Decadently rich, smooth and creamy cheesecake covered in luscious milk chocolate then drizzled with caramel and white chocolate. These Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Pops have become legendary at my house.
The Daring Bakers challenge for April 2008 was cheesecake pops chosen by Elle of Feeding my Enthusiasms and Deborah of Taste and Tell. It is a rich, delicious, creamy cheesecake recipe.
The recipe makes a 10-inch cheesecake and it makes a lot of pops! I used a #30 scoop, and made about 40 delicious pops. Decorated caramel apples were my inspiration and I drizzled them with caramel and white chocolate.
These cheesecake pops were a big hit with my family and neighbors. In fact, my neighbor requested them for her birthday the following year, and ever year since that first year in 2008.
Since it was her birthday month again, I decided it was time to update the post with some better photos and share them again.
If hope you’ll give them a try. They would be a perfect Valentine’s Day dessert.
Chocolate Covered Cheesecake Pops
Ingredients
- 5 8- oz. packages cream cheese at room temperature 40-ounces total
- 2 cups sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 large eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup sour cream
- Boiling water as needed
- Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks
- 2 pounds chocolate finely chopped – you can use all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white (Alternately, you can use 1 pound of flavored coatings, also known as summer coating, confectionary coating or wafer chocolate – candy supply stores carry colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.)
- 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) - Optional
Instructions
- Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.
- In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.
- Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 45 - 55 minutes.
- Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight. When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.
- When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.
- Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.
- Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.
- Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
Mum you are so clever! These look just like mini toffee apples! For a moment I did a double take when I saw you say a Daring Bakers challenge. I will miss that group! xxx
Marsha
These look ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! My church offers a free lunch every money to our local university students and the ladies of the church furnish the desserts, this would be perfect for Valentine’s day! We are currently feeding 600-700 students! I’m just wondering what kind of caramel you used? Would dulce de leche work? Thanks for all your YUMMY recipes!
Barbara Schieving
Thanks Marsha! They would be perfect for Valentine’s Day. You could skip the caramel and white chocolate and sprinkle on some red, white and pink hearts while the chocolate is still wet. Dulce de leche might work if it was the right consistency. I used Peter’s Caramel – it’s a big block of caramel that’s recipe ready. http://www.gygi.com/peters-caramel.html I’d love to have you share a picture with me on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
Marsha
Thanks so much for your speedy reply and suggestions! The caramel block sounds like a winner! I make dulce de leche in the instant pot and I cook it longer so it’s fairly thick. I used it in making turtles for Christmas and it was perfect. I made the turtles (chocolate covered the bottom of turtle molds, placed a buttered, roasted and salted pecan half on top of that, drizzled with slightly warmed dulce de leche then covered with chocolate) and took them to an event to rave reviews. I can’t take credit for the idea, someone described it on an Instant Pot blog they’re so easy and fun! I love both your baking and pressure cooking blogs, so many great recipes and great instructions and helpful hints! Thank you again!
Barbara Schieving
Instant Pot dulce de luche is great for sure 🙂 Your turtles sound addicting. So nice that you’re a pressure cooker and a baker too!
Chuck
Your cheesecake pops look amazing too. Everyone has done such a great job out there. The caramel is what really got me. Very nice!
marion - il en faut peu pour ...
they are sooooooo nice !!!!! I love the caramel shortening 🙂
Faery
Wow these look fabulous and sooo delicious
HoneyB
The pops look delicious! Great job. Love the caramel!
Augustina
oh, what a great idea to model your pops after caramel apples–they look amazing!
Katrina
oh wow… the caramel looks heavenly! they DO look like candy apples!
Allison
The caramel drizzle is AMAZING and I want to marry it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Barbara Bakes
Maybe I had better luck with the scoop because I live in such a dry climate? I had to dip it in hot water occasionally, but it worked really well for me.
Julia
Wow, you made them look so easy. I struggled a bit with mine. Good idea flavor combination! Yummm!
Renee
I love the idea of drizzled caramel! Yummy.
Lunch Buckets
I like the caramel – very nice!
culinography
Mmmm… caramel! I’ll be that was a wonderfully tasty addition!
Dolores
The caramel and white chocolate drizzles are a lovely touch. I tried and abandoned the scoop approach…just too sticky. Great job!
familiabencomo
Darn! I wish I were your neighbor. Yours are perfect!
xoxox Amy
L Vanel
Very nice looking pops!
Lina
your cheesecake pops are so yummy looking! I just joined daring bakers and ill be starting next month! yeay!
Tartelette
Love the caramel with the pops! You did a great job on this month challenge!
dobetter
Beautiful! I love the drizzle of caramel. Nice job.