Are you looking for new dessert recipes to make at get-togethers or parties? Then, try this Turtle Cheesecake that you can make ahead of time. It’s full of fantastic chocolate, caramel, cheesecake and nutty flavors. It’s the perfect turtle dessert combination.
Make a few tasty mini Turtle Cheesecake Jars for dessert! All the best flavors tied together- nuts, chocolate, caramel, and luscious cheesecake.
Ditch the Cheesecake Factory and make your own mini Turtle Cheesecake Jars with this simple recipe.
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Why You’ll Love Turtle Cheesecake
- It’s a delicious dessert with buttery caramel and smooth chocolate flavor.
- It’s a quick and easy simple dessert recipe that’s perfect for any special occasions
- Both kids and adults will love it.
- You can make and store it beforehand and enjoy whenever you like
- No need to dig out the springform pan
Ingredients
Here is everything you’ll need to make this delicious turtle cheesecake at home:
- chocolate cookie crumbs (like Oreo cookies)
- sugar
- melted butter
- chopped pecans
- caramel
- condensed milk
- cream cheese
- flour
- egg
- vanilla extract
- chocolate sauce
Tools Needed
Mixing bowls
- 3-PIECE: Set includes 1-qt, 1.5-qt, and 2.5-qt round glass bowls. This is the perfect set for all manners of prepping, baking and home entertainment.
Mason jars for storing
- 👉Premium strong high quality glass jars with silver lids -- 12 pieces 8 OZ mason glass jar set with silver screw lids,which is made of the highest quality materials for maximum durability and convenience.
Measuring cups and spoons
- Durable: sleek stainless steel design meets rugged reliability to withstand life in our busy American kitchens. Morgenhaan is a durable measuring set that looks good in your kitchen as well
Whisk
- [Reinforced Metal Whisk]:12 inches of food-grade stainless steel whisk adopted bold 8 wire processing, which solves the pain of bending or the line breaking of some common whisks for cooking on the market during some heavy mixing and stirring.The wires do not get tangled in each other and the spacing helps wire whisk liquids better.
How to Make Mini Turtle Cheesecakes
All you have to do to make this tasty turtle cheesecake is mix and bake all the ingredients. Follow the step by step instructions given below to make a yummy chocolate caramel and pecan mini cheesecake:
- Crush your chocolate cookies either in a food processor or using a rolling pin across a ziplock bag full of cookies to crush them.
- Mix half the sugar, melted butter, and cookie crumbs together to create the cheesecake crust in a small bowl.
- Press the Oreo cookie crust mixture into the bottom of the jars.
- Next, make your homemade caramel sauce. In a small saucepan, pour condensed milk and add in the caramel sauce. Over low heat, whisk continuously and melt the caramel sauce into the condensed milk and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Then add in sugar, eggs, flour, and vanilla and mix again until just smooth. Avoid overmixing.
- Add the mixture to the jars on top of the crust and bake at 325 for 12 minutes and check. Add more time if needed.
- When done baking, remove from the oven and add more cookie crumbs, chocolate chips, pecans, and homemade caramel sauce to the top of the cheesecake. Garnish as desired, serve, and enjoy.
Why do they call it turtle cheesecake?
Great question! Turtle cheesecake does sound quite, interesting. When this dessert was first made, it resembled the looks of a turtle.
Now, anytime people make desserts that have the classic pecans with the caramel and chocolate combination, those desserts are often referred to as “turtle” desserts. Since this mini turtle cheesecake has all of those- the chocolate and caramel mixture with the nuts, plus your chocolate cookie crumbs crust layer, this is the perfect turtle cheesecake in a jar.
Helpful Tips
Turtle cheesecake is an easy recipe and these additional tips will ensure you get the best flavor of your cheesecake.
- Before using cream cheese for making turtle cheesecake, make sure it is at room temperature. It’s important if you don’t want lumps in your cheesecake. If the cream cheese is too hard, it will not mix well, and you’ll have a lumpy cheesecake batter that doesn’t quite taste as delicious.
- Never open the oven during baking as it can form cracks in your cheesecake and it will cook unevenly.
- If you have trouble transferring your creamy cheesecake layer to the jars, you can add the mixture to a piping bag and pipe the cream cheese into the jars in an even layer.
- You can use salted or unsalted butter.
- You can also add caramel swirls to your cheesecake layers if desired.
- Don’t mix the ingredients at high speed if you want everything to mix well and have a smooth texture of turtle cheesecake.
Recipe Variations
Want to make this recipe a bit different? Here are some things that you can do:
Make a graham crackers crumb crust – You can use graham crackers crumbs as the crust if you don’t want to use crushed Oreos or other chocolate sandwich cookies.
Add hot fudge topping – Instead of regular chocolate sauce or chocolate syrup, you can add hot fudge to the top of the cheesecakes to make a flavor that resembles a chocolate cheesecake.
Make your own chocolate topping- instead of syrup or topping, you can use your favorite chocolate and melt chocolate in a small saucepan to create your own. This is a great way to use up some of your favorite chocolate bars.
Want to cut down on sugar in your cheesecake? If you’re avoiding sugar, you can make alternations in this recipe to make it suitable for you. Replace full fat cream cheese with low fat cream cheese. Use stevia instead of white or brown sugar. These changes may help make this cheesecake more suitable for your dietary needs.
Make candied pecans- You can use whole pecans, or you can chop them up into smaller pecan pieces and then you can place them in a small sauce pan with some melted butter and sugar and roast them, stirring them around to coat them in the butter sugar mixture.
Make turtle cheesecake bars- Instead of making this caramel pecan cheesecake in jars, you can make these in a larger pan and make cheesecake bars out of this delicious, perfect cheesecake batter.
FAQ
Is this recipe keto friendly?
No, turtle cheesecake isn’t keto friendly. It is high in carbs and fats, making it unsuitable for anyone following a keto diet. However, you can make it keto friendly by substituting the carbs rich ingredients with low carbs substitutes. But, make sure to pick substitutes that have an almost similar flavor to the original ingredient.
Can you freeze this?
Yes, you can freeze these mini cheesecakes. Cover them or use the lid and freeze them for up to 2-3 months.
Why are the middle of my cheesecakes sinking?
If you find that your caramel pecan turtle cheesecake is sinking in the middle, this usually happens because you overmixed the batter. When you mix in the egg, mix until just mixed in, don’t overmix. Overmixing can cause cracks.
What else can I add on top?
Looking for more toppings on this turtle cheesecake recipe? Try sprinkling some mini chocolate chips, or butterscotch chips, or sprinkle more candied nuts to the top. You can also mix any of these tasty treats into the cheesecake filling. Also, you can add some melted chocolate
Storage
Your mini turtle cheesecake jars should be stored in their jar or container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. If you have lids for your jars, use them, otherwise cover them with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Let your cheesecake cool completely before refrigerating.
Other Cheesecake Recipes
If you’re crazy for cheesecake, we have a ton of cheesecake recipes that you will enjoy. Keep reading for the best cheesecakes on the web!
Mini Turtle Cheesecake Jars
Ingredients
- 1 cup Chocolate cookie crumbs like oreos
- 2 TablespoonsSugar
- 3 Tablespoons Butter
- ¼ cup Pecans
- 1 cup Caramel
- ¼ cup Condensed milk
- 1 ¼ cup Cream cheese
- 1 Tablespoon Flour
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ cup Chocolate
Instructions
- Crush your chocolate cookies either in a food processor or using a rolling pin across a ziplock bag full of cookies to crush them.
- Mix half the sugar, melted butter, and cookie crumbs together to create the cheesecake crust in a small bowl.
- Press the Oreo cookie crust mixture into the bottom of the jars.
- Next, make your homemade caramel sauce. In a small saucepan, pour condensed milk and add in the caramel sauce. Over low heat, whisk continuously and melt the caramel sauce into the condensed milk and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Then add in sugar, eggs, flour, and vanilla and mix again until just smooth. Avoid overmixing.
- Add the mixture to the jars on top of the crust and bake at 325 for 12 minutes and check. Add more time if needed.
- When done baking, remove from the oven and add more cookie crumbs, chocolate sauce, pecans, and homemade caramel sauce to the top of the cheesecake. Garnish as desired, serve, and enjoy.
Notes
- Before using cream cheese for making turtle cheesecake, make sure it is at room temperature. It’s important if you don’t want lumps in your cheesecake. If the cream cheese is too hard, it will not mix well, and you’ll have a lumpy cheesecake batter that doesn’t quite taste as delicious.
- Never open the oven during baking as it can form cracks in your cheesecake and it will cook unevenly.
- If you have trouble transferring your creamy cheesecake layer to the jars, you can add the mixture to a piping bag and pipe the cream cheese into the jars in an even layer.
- You can use salted or unsalted butter.
- You can also add caramel swirls to your cheesecake layers if desired.
- Don’t mix the ingredients at high speed if you want everything to mix well and have a smooth texture of turtle cheesecake.
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