For those of you who don’t already know, I’m currently in Thailand (Chiang Mai) and unfortunately, my trip is shortly coming to an end (waaaaaaah!  Nooooooooo! *kicking & screaming*).  This is the last guest post that I’ve arranged for y’all to enjoy.  I met Connie of Urban Bakes through Instagram (isn’t it amazing how the world works?).  She commented on this photo of pupcakes I had made for Abby’s puppy shower and posted onto Instagram:

which led to a long conversation about dogs since Connie works at a veterinary hospital.  I got some great advice from her and that kickstarted our friendship.  Connie is a beautiful, awesome, hilarious woman and an incredible baker & blogger.  I’m constantly in awe over the things she makes.  You need to go over to her blog and feast your eyes on her beautiful peppermint mocha torte (swoon) and the adorable spiced cake with dulce de leche frosting topped with the cutest caramel acorns.  I could never make anything as perfect as Connie’s cakes!

Even though Connie is also living out of boxes at the moment because she just moved, she was still gracious enough to agree to guest post for me when I asked.  She made these incredible, dreamy, indulgent turtle cheesecake tartlets (girl, how did you know that Turtles are one of my favourite candies of all time?! This is another reason we’re friends), photographed it, blogged about it and sent me everything before I left for my trip even in the midst of her own personal chaos.  Thank you so much, girl!

Turtle Cheesecake Tartlets (Guest Post from Urban Bakes)

Hey there Gotta Get Baked fans! I’m Connie, the blogger behind URBAN BAKES and I’m excited to guest post for Nancy while she’s relaxing on vacation. A much needed one at that since she recently experienced one of the most stressful life events ever, moving! I feel her pain because I recently moved myself. But to put all that stress aside, I made a delectable dessert to indulge your eyes.

I hope you like chocolate, caramel, nuts and of course cheesecake because that’s exactly what you’re having today. And when you use pecans as the nut of choice, you can call it turtle. If you’ve ever wondered, “What the heck is turtle” trust me, I understand. I’ve heard this term used before for chocolate confections but never questioned why it was dubbed this name. According to Wiki, a salesman way before our time stated the chocolate-dipped-pecans he had looked like a turtle, only later to be trademarked the name by the chocolate company he worked for. Isn’t that something!
Despite this tidbit fact, I enjoyed this dessert and found it difficult to stick to just one tartlet. They’re so small and too cute I had to have another. And did I mention how obsessed I am about chocolate with nuts?! I try to avoid this combination throughout the year but for some reason I tend to have more of it around the winter months snuggled in my snuggie watching TV or… yea watching TV. I guess unconsciously I’m packing on my winter coat if you know what I mean only to later regret it during the spring season.

So if you’re not on a diet, I’d say this is definitely worth a shot at trying. The base is of my own buttermilk pie crust recipe (so simple) that I’m sure you’ll love. It’s topped with chocolate chips and a thin layer of cheesecake. Garnished with a chocolate-caramel drizzle, toasted chopped pecans and even more chocolate. In case you may not you may not have small tartlet pans, no need to fret; place and press a small 2 ½ to 2 ¾ inch round pie crust in a cupcake well and fill accordingly. This cheesecake does not rise upon baking so filling close to the edge of the pie crust is fine.

I hope you enjoy!

Turtle Cheesecake Tartlets

Prep time: 45 min | Cook time: 17 min | Total time: 1 hr 10 min | Quantity: 8

Ingredients

Buttermilk Crust

• 2 C + 2 T all-purpose flour
• 1 t salt
• 2/3 C cold shortening
• 5-7 T cold buttermilk

Filling

• 1 C semisweet chocolate chips, separated
• 4 oz (half of 8 oz package) cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 C packed brown sugar
• 4 T caramel topping, seperated
• 1 egg
• 1 t vegetable oil
• 1/3 C pecans, chopped

Directions

Crust

1. In medium bowl, whisk flour and salt. Using a pastry blender or long-tined fork cut in shortening until the mixture becomes crumbly about the size of small peas. Add buttermilk 1 tablespoon at a time and combine dough until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl.

2. Form pastry dough into a ball and flatten into a disk shape on a floured surface. Cover with cling wrap and cool in fridge for 30 minutes.

Filling

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Roll chilled dough onto floured surface enough to cover the bottom and to the rim of 8 tartlets pans. Place and press into pans. Reroll extra pastry scraped if necessary.

2. Place chocolate chips (1/2 cup total) evenly on bottom of each crust. Bake for 6 minutes. Using the back of a wooden spoon, immediately and gently press down any air pockets. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.

3. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, beat cream cheese, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons caramel topping and egg until well blended. Pour evenly over partially baked crust covering the chocolate chips. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until cheesecake is set.

4. Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks.

5. In small bowl, microwave on HIGH 1/2 cup chocolate chips and oil for 30 seconds, stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until melted, stir.

6. Drizzle melted chocolate over cooled tartlets. Sprinkle chopped pecans and drizzle with remaining caramel topping.

ENJOY!

I really really REALLY wish that I could enjoy this masterpiece because DAMN do these tartlets look good! Good is an understatement – I want to plant my face into every tartlet and immediately inhale them afterwards. Connie went above and beyond for me – thanks so much, girl!

Buttermilk crust recipe created by URBAN BAKES.
Tartlet Cheesecake Tartlets adapted from Betty Crocker’s (p. 234) The Big Book of Pies & Tarts.