Ingredients
- omemade Caramel Sauce:
- ½ cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- Crust:
- 3 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 2 packages crushed graham crackers)
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 sticks butter (1 cup), melted
- 1¼ cups chocolate chips
- Cheesecake Filling:
- 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- ¼ cup caramel topping (recipe below)
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
Toppings to garnish the cheesecake:
- ½ cup whipped cream
- ½ cup caramel
- ½ cup chopped Heath bars and some chunks
Instructions
To make caramel sauce:
- In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and syrup. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula.
- Once it is caramel colored, remove from heat, add the butter and stir until the butter is melted.
- Add the cream and stir until it’s all combined.
- Store in the refrigerator if not using right away. Makes about ¾ cup. Can be made days ahead, just microwave to soften when ready to use.
To make crust:
- Preheat the oven to 300º.
- Combine crust ingredients except the chocolate chips.
- Press into a 9-inch springform pan.
- Push all the way up the sides and press in firmly. Sprinkle with the chocolate chips.
- Set the springform pan on a baking sheet (some butter will leak from the pan).
- Bake for about five minutes or until the chocolate chips are soft. Smooth them out with an offset spatula.
- Place it in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
To make cheesecake:
- Beat the cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream for a few minutes until the sugar is dissolved. Add the vanilla and caramel and mix well.
- Add the eggs one at a time and beat just until incorporated.
- Pour into chilled crust.
- Place the pan into a cheesecake moat and fill sides with hot water OR Wrap the exterior of the pan in a double layer of foil and place in a larger pan (roasting pan) filled with an inch or two of hot water. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes -1 hour and 45 minutes in the 300º oven. The center will still be wiggly, but it shall set in the end. Remove from the oven and cool.
- Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
- To garnish the cake:
- Pour on the rest of the caramel.
- Pipe on some whipped cream mounds and decorate with toffee chunks and pieces.
- *note, my cake took the full 1 hour 45 mins to cook.
- *the chocolate chips make slicing difficult once firm, so bring cake to room temp before slicing or spread fewer chips over the crust.