Caramel Toffee Chesecake Bars

Monday at work, my aunt Becky looks at me and asks, "What goodies are you making for us this week?" I didn't really have any occasions to make something for, so I got home and went through all the recipes that I've bookmarked, and I wasn't really in the mood for anything. But I was in the mood for caramel, one of my favorite flavors in the world. As soon as I saw it when I was blog browsing, there was nothing else in the world that mattered until I made it. And pardon my language, but holy shit. It was gone by the end of the day. Everyone at work had seconds, I only brought 3 pieces home.

Caramel Toffee Cheesecake Bars- from Annie's Eats
Ingredients
Caramel
1 cup of sugar
1¼ cups of heavy cream
¼ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of vanilla

 Crust
1 cup of graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons of melted butter
1 tablespoon of sugar
½ cup of toffee bits (like the Heath kind you can find with the chocolate chips)

Cheesecake
12 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature
⅓ cup of sour cream
⅓ cup of sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla
¼ teaspoon of salt
⅓ cup of caramel sauce

Directions
If making caramel is scary or you don't have time, store bought caramel sauce like for ice cream or whatever is totally fine and you can skip ahead now. Trust me, as much as I love caramel, making it is always a nightmare. Before you do anything, microwave the cream for like 45 seconds so that it's warm, and when you pour it into the sugar it doesn't shock the sugar and seize it up. Then put all your sugar in a large pot over medium-low heat. It'll start to liquefy, and your job is to make sure it cooks evenly so you don't burn some sugar while some is still white. Gently stir it to keep it under control. You'll get chunks of sugar, so I like to use a wooden spoon and stab them to break them up. It's a good time. Now it's time to pour in the cream. Go slow. A quarter cup at a time, if that. It'll get bubbly and steamy and scary, but keep stirring, pouring in a bit at a time. If you get any chunks, that's easy to fix. Put it back on the stove over low and stir until it's gone or mostly gone. Then stir in the salt and vanilla! (yum)

The rest is easy breezy. Preheat to 325. Mix up the crumbs, sugar and butter with a fork. Press it with your fingers into a greased up 8x8 pan. Sprinkle the toffee bits over top, and bake it for 5 minutes. Pull it out, but leave the oven on at 325. Mix up the cream cheese and sour cream til they're smooth, then mix in the sugar. Add everything in succession, and you're done! Bake it for 30-35 minutes (mine took the full 35). Let it cool, then refrigerate it for at least 4 hours. I left mine in overnight, then before work in the morning I did the garnishes. Use some of the remaining caramel to either drizzle or drown the cheesecake, then sprinkle more toffee bits on top. Are you drooling yet?

Reviews
I'd like to call this a smashing success. Cheesecake is already such a well-loved classic dessert, but I'm not usually a fan because it's sort of too tangy for me. But the caramel is just what it needed to sweeten it up and deepen the flavor. Just so delicious. Everyone loved it, I didn't hear a single negative comment. So do yourself a favor and make it. Or call me up and I'll make it for you! You just need this in your life.

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