Salted Caramel Cheesecake Dip

Well this one was a hit. I made this for the Higher Ed picnic last weekend and from what I could tell, people really enjoyed it! I know on a personal level, I was thrilled with this recipe and look forward to making it again and again as an easy dish to whip up for a potluck. It was the perfect balance of sweet and salty, especially when served with pretzels. I brought three different desserts to the potluck that day, but I have to say this was the one I was most excited about. I even caught a friend eating it with a fork, sans pretzels; I take that to mean that it was really quite good. This is another recipe from my girl Sally and it was the first that I made from her cookbook! I'm ashamed to admit I haven't had the time to crack it open yet and get baking. But I caught up by making two recipes in one day from there and things are off to a good start. I'm hoping to have some free time in my evenings over the summer to bake. Will will be doing an internship elsewhere, so I guess my coworkers will have to be my taste testers while he's gone! I'm sure they're really dreading that...


Anyways, I encourage you to make this recipe because it is just heavenly! Be patient when making the caramel, as the sugar took quite some time to dissolve, for me. But once it got going, everything went smoothly from there. And always always always, buy whipped cream cheese. I really don't understand why regular still exists. Whipped is infinitely better, for all occasions. Whipping whipped cream cheese may sound silly, but it gives a certain light quality that I can't seem to get otherwise. Trust me, trust Sally and try this snack!

Preparation Notes: I love everything about Sally and trust her 100% to lead me in the correct direction. As always, she was right! I'm sharing this recipe in its already-perfect form for your pure enjoyment. The only things I had altered were that I bought pre-whipped cream cheese and adjusted the cooking times for the caramel, but that's to be expected since everyone's stove is different.

Salted Caramel Cheesecake Dip (from Sally's Baking Addiction Cookbook)
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tbsp salted butter, cut into 6 pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp salt
16 oz. whipped cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/3 cup dark brown sugar

Begin by making the caramel sauce (you'll be making around 1 cup total). Heat the granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula. Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick brown liquid as you continue to stir (this will take awhile, so have patience). Be careful not to burn the sugar. Once it's melted completely, add the butter slices. The mixture will bubble rapidly. Continue to stir for 2-3 minutes until the butter is completely melted. Stir in the heavy cream and allow to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in the salt. Allow to cool and thicken before using. If you have any leftover, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 month (you won't have leftovers though - trust me).

When the caramel is almost done cooling, beat your cream cheese (even the pre-whipped kind) with a handheld mixer until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. After it cools, add 2/3 cup (or more) salted caramel sauce and brown sugar and continue to beat until smooth and combined. Transfer to a serving bowl, then drizzle a few more drops of salted caramel on top and swirl them in with a knife. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve with pretzels and enjoy!