Recreating Crumbl Desserts #2
previous post: Small Batch Biscoff Cheesecake
Unlike the Biscoff cheesecake, I haven't tried the turtle cheesecake. In fact, I have a long list of Crumbl flavors that I've never tried but want to recreate. I made this dessert for my mother's birthday, and my God, was it a disaster. What I planned to do was make the caramel the day before making the cheesecake and ganache. And what happened? I procrastinated.😁 After SIX attempts, I finally got a decent caramel. It wasn't as dark as I wanted it to be, but it was my first time making caramel. I'm just glad I didn't burn it. Because I had such a hard time, this post won't be as in-depth as the first one. I chose the safe route and made extra toppings.
Small Batch Turtle Cheesecake
adapted from: Sally's Baking Addiction, Desserts For Two
other references: Crumbl, Sally's Baking Addiction, Preppy Kitchen, The Floral Apron, The Floral Apron, Pastry Living with Aya, Preppy Kitchen, Umami Girl, Sally's Baking Addiction, Food Network
Food processor or a gallon-size Ziploc bag and a rolling pin
Small binder clips (not plastic-coated) or baking clips*
Hand mixer or stand mixer
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
4 tbsp (56g) butter, cool room temperature and cut into cubes
⅔ cup (160g) heavy cream, room temp
about ½ tsp (3g) fine sea salt (I went by taste)
2oz (57g) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (I used Guittard)
12 (140g) original Oreo cookies or 19 (140g) Oreo Thins cookies
⅛ cup (20g) whole pecans, toasted
2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, melted
16 ounces (453g) full-fat cream cheese blocks, softened and room temperature
½ cup (73g) light brown sugar
1 large (50g) egg, room temperature
1 tsp (4g) vanilla extract
1 tsp (5g) fresh lemon juice
scant ⅓ cup (73g) homemade caramel sauce
heaping 1-1 1/2 tbsp (18g-27g) caramel drizzle
⅛ cup (20g) whole pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
Caramel: This was a wet caramel made with sugar and water, then butter and cream were added at the end. The first batch crystalized almost instantly. Apparently, making caramel in a nonstick pan doesn't work well, so I switched to a stainless steel saucepan. I try a second time; I fail again. This is when I opened YouTube for help. I knew constant stirring could cause crystallization, but I also learned that temperature change could cause your sugar to crystallize. I knew the burner I was working over heated unevenly, so I switched to a different one. That changed everything! The sugar was finally starting to caramelize. Once the sugar reached the right color, I took the pan off the heat and added butter one cube at a time, whisking vigorously in between. Continuing to whisk, I slowly poured in the cream. The caramel went back on low heat until it reached 220°F. At the end, I added salt; it needs salt. The end result was 365g (almost 13oz/24 tbsp) of thick, not overly-sweet caramel sauce.
Crust: I used a mix of Oreos and toasted pecans pulsed in a food processor. I poured in 43g of butter like I did with the Biscoff cheesecake, but the creme filling added more moisture than I expected. I should have used around 28g (2 tbsp). Because the mixture was so wet, I think I ended up overbaking it. Either that, or the crust needed a little sugar.
Before I made this cheesecake, I saw an image of a parchment-lined pan with binder clips holding down the overhang. I thought it was genius, but of course, I had to look up if it was safe. It is, and in that search, I found a store that sells silicone baking clips. I'll have to add them to my wishlist.
Filling: The granulated sugar was replaced with light brown sugar, and caramel was added. I mixed those with the cream cheese, vanilla, and lemon juice until smooth. Then, beat in the egg until just combined. This time, I chose to bake the cheesecake using a water bath. It wasn't much trouble since I didn't have to worry about water seeping into the pan, so it was well worth the extended bake time. The cheesecake came out evenly baked and a lot creamier than without it.
I could see myself making this again. Next time, I want to try it with sour cream; there could be a little more tang for my taste.
Ganache: By far the easiest component to make. I used chopped Guittard chocolate chips because that's all I had, but I would normally use the wafers; they melt better. I got 107g (about 3oz/6 tbsp) total. The amount of toppings you choose to use is personal preference. I didn't use much ganache because I know my mom doesn't like super chocolaty desserts.
If using a store-bought caramel, opt for a thick caramel dip like Marzetti. The level of sweetness varies by brand, so you may need less caramel in the filling.
