Salted Caramel Pretzel Cheesecake

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. For the crust, stir together graham cracker crumbs, crushed pretzels, sugar, salt, and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9- or 10-inch pie plate.
3. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
4. For the caramel, in a medium saucepan combine butter, brown sugar, and half-and-half. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Lower heat to medium and cook for 7-8 minutes until mixture thickens. Stir in salt one minute before finished cooking. Make sure to whisk occasionally to prevent scorching. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
5. While caramel is cooling, prepare cheesecake filling. In the bowl of a stand mixture, beat together cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add in eggs and vanilla extract and beat until mixture is smooth.
6. Spread all but ¼ cup of caramel over the top of cooled crust. Spread cream cheese mixture over top. Even the top with a spatula.
7. Bake for 30 minutes or until center is set. Transfer to wire rack and bring to room temperature. Move cheesecake to refrigerator and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
8. Drizzle with remaining caramel right before serving. (You may need to heat the caramel in the microwave for 8-10 seconds to soften it.)
9. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.