to-go. Then when I went home and took that first bite, I was like "where have you been all my life?" It was sinfully delicious. Its a Key Lime cheesecake filling, topped with a mango custard and a coconut macadamia nut crust. Sounds good, huh?

From our recent trip to Hawaii, I brought several bags of chopped macadamia nuts to bake with. I had so many plans for these little babies. And making a Lime Coconut Macadamia Nut Cheesecake was one of them. I did a quick search and found this recipe for a Toasted Coconut and Macadamia Nut Tropical Cheesecake from The Prepared Pantry. The recipe sounded just like the Mango Key Lime Cheesecake, but without the mango. I decided to give it a try and modify it a tiny bit by adding some coconut syrup to the crust to give some extra coconut flavor. It isn't the Mango Lime cheesecake, but it was pretty good. Next time, I have to try to find the mango custard to put on top of this cheesecake.

Crust

1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs

3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts

1/3 cup toasted shredded coconut

4 1/2 Tbsp. butter, melted

2 Tbsp. coconut syrup

2 Tbsp. sugar

Filling

2 (8 0z) packages cream cheese

1 (14 oz can) condensed milk

3 large eggs

1/4 cup lime juice, preferably key lime

2 Tbsp. finely grated lime peel

whipped cream topping

toasted shredded coconut for garnish

lime slices for garnish

1) Preheat oven to 325 deg. F.

2) In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the crust. Mix until well combined. Press the mixture across the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch springform pan. Refrigerate crust while making the filling.

3) Using a stand mixer, slowly beat cream cheese until soft and smooth. Add condensed milk, eggs, lime juice, and lime peel. Continue beating just until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Bake for 50 minutes or until cheesecake is firm.

4) Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Loosen the sides using a spatula and remove the ring. Refrigerate to cool completely. Garnish with whipped cream, toasted coconut and lime slices.