double chocolate cheesecake with salted caramel sauce

For those who love chocolate...and cheesecake...and caramel...this recipe is truly, seriously good.

Double chocolate cheesecake
Adapted from Anna & Michael Olson Cook at Home

Brownie layer:
 
1 cup butter
1 cup cocoa powder
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a 9x13-inch glass baking dish.

Melt the butter and pour into a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the cocoa, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add flour mixture to the cocoa mixture and whisk until blended. Pour into prepared baking dish and bake for about 18-20 minutes or just until the brownie is set in the middle. Let cool completely before adding cheesecake layer.


Cheesecake layer:

6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
2 packages of cream cheese (250g each), at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream

Melt the chocolate, either in a double boiler (bowl set over pan of simmering water) or in the microwave (watch it carefully). Set aside.

Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat until well blended.  Pour in the whipping cream and beat on high speed until thickened. Pour in the melted chocolate and quickly mix until thoroughly blended. Pour cheesecake filling on top of the cooled brownie layer. Chill in the fridge at least 2 hours. Cut into squares and drizzle with Salted Caramel Sauce.

Salted Caramel Sauce

adapted from Simply Recipes

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

6 tbsp butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp vanilla

sea salt, to taste (optional)

Get all the ingredients ready before you start. This will be quick! In a 3-quart pot, over medium-high heat, melt sugar with 1/2 cup water. Don't stir it. Let it come to a boil, and let it keep on boiling until you begin to see it turning brown. It might turn brown in spots; that's okay. Don't stir it. You can gently swirl the pot to prevent any possible burning. 

As soon as the sugar has all turned brown, add the butter and stir. Remove from the heat. Pour in the cream, stirring carefully - the mixture will bubble up quite a bit. Stir in the vanilla and the salt, if you like. Pour into a glass container or jar. Caramel will thicken as it cools. Keeps in the fridge for a week or two.

 

chocolate chip cookies

Everybody has a favourite chocolate chip cookie recipe; here's mine. I like soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies (rather than crisp ones). Two tips that I can give you to get the best results are to chill the dough (for a few hours or overnight if possible), and always underbake the cookies. They should be just set in the centre, and maybe even look a tiny bit moist. The edges should just be turning golden. I get good results using insulated cookie sheets and never end up with dark or burned bottoms.


Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips

Beat butter with both sugars, baking soda and salt until well mixed, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Beat in the flour. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the chocolate chips. If you are chilling the dough, just cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for a few hours.


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Scoop the dough with a tablespoon (or a small ice cream scoop, which is what I use), 2 inches apart onto a baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just set and the edges are light golden. When you take them out of the oven, let them rest on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes before you transfer them to a rack to cool.