Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake Tartlets
Chocolate shortbread mini tartlets filled with buttery salted caramel and topped with a fluffy no-bake cheesecake.
Hi! How are you guys? No I really mean it, how are you guys??? What is going on with you? What’s happening in your life these days?
I am slowly getting over that nasty bug I was complaining about last week. It was a doozy! I’m still stuffy and I have this hacking cough I can’t seem to kick, but, happily, I’m overall doing so much better. I think it might have been the flu! My little ones and I all three were miserable with it, but the husband somehow never came down with it. He’s the only one out of our little family who had the flu shot earlier this season. What are your feelings on the flu shot? Yay or nay? I’m not super anti-vaccine but I am a little cautious about that stuff. I didn’t let my kids get more than two inoculations per month, and I always tried to carefully weigh out the risks vs. benefits. All that being said, I do think that next year I will go ahead and get the shot. It’s just been such a tough winter for me this year, and when Mom isn’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!
I have to tell you how much I really love all of your comments and sweet thoughts and wishes. I get all sorts of encouragement from you guys, through this blog and through my Facebook page, and it really means so much! I know that a few of you were also suffering with winter illness right along with me, so I hope you are doing better! Thank you, thank you, thank you, for taking a few minutes out of your busy day to leave me such kind and uplifting messages. I truly feel so blessed to count you as a friend 🙂
So- today kicks off my husband’s birthday extravaganza! Do you remember hearing about his 40th birthday in this post? Well, tonight he’s partying it up with his friends, tomorrow my brother and sister in law are coming in for the family party later tomorrow night, and then Sunday is the Superbowl! Lots going on. I’m thinking about making Snickers cupcakes for the party, and then we’ll be putting out some yummy snacks on Sunday, like chips and dips, buffalo wings, and loaded potato skins. What comes to your mind when you’re thinking about game-day desserts? For me, it’s gotta be really indulgent, and it’s gotta be finger food. No fancy plates or utensils when you’re sitting on the sofa with your eyes on the television. These little treats cover both bases! And they are so perfectly pop-able, just right for a sweet game-day snack.
These babies are a mashup of three of my most favorite recipes. My Simply Perfect Chocolate Sugar Cookie forms the crust of the tart. These cookies are uber-chocolatey, from all the cocoa powder, and a little less sweet, which is perfect for pairing with my gooey, sweet, and buttery Simply Perfect Salted Caramel Sauce. A fluffy no-bake cheesecake tops them off!
After I posted the recipe for Simply Perfect Chocolate Sugar Cookies, I had a lot of readers tell me that their dough was dry or crumbly. You’ll want to start with just 1 1/4 cups of flour, and mix mix mix to see how it comes together, before adding any more than that. If it’s really clinging to the sides of the bowl, add a little more flour, like a tablespoon at a time, mixing, until it looks like this:
It should not be dry or crumbly. It should hold together really nicely. If you roll it out to 1/4-inch thickness, and cut it with a 3-inch diameter blossom cutter, it forms a little mini-tart shell when you bake it over the back of a mini-muffin tin. Press carefully around the top edge, with your fingertips, to seal any cracks. They’re perfect for filling with yummy things! Like salted caramel!
Really this whole idea came to be simply as a vehicle to get more salted caramel into my face. Seriously, this stuff is so good. Like, insane! Your eyes will roll back in your head. I have a whole step by step caramel making tutorial here. It’s really easy and it only takes about 10 minutes. You’ll never go back to the store-bought stuff after you’ve tried this! One and a half batches will fill all the chocolate tartlet shells. Go ahead and make two batches- you’ll definitely find a use for the leftovers. I find a spoon works really well 😉
The no-bake cheesecake topping is basically just whipped cream with a little cream cheese added in. There’s only one thing that tastes better than salted caramel, and that’s salted caramel with cheesecake. Just be sure and whip the cream really nice and stiff before you add in the softened cream cheese. That way it stays really thick and pipe-able. I used a Wilton 4B tip to top the tartlets with a kiss of fluffy goodness.
These chocolate caramel cheesecake tartlets are like a cross between a cookie and a candy. They are really so splurge-worthy!
I hope you guys have a really fun weekend! Doesn’t it feel so good to be almost done with January now? Next up is Valentines Day, and then Spring will be right around the corner! I’m so ready for warmth and sunshine!
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Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake Tartlets
Ingredients
- 1 batch Simply Perfect Chocolate Sugar Cookie dough
- 2 batches Simply Perfect Salted Caramel Sauce
- 1/3 cup (78.86 ml) heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 ounces (42.52 g) softened cream cheese, (I used reduced fat)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- optional: chocolate vermicelli,, for garnish
Instructions
Make the Tart Shells
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Roll the cookie dough to a thickness of ¼ inch.
- Cut with a 3 inch diameter blossom cookie cutter, and carefully place over the back of a mini muffin tin.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
Make the Topping:
- Whip the cream until stiff peaks form.
- Add in the sugar and vanilla.
- Whip in the soft cream cheese until completely incorporated.
Assemble the Tartlets:
- Fill each tart shell with about a tablespoon of caramel.
- Top with cheesecake topping.
- Garnish with chocolate vermicelli.
I made the salted caramel cheesecake tarts for a charity coffee morning they went down a real treat well loved by friends who attended the coffer morning
I have been making them ever since
Thank.you for sharing the recipe
Rosemary Wightman
It’s my pleasure Rosemary! So happy you and your friends have been enjoying.
I am looking so forward to trying this recipe!.
I would like to do a similar idea but with non-chocolate dough and a lemon curd filling. Could I just replace the cocoa with flour or would your soft cut out sugar cookie dough work?
Hi there! I love your idea! I would recommend using one of the vanilla sugar cookie recipes on this site, as well as the lemon curd recipe. You can find them all easily by using the search window at the top of the page. Good luck & I hope you enjoy!
Do you spray the outside of the muffin tin before placing the cookie dough on it??
Hey Deb- no it’s really not necessary.
What a delicious little treat! Those would be great for a party!
Hi Allie
I tried your recipe, the cup taste awesome. However, I have a problem with the bottom. Most of it cracks and doesn’t look pretty when you look at the bottom. For your information, I baked it inside the muffin tin instead of outside because I wanted a smaller cup. What could be the problem? Is my dough too dry? Otherwise the recipe taste really good!
Hi Sharifah! So sorry you had trouble- I’m not really sure if it was because you baked it differently or not. But if your dough seems too dry you can try adding a few drops of heavy cream until it feels like a better consistency. Hope that’s helpful!
these are friggin bomb!!! they remind me of something i had at a fancy hotel a couple years ago but was never able to recreate, thanks for the recipe!
My pleasure Connie! I’m so glad you liked; thanks for stopping by!
These babies have been popping up in my head the whole day saying “make me”… So I will attempt to do so, soon! I’m just wondering how well these tartlets hold up if I assembled them at night for a function the next day. Will the shell be too soggy?
No I think they’d probably be ok! Any more than a day though, and I’d probably make the components separately and assemble later. I hope you enjoy! Thanks so much Min!
I made these 3x now and everyone loves them! Thank you Allie!!
I did however realized the cookies need to be removed from the tins as soon as they come out from the oven, otherwise they will be ‘stucked’ onto the tins when cooled.
Great tip, Min! Thanks so much for sharing. And I’m so happy you like the recipe so much 😀
I LOVE your chocolate tart shells!! These look like a perfect thing to make for a potluck too!
Ooh, yeah! That’s a great idea, Lynna! Thanks for reading! 😀
These are so pretty! Pinned!
Thanks for stopping by, Mariel! And for sharing on Pinterest 😉
Beyond delicious and so pretty! Thanks for linking up with What’s Cookin’ Wednesday!
Thank you Karly! And thank you for hosting! Your fluffernutter donuts are amazing, btw. Hope you are having a fun weekend! <3