Salted Caramel Mini Cheesecakes

Photo by Katie Kay

I have lists of recipes I want to make, kind of like my Netflix queue.  I find new ones I'm excited about and add them to the list, then occasionally I go through the list, re-prioritize, and delete some, and sometimes I get hung-up on themes--like cupcakes!  And sometimes the theme is more specific, like cheesecake.
I love cheesecake.  In the process of creating these Salted Caramel Cheesecakes I found several other variations that I'm dying to try.  Next on my list is Pumpkin-Bourbon Cheesecake with Graham-Pecan crust, topped with Brown Sugar and Bourbon Cream.  I KNOW...RIGHT?!?!   
Time to buy stock in cream cheese.  It's a good thing I run so much because this goes straight to my tubby belly.  And I like it.
Did you know, salted caramel is all the rage right now.  I try not to get too caught up in fads.  I wish I didn't like Starbucks because I think people who spend so much money on coffee are ridiculous.  But I love it.  I can't help it.  And I think Apple is a cult, so I have an Android--but don't tell anyone that I run with an iPod Shuffle.  Basically I have no morals that I stick to, and I can be suckered into anything.  Including salted caramel.
Caramel used to scare me, and I've permanently ruined 1 saucepan and a pig whisk.  Yes, you read that correctly.  But I didn't give up because if other people can do it, so can I.  Eventually, I beat it and my reward is a half-full mason jar of homemade caramel sauce that I want to suck up with a straw.  Straight to my taste buds.  And it's weird, because I don't like store bought caramel on anything.
I made the recipe below for a work event, but it was very time consuming with only 1 mini muffin pan.  With cook and cool times and only 1 tray, this took me about 5 hours and I didn't get to properly chill the cheesecakes.  I think consistency is better with proper chilling, and I recommend not skipping that step.
I also did a little experiment that I found interesting.  Many cooks suggest cooking cheesecakes in a water bath to prevent cracking.  It keeps the outside of the cake from getting too hot, and it adds moisture to the oven, preventing the moisture from being drawn from the cake.  I've actually never cooked a cheesecake in a water bath because water-proofing a springform pan seems ri-freaking-diculous to me.  After today's experiment, I might give that a 2nd thought.
I filled one tin with water, and look at the cheesecakes next to it.  Not cracked!  Yet the 2 farthest away are cracked.  Coincidence?  Maybe.  But I'm thinking there's something to it...

Photo by Katie Kay

This made 3 trays of mini muffin tin cheesecakes and a dozen standard muffin tin cheesecakes.
Salted Caramel Mini Cheesecakes
Crust: 5 Tbsp unsalted butter 8 graham crackers crushed into crumbs 1 Tbsp sugar
Cheesecakes: 5 packages cream cheese, softened 1/8 tsp salt 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/3 cup sour cream 2 tsp vanilla extract 6 eggs plus 2 egg yolks at room temperature
Salted Caramel Topping: 1 1/2 cups sugar 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp water 6 Tbsp butter, cut into 6 pieces 3/4 cup heavy cream at room temperature Fleur de Sel (coarse sea salt)
To make the crust:  Preheat oven to 350.  Process graham cracker crumbs in a food processor, or crush with a rolling pin in a gallon ziplock bag until only fine crumbs remain.  Melt butter, then mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter together.  Like standard or mini muffin tins with liners, then press crumbs into bottoms of tins.  For mini muffin tins, I used 1/2 teaspoon of crumb mixture and used the same teaspoon to press them.  For the standard muffin tins I used 1 1/2 teaspoons of crumbs.  Bake for 5 minutes.  Crust doesn't have to look done, it will cook again later with the cheesecakes.
To make the cheesecakes:  Using a mixer, beat cream cheese until creamy and no chunks remain.  Add salt and sugar, then mix until combined.  Add sour cream and vanilla, then mix again, scraping edges to incorporate all of the cream cheese.  Add eggs and yolks one at a time, mixing only until incorporated between each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl each time.
For mini muffin tins, add 1 heaping tablespoon of cream cheese mixture to each cup.  For a standard muffin tin, I just used a spoon and filled each just to the top.   Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. (My minis took 19 minutes, my standard took 24.)
**see note above regarding putting water in empty tins.
To make the caramel sauce:  In a saucepan, add water and sugar and whisk constantly over medium high heat until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture beings to boil.  Once it boils, step away and leave it to boil until mixture turns a dark amber color.  Only return to gently swirl the pan 2 or 3 times during this process.  I forgot to time it, but it seemed no longer than 10 minutes until it was ready.  Add butter, whisking until completely melted.  There will be excitement and bubbling! Keep whisking.  Turn off the heat when butter is melted, then add vanilla.  Whisk until combined, then SLOWLY drizzle cream into pan, whisking constantly.  At this point I poured the caramel sauce into a medium mason jar and set it aside to cool.  You can make this in advance and refrigerate it.  When ready to top the cheesecakes, microwave caramel for 30 seconds then stir.
When cheesecakes are finished baking, let them sit out until barely warm, then cover with saran wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.  Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving and top with caramel sauce.  Sprinkle sea salt on top immediately before serving--salt will dissolve into caramel sauce within minutes. Cheesecakes can be kept in the fridge for 4 days.  Top when ready to serve.
Cheesecakes:  Adapted from Baking Illustrated Caramel Sauce and recipe inspiration:  CookingClassy.com