Caramel Turtle Cheesecake – Sally’s Baking Habit

This caramel turtle cheesecake takes the tasty trio that makes up turtle candies—caramel, pecans, and chocolate—and combines it with wealthy, creamy cheesecake. From the thick chocolate cookie crumb crust to the graceful cheesecake layered with caramel sauce, this pecan-studded magnificence is an indulgent dessert that elicits loads of oohs and aahs from all who’re fortunate sufficient to attempt a slice!

You understand these lovely little confections made up of pecans, caramel, and chocolate, clustered collectively to appear like just a little brown turtle? I’ve a recipe for them in my guide Sally’s Sweet Habit.

Right this moment we’re reimagining these cute sweet turtles as a decadent cheesecake, and it’s every part you like about each these treats, multi functional dessert. Contemplate it the cheesecake model of my caramel turtle brownie pie, or my salted caramel turtle brownies. (Each very talked-about desserts with my crew!)

Many Layers to Love in This Caramel Turtle Cheesecake

Each chew of this layered delight will take your tastebuds on a flavorful experience to Texturetown:

1. Oreo Pecan Crust: You’re beginning with a easy 2-ingredient Oreo cookie crumb crust as the bottom of our dessert, identical to we use for caramel turtle brownie pie. I barely scale back the butter, as a result of I discovered the caramel within the cheesecake filling seeped a bit into the crust, and there was merely an excessive amount of liquid. After pre-baking the crust for 10 minutes, sprinkle some roughly chopped pecans over the crust. A lot texture and taste already!
2. Caramel Cheesecake Filling: The star of the present is the velvety-smooth cheesecake filling. You’re sweetening it with flavorful brown sugar, and swirling a layer of caramel sauce proper within the center. However I promise it’s not overly candy! This cheesecake filling hits simply the correct stability of tangy cream cheese and candy caramel. Even higher should you use home made salted caramel right here, which I do.
3. Turtle Topping: Extra pecans + extra caramel + melted chocolate = extra to like!

Right here’s every part you should make this masterpiece:

1. Oreos: You want 22 chocolate sandwich cookies—the common variety, not Double-Stuf.
2. Butter: Somewhat melted butter serves to bind the Oreo crumbs collectively to make the crust.
3. Pecans: Half the pecans nestle between the crust and the cheesecake filling, and the opposite half will get piled on prime earlier than serving.
4. Brick Cream Cheese: Use 32 ounces of full-fat brick-style cream cheese. Be sure to’re shopping for the bricks of cream cheese (you’ll want 4 of them), not cream cheese unfold.
5. Brown Sugar: The molasses content material in brown sugar makes for a extra flavorful, caramel-like taste than white sugar. You should use gentle or darkish (or a mixture of each!) brown sugar right here, identical to this beloved pecan pie cheesecake.
6. Bitter Cream: Makes for a {smooth} and velvety texture, and provides it that calmly tangy taste. With out it, you’ll simply be consuming… baked cream cheese.
7. Vanilla: Pure vanilla extract provides taste, particularly home made vanilla extract!
8. Lemon Juice: Lemon juice brightens up the cheesecake’s total taste and retains it from tasting flat. Only a teaspoon gained’t make it style like a lemon cheesecake.
9. Eggs: The ultimate ingredient; you want 3.
10. Caramel Sauce: You should use store-bought caramel sauce, however I particularly love utilizing home made salted caramel sauce in and on this turtle cheesecake. I normally halve the salt quantity, so it’s common caramel.
11. Chocolate: You should use semi-sweet or milk chocolate for topping, no matter your chocolate-loving coronary heart wishes. Soften the chocolate and drizzle on prime of the chilly cheesecake earlier than serving.

Let’s Begin With the Crust

Is there actually something higher than an Oreo crust? This is similar 2-ingredient crust we use for cookies & cream pie and white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars, solely with 4 Tablespoons of butter as a substitute of 5. (Once more, due to that caramel.) All it’s a must to do is pulse Oreos right into a advantageous crumb (your entire sandwich cookie, cream filling and all), combine the crumbs with melted butter, and press into your 9-inch springform pan.

You’ll pre-bake the crust for about 10 minutes, then sprinkle pecans over the nice and cozy crust.

Toasting the pecans is an non-compulsory step you possibly can take if you wish to add just a little roasty-toasty taste to the buttery nuts. See the Notes part of the recipe card under for particulars on toast pecans.

Caramel-Swirled Cheesecake Batter

As soon as your crust is able to go, put together the cheesecake batter with a mixer.

Success Tip: Be certain the entire cheesecake batter substances are at room temperature so the batter stays {smooth}, even, and combines shortly. Beating chilly substances collectively will lead to a chunky over-beaten cheesecake batter. And that’s hardly the best way we need to begin!

One other Success Tip: Beat the eggs in final, separately, till they’re *simply* included. Don’t over-mix the batter after you add the eggs. This may whip air into the cheesecake batter, leading to a cracked, deflated cheesecake. No thanks!

Discover the aluminum foil across the pan? That’s as a result of we’ll bake this cheesecake in a water bathtub, and people directions are included under. My cheesecake water bathtub video tutorial is useful.

You’ll have about 6 cups of cheesecake batter. Pour about half of the batter (I simply eyeball it) into the crust, and unfold it right into a {smooth}, even layer. Drizzle about 1/4 cup of caramel sauce excessive, and gently swirl it with a knife. The caramel layer sort of disappears when the cheesecake bakes, so that you gained’t see this ribbon of liquid gold operating by a slice, however you’ll nonetheless style it!

Pour the remaining cheesecake batter excessive, and {smooth} it out—an offset icing spatula works very well for this.

Let’s Cool & Chill

It’s arduous to attend for the hours to move earlier than you possibly can slice into this magnificence. But when there’s something we’ve discovered from turtles, it’s that sluggish and regular wins the race! And sluggish and regular is certainly the best way to go relating to cooling a cheesecake.

Cool the cheesecake within the cooling oven. When the cheesecake is completed (edges are set however the heart remains to be a bit jiggly), flip the oven off, crack open the oven door, and go away the cheesecake inside for at the very least 1 hour. A drastic and sudden change of temperature isn’t superb for cheesecake—from sizzling oven to chill counter—so do your finest to manage the surroundings by leaving the cheesecake inside. After the cheesecake has cooled within the oven for at the very least 1 hour (and even longer), you possibly can take it out and let it end cooling at room temperature.

Chill your cheesecake for at the very least 4 hours and even in a single day. The cheesecake will end setting within the fridge, after which you possibly can prime it.

Caramel Turtle Cheesecake Topping

AKA the perfect half! Soften 4 ounces of chocolate, and drizzler over the chilled cheesecake. The chocolate units shortly, as a result of the cheesecake is chilly. And, truthfully, biting into tender and creamy cheesecake with barely hardened, crisp chocolate on prime is simply… textural bliss.

Pile some pecans within the heart, or throughout, and drizzle every part with extra of your caramel sauce. Be happy to complete all of it off with flaky sea salt. When you’re purchasing for sea salt and want a suggestion, I exploit and love Maldon sea salt.

Crisp, crunchy, creamy, tangy, drippy, candy, & salted euphoria. That is caramel turtle cheesecake!

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Caramel Turtle Cheesecake

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  Writer: Sally
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  Prep Time: 1 hour
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  Prepare dinner Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
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  Complete Time: 8 hours (contains chilling)
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  Yield: serves 12-16
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  Class: Dessert
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  Methodology: Baking
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  Delicacies: American

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Description

The flavors you like in caramel turtle candies come collectively in cheesecake kind, with layers of chocolate cookie crust, buttery pecans, and creamy caramel cheesecake. High with extra pecans, caramel sauce, and melted chocolate for a very show-stopping dessert. You can also make the cheesecake recipe a day upfront, so the cheesecake has time to set within the fridge.

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Crust

Cheesecake Filling

Topping

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Directions

1. Decrease oven rack to the decrease third place and preheat to 350°F (177°C). Wrap aluminum foil across the backside and tightly across the outdoors partitions of an ungreased 9-inch springform pan. See Find out how to Make a Cheesecake Water Bathtub for extra info.
2. Make the crust: In a meals processor or blender, pulse the entire Oreos right into a advantageous crumb. You must have about 2 cups (packed) crumbs, or 250g. Mix the Oreo crumbs and melted butter collectively in a medium bowl. Pour the combination into the ready pan. With medium strain utilizing your hand, pat the crumbs down into the underside and partway up the perimeters of the pan; you should use the flat backside of a small measuring cup to assist {smooth} all of it out if wanted. Pre-bake the crust for 10 minutes. Take away from the oven and place the wrapped springform pan inside a big roasting pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup pecans in a single layer on prime of the nice and cozy crust, and put aside whilst you make the filling.
3. Make the filling: Utilizing a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and brown sugar collectively on medium-high velocity in a big bowl till the combination is {smooth} and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the bitter cream, vanilla extract, and lemon juice, after which beat till totally mixed. On medium velocity, add the eggs separately, beating after every addition till simply blended. After the ultimate egg is included into the batter, cease mixing. To assist forestall the cheesecake from deflating and cracking, keep away from over-mixing the batter as finest you possibly can. You should have shut to six cups of batter. At this level, get a kettle or pot of water heating up for the water bathtub. You want 1 inch of water in your roasting pan for the water bathtub, so be sure you boil sufficient.
4. Pour/spoon about half (simply eyeball it) of the cheesecake batter into the crust, utilizing a spoon or offset spatula to {smooth} it into an excellent layer. If utilizing home made caramel, make sure that it’s pourable consistency by warming it within the microwave, because it thickens significantly when made forward and refrigerated. Drizzle about 1/4 cup caramel sauce excessive, then use a knife to softly swirl it with the batter. Add the remaining batter, once more smoothing the floor into an excellent layer.
5. Place your entire roasting pan with the cheesecake inside it onto the oven rack. Pour the recent water into the roasting pan, in order that the water is about 1-inch deep. The foil wrapped across the springform pan will forestall water from leaking inside.
6. Bake cheesecake for 55–70 minutes or till the middle is sort of set. When you discover the cheesecake browning too shortly on prime, tent it with aluminum foil midway by baking. I normally bake it for half-hour, tent it with foil, and bake for one more 35 minutes. When it’s accomplished, the middle of the cheesecake will barely wobble should you gently faucet the pan.
7. Cool & chill the cheesecake: Flip the oven off and open the oven door barely. Let the cheesecake sit within the oven because it cools down for 1 hour. Take away from the oven, then cool cheesecake utterly at room temperature. As soon as utterly cooled, refrigerate the cheesecake for at the very least 4 hours or in a single day.
8. Use a knife to loosen the chilled cheesecake from the rim of the springform pan, then take away the rim.
9. For the topping: Soften the chopped chocolate, both in a double boiler or use the microwave. Microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after every till utterly melted. Drizzle chocolate on prime of the chilled cheesecake. The chocolate will nearly instantly set, because the cheesecake is so chilly. High with pecans. Once more, if utilizing home made caramel, make sure that it’s pourable consistency by warming it within the microwave, because it thickens significantly when made forward and refrigerated. Drizzle the caramel on prime. The caramel helps maintain the pecans in place. Lastly, calmly sprinkle flaky sea salt on prime.
10. Utilizing a clear sharp knife, minimize into slices for serving. For neat slices, wipe the knife clear and dip into heat water between every slice.
11. Cowl and retailer leftover cheesecake within the fridge for as much as 5 days.

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Notes

1. Make Forward and Freezing Directions: This cheesecake will be made the day earlier than. It has to relax for fairly a while earlier than serving. See step 7. One other technique to make this cheesecake forward of time is to freeze it (with out the toppings). Cheesecake will be frozen for as much as 3 months. When you want detailed freezing directions, see my cheesecake publish for a useful Find out how to Freeze Cheesecake information.
2. Particular Instruments (affiliate hyperlinks): Meals Processor | Glass Mixing Bowl | 9-inch Springform Pan | Electrical Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Rubber Spatula | Giant Roasting Pan | Offset Icing Spatula
3. Alternate Water Bathtub Methodology: Boil a kettle or pot of water. You want 1 inch of water in your roasting pan for the water bathtub, so be sure you boil sufficient. Place the cheesecake on the middle oven rack of the preheated oven. Place a big steel baking or roasting pan (don’t use glass—I normally use a 9×13-inch baking pan or an extra-large forged iron skillet) on the underside rack. Pour boiling water into pan, about 1 inch deep. Instantly shut oven to lure the steam inside. This distinctive water bathtub provides steam to the oven with out having the cheesecake sit contained in the water itself. No must wrap the pan in foil. See Find out how to Make a Cheesecake Water Bathtub for extra info.
4. Pecans: I exploit unsalted pecans. Toasting the pecans is an non-compulsory step, which provides an additional scrumptious roasty-toasty taste. Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Line a big baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Unfold the pecans on prime and toast for 8–10 minutes or till aromatic and calmly browned. Enable to barely or totally cool earlier than utilizing.
5. Do-it-yourself Caramel: When you favor common caramel and never salted, scale back salt within the caramel recipe all the way down to 1/2 teaspoon.
6. Chocolate: The most effective chocolate for drizzling are the “baking chocolate” bars discovered within the baking aisle of the grocery retailer. I usually use Bakers or Ghirardelli manufacturers, both semi-sweet or darkish. They’re normally bought as 4-ounce bars, which is the quantity you want right here. Don’t use chocolate chips as a result of they comprise stabilizers, which forestall them from melting into the right consistency.

Key phrases: caramel turtle cheesecake