Dulce De Leche Cheesecake Bars

Whoa another post within the same week? Yessire! I’m trying to be a regular poster but it’s so hard!

I’ve been stuck in a baking rut for the longest time. After those smores and strawberry cheesecake cupcakes I didn’t know what to bake. Sure I have about 2,976 recipes bookmarked but it’s so hard to decide which ones to make! 

When in ruts, trust your guts. That’s what I did 🙂 I started craving the dulce de leche cheesecake I got back in February from the Cheesecake Factory. Man, that was some gooooood cheesecake. 

I started digging through my bookmarks and found a recipe for dulce de leche cheesecake bars, SCHVEET!!!!

Now what is dulche de leche you may ask? 

Dulce de leche, my friend, is like a caramelly version of condensed milk. Thick, sweet, and caramelly. If you ever want to make some at home, take a can of condensed milk and boil it. If the idea of boiling a closed metal can scares you like it scares me, you can always buy it pre-made from your local grocery store. 

I’ve never made cheesecake before, mainly because I’m intimidating by the thought of failure. I’ve read so many things about cheesecakes and they don’t sound like the easiest things to make! 

But I went for it anyway, and luckily, this recipe was super easy to make. I can even say these were easier to make than cookies. 

If you’re looking for a cheesecake with huge dulce de leche taste, this isn’t the one for you. Although there is a full cup of that caramelly goodness in here, the dulce de leche flavour is subtle. Imagine a new york cheesecake with a slightly caramelly undertone, that’s what these bars taste like. Nevertheless though, I really enjoyed these bars and I think you will too 🙂

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (I used salted)

For filling
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup whole milk (I used skim)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
3/8 teaspoon salt (I used 1/4 tsp)
1 cup dulce de leche

For glaze
3 oz bittersweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup unsalted butter (I used salted butter)
2 teaspoons corn syrup

How To

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with 2 sheets of foil (crisscrossed), leaving a 2-inch overhang on all sides.

2. Mix together the crumbs, sugar, and butter. Press mixture evenly onto bottom of baking pan. Bake 10 minutes, then cool in pan on a rack 5 minutes.

3. Sprinkle gelatin over milk in a small bowl and let stand 2 minutes to soften. Beat together cream cheese, eggs, salt, and gelatin mixture in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until well combined, about 2 minutes, then stir in dulce de leche gently but thoroughly. Pour filling over crust, smoothing top, then bake in a hot water bath in oven until center is just set, about 45 minutes. Cool cheesecake completely in pan on rack, about 2 hours. Chill, covered, at least 6 hours.

4. Place all glaze ingredients in a small microwavable bowl and put it in the microwave for about 50 seconds until the chocolate is melted. Cool it for 2 minutes then pour it over the chilled cheesecake. Smooth the top with the back of spoon. Chill the cake, uncovered, 30 minutes.

5. Lift cheesecake from pan using foil overhang and cut into 1-inch squares with a thin knife, wiping off knife after each cut.

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen