My husband’s birthday was on Monday. When I asked him what he wanted for a dessert, his only request was something with caramel and pretzels.
I love that sweet and salty combination and immediately thought of a cheesecake. He liked that idea and I started thinking up different flavor variations.
Of course, the first cheesecake that I thought up contained chocolate. We all know that chocolate, caramel, and pretzels is a great combination!
However, since my husband isn’t a fan of chocolate, I figured I would make a dessert without chocolate in it. . . it was his birthday after all. 😉
Despite not having chocolate, the combination of creamy cheesecake and crunchy pretzels combines to make one highly addictive dessert!
The crust is a combination of pretzels and graham crackers that is topped with a rich layer of salted caramel.
The vanilla cheesecake layer evens out the richness of the caramel and is perfect with a drizzling of more salted caramel right before serving!
Salted Caramel Pretzel Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 1/4 Cups crushed pretzels
- 3/4 Cup crushed graham crackers
- 1/4 Cup sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 Cup butter, melted
For the Caramel
- 1/3 Cup butter
- 3/4 Cup brown sugar
- 1/3 Cup half and half
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
For the Cheesecake
- 2 (8 ounce) packages 1/3 of the fat cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 Cup sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Stir together graham cracker crumbs, crushed pretzels, sugar, salt, and melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 9 or 10 inch pie plate.
- Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
- In a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, and half and half. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Lower heat to medium and cook for 7-8 minutes until mixture thickens. Stir in salt one minute before finished cooking. Make sure to whisk occasionally to prevent scorching. Remove from heat and cool slightly.
- While caramel is cooling, prepare cheesecake. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add in eggs and vanilla extract and beat until mixture is smooth.
- Spread all but 1/4 cup of caramel over the top of cooled crust. Spread cream cheese mixture over top. Even top with a spatula.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until center is set. Transfer to wire rack and bring to room temperature. Move cheesecake to refrigerator and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.
- Drizzle with remaining caramel right before serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 417Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 508mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 1gSugar: 38gProtein: 4g
Nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and may not always be accurate. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.
Beth
Saturday 4th of September 2021
I have made this recipe several times all with great reviews! Love it!
Dee
Monday 14th of December 2020
I'd love to try this recipe but can I clarify - does the cake need to be baked in a water bath like most traditional cheesecakes? Thanks in advance!
Jessica@A Kitchen Addiction
Monday 14th of December 2020
No, it doesn't need to be baked in a water bath. Hope you like it! :)
Tricia Sportsman
Thursday 23rd of November 2017
Love this receipe! Made it a few times. This time however, After having it in the refrigerator overnight... The crust was incredibly hard. Any ideas?
Gina
Thursday 31st of December 2015
I am making this for NYE. My caramel didnt come out clear like the picture. Did I not cook it long enough? Cheesecake is in oven now, looks delish!
Jessica@A Kitchen Addiction
Thursday 31st of December 2015
It could be a couple of things, but one thing that is easy to have happen is to have sugar crystals that are on the side of the pan that don't get completely stirred in and dissolved. So, when you stir everything together to remove the caramel from the saucepan, those sugar crystals get mixed in and never completely dissolve. It should still taste good. Hope that helps!
Linda Raye
Sunday 20th of December 2015
In your recipe it says 1/3 c half and half of what i didn't understand this part of your recipe can you please help!
Jessica@A Kitchen Addiction
Sunday 20th of December 2015
It is a 1/3 cup of half and half, which you can usually find next to the heavy cream at the store. If you can't find half and half, you can use heavy cream in its place. Hope that helps!