SunButter Salted Caramel Cheesecake
This velvety smooth SunButter Salted Caramel Cheesecake is an excellent nut-free dessert - perfect for anyone and everyone! Featuring a chocolate pretzel crust.
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
Chocolate Pretzel Crust
- 4 oz (120g) Pretzels
- 3 oz (90g) Chocolate Cookie Crumbs, such as Oreo
- 1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar
- 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter, melted
SunButter Cheesecake
- 32 oz (1000g) Cream Cheese, softened
- 1 ¼ cups Dark Brown Sugar
- 1 tbsp Vanilla
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 4 Large Eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup Original SunButter
- 3/4 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/2 cup Sour Cream
- Pretzels, plus more for garnish
- Chocolate, for garnish as needed
- Caramel Corn, for garnish as needed
Salted Caramel
- 1 cup White Sugar
- 1/4 cup Water
- 6 tbsp Unsalted Butter, at room temperature and cubed
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
Instructions
Chocolate Pretzel Crust
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Add pretzels, cookie crumbs, and brown sugar to a food process and grind into fine crumbs. Pour melted butter into the food processor, and pulse until the butter is well dispersed.
- Grease a 9” or 10” springform pan, then add crust into pan and press it down evenly into the bottom of the pan. Use a flat bottom glass to really compact the crust down.
- Place the crust into the oven to bake for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the crust and allow to cool to room temperature.
SunButter Cheesecake
- Turn oven down to 325°F. Prepare the cooled springform pan (with crust) by wrapping the bottom of the pan with 2 sheets of tinfoil, then set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, or stand mixer, add cream cheese and beat on medium-high until it looks soft and creamy – about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar, vanilla, and salt, and beat until soft and fluffy – another 4 minutes, scraping at the bowl as necessary.
- Add eggs, one at a time, ensuring that each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next, ensuring that you are also scraping at the bowl as necessary.
- Add SunButter, heavy cream, and sour cream, then beat on low until the cheesecake filling looks creamy, smooth, and uniform.
- Pour the filling over top of the cooled crust in the springform pan and lightly smooth it out, then place the cheesecake into a large roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan so that it reaches about halfway up the outside of the springform pan. Place into the oven to bake for 1 ½ hours (1 hour 30 minutes).
- When done, lightly crack the oven open to allow the cheesecake to slowly cool for about an hour. After an hour, remove the cheesecake from the oven and water-bath, then place onto the counter to cool to room temperature. Once at room temperature, wrap with plastic wrap and place into the fridge for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.
- When cooled and ready, remove from the springform pan, top with salted caramel (below), and garnish with pretzels, chocolate, and caramel corn.
Salted Caramel
- In a large saucepan over medium heat add sugar and water. Stir occasionally until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture begins to boil.
- Once the mixture begins to boil turn the heat up to medium-high and allow the mixture to boil, ensuring not to stir it, until it turns amber in color (stirring the mixture will cause crystallization, so refrain from stirring).
- Once the mixture has become amber in color (360°F on a candy thermometer), add the cubed butter and mix very vigorously to combine. (Be careful, however, because the mixture will bubble and rise up rapidly when you add the butter). If the butter seems to be separating from the caramel, remove it from the heat, then whisk vigorously until it comes together.
- Next, carefully add in the heavy cream (it will bubble rapidly again), vanilla, and salt. Whisk until smooth and well-combined. Remove the caramel from the heat, allow to cool for 5 minutes, then cover tightly, and allow to cool to room temperature before using. (Makes 1 cup)