Sweet and Salty Cheesecake

Chocolate, caramel and salty pretzels close during this made and creamy Sweet and Salty Cheesecake! If you like sweet and salty snacks, this cheesecake is for you.

SALTY AND SWEET: THE PERFECT COMBINATION

It seems like individuals either love or hate the mix of sweet and salty.

Me? i'm all for it.

Whether I’m spooning my preserved caramel sauce into my mouth or truly enjoying the mix in preserved chocolate chunk cookies or preserved bittersweet chocolate cold cereal sort of a traditional person, once I begin intake one thing that’s sweet and salty, I can’t stop.

So this Sweet and Salty Cheesecake? It’s got just about everything I would like in one bite.

Creamy vanilla cheesecake on prime of a chocolate crust? Check.

Rich preserved caramel sauce? Check.

Crunchy, salty pretzels? Check, check, check.

INGREDIENTS :

FOR THE CRUST :

24 whole Oreo cookies, crushed into fine crumbs
4 tablespoons Challenge Dairy Unsalted Butter, melted

FOR THE CHEESECAKE :

4 8-ounce packages Challenge Dairy Cream Cheese, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup heavy cream
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

FOR THE TOPPING :

1 cup homemade salted caramel sauce
1 6-ounce bag dark chocolate sea salt caramel pretzels (Snappers), coarsely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS :

Preheat oven to 350°F. Separate a 9-inch springform pan into two pieces. Line the bottom of the pan with foil, fasten on the side piece, and spray the inside of the pan with nonstick cooking spray. Tightly wrap the outside bottom and sides of the springform pan with two layers of heavy duty foil. This step prevents leaks when using a water bath. I also take the extra step of placing the foil wrapped spring form pan inside an oven bag while baking, but this is optional.
Combine the crust ingredients in a medium bowl and stir until the ingredients are evenly distributed.
Spoon the crumbs into the prepared pan and press into the bottom of the pan to form a crust layer. Bake crust in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove pan to a cooling rack.
Bring a kettle of water to boil for the water bath.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for an additional 30 seconds. Add in eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after adding the second and fourth egg. After adding the final egg and scraping the sides of the bowl, mix again for 30 seconds. The mixture should be smooth and creamy. Add in the vanilla and heavy cream and mix for an additional 30 seconds.
Pour the cheesecake filling over the crust.
Place pan into a larger pan (I use a roasting pan) and pour boiling water into the larger pan until halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Gently lay a piece of foil over the pan – do not tighten the foil as we’ll want to allow the air to be able to circulate.
Bake 55-65 minutes, the edges will appear to be set, but the center will still have some jiggle to it. At this point, turn off the oven, and leave the oven door cracked. Allow the cheesecake to rest in the cooling oven for one hour.
After one hour has passed, carefully remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Once the cake is completely cooled, place it into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.
Just before serving, top with the homemade salted caramel sauce and pretzels.