Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cheesecakes

By á-8595

Mini chocolate chip cheesecakes with a thick Oreo cookie crust and topped with homemade salted caramel sauce - this is the ultimate dessert.

Ingredients

• OREO COOKIE CRUST:
• 18 whole Oreos (Double Stuf or regular)
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• CHEESECAKE FILLING:
• 16 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips (or regular size)
• homemade salted caramel sauce (step-by-step photos included)
• Homemade Salted Caramel Recipe:
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 6 tablespoons salted butter, cut up into 6 pieces
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two 12-count cupcake pans with 18 liners.

For the crust: In a food processor or blender, pulse the whole Oreos into a fine crumb. Stir the cookie crumbs and melted butter together in a medium sized bowl. Press 1 heaping Tablespoon of mixture into the bottom of each liner, see picture above for a visual. You should have enough for 16-18 cups. Bake for 5 minutes and allow to slightly cool as you prepare the filling.

For the filling: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the sugar and yogurt and beat on medium speed until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract and mini chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into the crusts until nearly full. Bake for 20-23 minutes. The centers will still be slightly jiggly, that's OK. The centers may also have risen up quite a bit, but they will deflate as the cheesecakes cool. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely at room temperature, at least 1 hour. Transfer to the refrigerator and allow to chill for at least two hours.

Right before serving, top each cheesecake with salted caramel and additional chocolate chips, if desired. Cover cheesecakes tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Store cheesecakes (without caramel) in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Salted Caramel:
Heat granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula.
Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown, amber-colored liquid as you continue to stir. Be careful not to burn.
Once sugar is completely melted, immediately add the butter. Be careful in this step because the caramel will bubble rapidly when the butter is added.
Stir the butter into the caramel until it is completely melted, about 2-3 minutes.
Very slowly, drizzle in 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Since the heavy cream is colder than the caramel, the mixture will rapidly bubble and/or splatter when added.
Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute. It will rise in the pan as it boils.
Remove from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon of salt. Allow to cool down before using.
Cover the caramel tightly and store for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Warm the caramel up for a few seconds before using in a recipe.
*Unsalted butter may be used instead, though I prefer salted. No other changes need to be made to the recipe if using unsalted.