Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Crust

25 Oreo Cookies (your favorite flavor)

5 tablespoons unsalted  melted

Filling
3 packages cream cheese
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup heavy cream

1 cup mini chocolate chips (plus more for topping)

Sauce
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tbsp salted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

Finely crush your cookies. I like to use a food processor for this step, but you can also place the cookies in a plastic bag and roll the sealed bag with a rolling pin. If you're using a rolling pin, seal the bag but leave about an inch open for air to escape. You'll have to put some muscle in it to get a fine crush. The crust sticks together best when the cookies are crushed finely.

NOTE: You do NOT need to remove the filling from the Oreo.

Stir the cookie crumbs and melted butter together with a fork. Press crumbs into the bottom of a spring form pan.

Bake the crust for 5-8 minutes at 350°F then cool completely before filling. Once cool, cover the bottom of the pan with aluminum foil.

Reduce the oven heat to 325.
Beat the cream cheese in mixer until it is smooth and not lumpy.
Add sugar and salt and mix till smooth.
Add the eggs one at a time. Mix until smooth after each egg. Make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each egg.
Mix in the vanilla extract, sour cream and heavy cream.  Mix until smooth.  Add chocolate chips to the bowl, and fold in gently with a spatula.
Pour the batter on top of the crust in the pan.
Place the pan with the aluminum foil on it into a larger oven safe pan. Put about an inch of hot water into the larger pan, making a water bath. Making sure the water doesn't go higher than the aluminum foil.
Bake at 325 for 60 minutes.

After 60 minutes the middle should still be jiggly but the sides should be set. Turn the oven off and crack open the door. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven for an hour.

Then take the cheesecake out of the oven, remove it from the water bath and place on a wire rack for 45 minutes to continue cooling. Run a thin knife around the cheesecake to help prevent it from cracking.
Then refrigerate.

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 form 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. Set sauce aside and allow it to cool before using. Store in a glass jar for ease of use, keep sauce in the fridge.