Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Admittedly, I don't have a lot of cheesecake recipes on the blog. It's actually not my favorite dessert. Have I told my cheesecake story? It's actually not much of a story, but when I was in 5th grade and my parents were having some sort of dinner party, I ate an entire cheesecake. By myself. Do you know what happened next?

I was sick all night long and it was a long, LONG time before I tried cheesecake again. Even the smell of it made me nauseous for years. The aversion is so bad, I can't even eat plain cream cheese on bagels. I can handle a salmon-flavored cream cheese on bagels, but that's a whole other story. I did try cheesecake again in college. I had one bite of a friend's, and I discovered it really wasn't so bad. 

Now today, I can handle a piece of cheesecake if it's done right. As in, the cream cheese flavor isn't overpowering. And this particular cheesecake? It's done right.

Ingredients:

Sauce-

1 cup granulated sugar

6 tbsp salted butter, cut into 6 pieces

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp salt

Cake-

1 cup Oreo cookies, finely crushed

3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

3 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened

1 (14 oz) can sweetened, condensed milk

3 large eggs, room temp

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup mini chocolate chips (plus more for topping)

sea salt (optional-for topping)

Directions:

1. Make the caramel sauce- in a small saucepan, heat sugar over medium heat. Use a heat-resistant spatula to continually stir the sugar. It will start to melt and from brown clumps. Keep stirring! Once the sugar is melted, add the butter. Be careful to keep stirring as the caramel will bubble up when you add the butter. Stir the butter until completely melted, 2-3 minutes. Continue stirring as you slowly drizzle the cream in. Keep stirring again, because the caramel will bubble up again when you add the cream. Allow the mixture to boil for 1 minute, then remove pan from heat. Immediately stir in the salt. Set sauce aside and allow to cool before using. Store in a glass jar for ease of use, keep sauce in the fridge.

2. Preheat oven to 300º. Thoroughly grease a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine Oreo's and butter. Press mixture evenly into the springform pan.

4. Prepare the filling- place cream cheese in a stand mixer or mixing bowl to use an electric beater on in. Beat the cream cheese until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the condensed milk. Beat in the eggs, one by one until thoroughly mixed. Mix in the vanilla. Add chocolate chips to the bowl, and fold in gently with a spatula. Pour filling into springform pan. Top with a handful of mini chocolate chips.

5. Bake in preheat oven for 40-50 minutes, or until the cheesecake is set and jiggles slightly in the center. Run a thin knife around the edge of the cheese cake (but leave it in the pan) and place on a cooling rack. Allow cheese cake to cool before chilling in the fridge in the springform pan overnight.

6. Before serving, heat caramel sauce in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Pop springform pan off cheesecake. Pour enough caramel sauce over the top of the cheese cake to cover it. Top with more chocolate chips and a sprinkle of sea salt, if desired. Slice, and serve immediately.

Get Full Recipe Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

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