Salted Caramel Cheesecake
 
 
Ingredients
  • For the Salted Caramel:
  • ¾ cup (5.25 ounces) sugar
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ cup heavy cream, warmed slightly
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ teaspoons coarse sea salt
  • For the Crust:
  • 1 9-ounce box chocolate wafer cookies, or 22 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed to about 2 ¼ cups crumbs
  • 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
  • ½ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
  • 7 tablespoons hot melted unsalted butter
  • For the Cheesecake:
  • 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese
  • 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • For the Whipped Cream;
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
  1. For the salted caramel sauce: Heat the sugar in a large, heavy-duty saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat until the edges begin to melt. Use a heatproof utensil to gently stir the liquefied sugar from the bottom and edges towards the center, stirring, until all the sugar is dissolved. (Or most of it—there may be some lumps, which will melt later.) Continue to cook stirring infrequently until the caramel turns a deep golden brown and starts to smoke.
  2. Remove the saucepan from heat and add the butter. Stir until butter is melted, then gradually whisk in warm cream, about ¼ cup at a time, stirring as you go. The caramel may harden and seize, but stirring it over low heat should encourage those bits to melt. Stir in the vanilla extract and sea salt, then set aside to cool.
  3. To make the crust: Finely grind cookies, chopped chocolate, and brown sugar in processor. Add butter and process until crumbs begin to stick together, scraping down bowl occasionally, about 1 minute. Transfer crumbs to 10-inch-diameter springform pan with 3-inch-high sides. Use a measuring cup to evenly spread crumb mixture throughout the bottom and sides of the pan. Transfer crust to refrigerator until ready to use.
  4. To make the cheesecake: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add in the salted caramel sauce, reserving about 2 tablespoons, and mix until fully incorporated.
  5. Pour cheesecake batter into prepared crust and place pan on a large baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave cheesecake in hot oven for another hour.
  6. Remove from the oven, then transfer springform pan to a wire rack. Cool to room temperature, then transfer to refrigerator until well chilled, at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
  7. To make whipped cream topping, beat heavy cream and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.
  8. Run a sharp knife between the crust of the cheesecake and the sides of the pan. Release pan sides and transfer cheesecake to serving platter. Spoon whipped cream on top of cheesecake and drizzle with reserved salted caramel sauce. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Recipe by Allons-Eat! at https://www.allonseat.com/salted-caramel-cheesecake/