Chocolate Chip Caramel Cheesecake

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This Chocolate Chip Caramel Cheesecake with a pretzel crust is a rich explosion of flavor!

Chocolate Chip Caramel Cheesecake

This Chocolate Chip Caramel Cheesecake with a Pretzel Crust is next level amazing! I can also tell you that it is a one of a kind recipe that I made it all by myself! It has all of the good stuff: caramel, chocolate, pretzels and that yummy cheesecake to pull it all together!

Plan to make this the day before you want to serve it!

This recipe is divided into three parts – the pretzel crust, the caramel layer and finally the cheesecake layer. Let’s start with the pretzel crust!  

Pretzel Crust Ingredients

• 2 cups of pulverized pretzels
• 3/4 cup of unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup brown sugar

Pretzel Crust Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 inch springform pan.
2. Pulverize 2 cups of pretzels into a fine dust.  This is most easily accomplished using a food processor for about 30 seconds.  If using a food processor, the thin pretzel sticks will be easiest to work with.
3. Mix pretzels, butter, and sugar together in a medium bowl until evenly moistened.
4. Empty the crumb mixture into the pan.  Using a flat bottomed dish such as a ramekin or measuring cup, firmly and evenly press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan.
5. Bake until it begins to brown at the edges, around 12 minutes.

While that is cooking, you can move on to the caramel filling.  

Caramel Filling Ingredients

• 30 unwrapped caramels
• 3 tbsp milk
• Sea salt (optional) – any large crystal salt will work

How to Make Caramel Filling

1. Over low heat, combine caramels and milk.  
2. Stir until smooth.  
3. Sprinkle sea salt evenly on the pretzel crust.  (optional)
4. Pour caramel mixture into the pan.
5. Put aside and allow to cool to room temperature.

Finally, let’s make the cheesecake layer! This is the step that brings all of the magic of this yummy caramel cheesecake together!

Cheesecake Layer Ingredients

• 4 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon juice (What?!  It helps maintain the acid flavor of the cheese.  You won’t taste it.)
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup sour cream (this helps smooth out the cream cheese texture)
• 2 packages Nestle Toll House® semi sweet chocolate chips
• Flour
• Unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Cheesecake Layer Instructions

1. Beat cream cheese until uniform, about 1 minute.  Add sugar and mix until combined.  Add lemon juice, vanilla extract and sour cream until combined.
2. Add eggs one at a time, beating between each egg and finally beating the entire mixture until thoroughly combined and uniform.
3. Toss 1 package of semi sweet chocolate chips with some flour to thoroughly coat them.
4. Coating the morsels will prevent them from sinking in the cake although there will be some migration towards the bottom.
5. Gently mix the chocolate chips into the cream cheese mixture.
6. Grease the sides of the pan with butter.
7. Pour into pan on top of the crust and caramel layer.
8. Place on a baking sheet to catch any liquid that may escape the pan.
9. Bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes.  
10. Reduce temperature to 200 degrees and bake until center internal temperature of 150 degrees – about 1.5 hours.
11. Remove pan from oven and place on a cooling rack.  
12. After a few minutes, release cake from the side of the pan using a thin knife.
    NOTE: Do not remove the springform!
13. Add the second package of chocolate chips to the top.  Let cool for 3 hours and then refrigerate.

Cheesecake Cracks (AKA The Dark Cheesecake Rises):

Cracks in the cheesecake are the bane of cheesecake bakers. Here is an attempt at explaining why cheesecake cracks happen and how you can prevent cheesecake cracks.

There are a couple of points in the cooking process where the cheesecake is vulnerable to cracking.  Thankfully, there are ways to prevent this from happening.

The structure of the cheesecake is held together by the egg proteins.  If the temperature gets too high, the cake rises enough to begin tearing the protein lattice.  When the protein lattice is disturbed the cake will crack as it cools and falls.  This is why we use temperature to gauge doneness.

Cracks can also develop during the cool down period due to tensile stresses.  There is naturally some adherence of the cake to the sides of the pan.  As the cake cools and shrinks, this creates tension on the protein lattice which can cause the center to crack.  After a few minutes of cooling, release the cake from the sides of the pan with a thin knife to prevent this from happening.

This Chocolate Chip Caramel Cheesecake is decadent!  The salty pretzel crust compliments the sweet caramel and cheesecake layer.  The little explosions of caramel is indeed delightful!  

Our whole family went nuts for this cake!  We sat around in front of the fire enjoying our cheesecake.  It was the perfect dessert and one that we will definitely be making again and again (and again!)

Not to mention, this lovely cheesecake dessert is kinda pretty, don’t you think?

More Favorite Dessert Recipes

As you know, we love a good recipe around here! Here are few more of our favorite dessert recipes for you to try:

• Lemon Oreo Ice Cream Cake
• Salted Caramel Ice Cream Float
• Mini Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Best Lemon Tart Recipe
• Red Velvet Cookies

Let us know if you try any of these desserts, we’d love to hear your thoughts!