Clinton Kelly's Chocolate-Covered Caramel Pretzel Cheesecake

By TrayH

On a day of decadent desserts on The Chew, Clinton Kelly’s latest recipe just may take the cake! He recently invented this chocolate-covered caramel pretzel cheesecake recipe to satisfy his cravings for salty and sweet. It’s a bit complicated, but the end results are worth it; it looked so unbelievably delicious!

Ingredients

• Ingredients For Clinton Kelly’s Cheesecake Crust:
• 2 cups crushed Pretzels
• 2/3 cup melted Butter
• 2 tablespoons Brown Sugar
• Ingredients For Chocolate Layer:
• 10 ounces chopped Dark Chocolate
• Ingredients For Caramel Pretzel Cheesecake Filling:
• 3 8-ounce packages softened Cream Cheese
• 1 1/4 cups Granulated Sugar
• 1 cup Sour Cream
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Egg Yolk
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• Ingredients For Clinton Kelly’s Caramel Sauce:
• 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Water
• 3 tablespoons Butter
• 1 tablespoon Heavy Cream
• a pinch of Salt

Preparation

Step 1

Chocolate-Covered Caramel Pretzel Cheesecake Directions:

* Preheat oven to 350 degrees to make the crust. Grease a 9 inch spring form pan with butter. Lay two large pieces of aluminum foil crosswise on your work surface and place the cake pan in the middle. Crimp the aluminum foil around the pan.

* Stir the crust ingredients together in a medium bowl. Once fully mixed, press into the bottom and sides of the pan to create an even layer.

* To make chocolate layer, melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave. Pour chocolate over the pretzel crust. Refrigerate the pan for five minutes until the chocolate has set.

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* To make the filling, whip together cream cheese and sugar until fluffy.

* Add sour cream, eggs, egg yolk, salt and vanilla and stir together until thoroughly mixed. Do not overmix to avoid excess air in the mixture.

* Pour the filling over the prepared crust and chocolate layer.

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* Transfer the cake (in pan) to a roasting pan and carefully fill the roasting pan with warm water. It should come about 1/3 of the way up the sides of the spring form pan.

* Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, or until the center slightly juggles. Remove and cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes.

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* To make caramel sauce, mix the sugar and water in a small sauce pot, just slightly wetting sugar. Place over medium-high heat and cook until the mixture turns light golden brown.

* Next, remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, heavy cream and salt. Stir to combine.

* Allow to cool for 3 minutes before pouring over the cheesecake. Place the cheesecake into fridge and let cool, at least two hours.

* Serve and enjoy.