New York Cheesecake Fudge
This recipe was inspired by the cream cheese half of my Red Velvet Fudge. Every time I make my red velvet fudge, I can’t help but think how much I really enjoy the cream cheese portion of the fudge. Sometimes, I will actually hunt for pieces that have a greater ratio of white swirls to red swirls. Then, a thought struck me – what if I made a full batch of just the cream cheese fudge?
I had recently come across Hershey’s Cream Cheese Baking Chips which I thought would result in more of a true cream cheese flavor rather than the white chocolate cream cheese flavor from the red velvet fudge, so I was pretty excited to give this little experiment a try. I was a little concerned that the fudge might be overwhelmingly one-note so I wanted to include something to help balance and round out the flavor while still letting the cream cheese shine. You know what other sweet treat does that really well? Cheesecake!
Using cheesecake as the flavor profile inspiration also gave me the opportunity to include a textural element in the fudge. A classic graham cracker crust, baked separately to crispy-crumbly perfection, and layered throughout, was exactly what this fudge needed. Every bite gives you a beautiful contrast of silky, smooth cheesecake fudge with buttery, crispy, crumbly crust. If you love fudge and you love cheesecake, this is definitely the treat for you.
Equipment
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 350° F, line a small, rimmed baking sheet with non stick foil.
- In a food processor, blend the graham crackers, sugar, cornstarch and salt until it is fine crumbs.9 (135 g) graham crackers, 6 tablespoon (75 g) sugar, 1/2 tablespoon (4 g) cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon (½ tsp) salt
- Add in the butter and pulse until fully combined and it holds its shape when pressed together.6 tablespoon (84 g) unsalted butter
- Turn the mixture out on the prepared baking sheet and press into an even layer about 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick – make sure the edges are the same thickness as the center.
- Place it in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and set aside to cool.
- Once cool, break or chop into small chunks.
- Line a 13”x9” pan with non-stick foil; set aside.
- In a large, heavy saucepan, combine sugar, marshmallows, butter, heavy cream and salt.4 ½ cup (864 g) sugar, 2 (248 g) sticks unsalted butter, 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream, 10 ounce (283 g) mini marshmallows, ¾ teaspoon (5 g) salt
- Attach a candy thermometer (or use a As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.Spatula Thermometer) and cook to 240° F, stirring frequently.
- Remove from the heat and immediately add the cream cheese baking chips, cream cheese, vanilla, cream cheese emulsion and cream of tartar.27 ounce (766 g) cream cheese baking chips, 4 ounce (113 g) cream cheese, 2 teaspoon (10 ml) vanilla, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) cream cheese emulsion, 1 teaspoon (1 tsp) cream of tartar
- Using an electric hand mixer, mix on high speed until smooth and creamy.
- Pour about 1/2 of the fudge into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the chunks of graham cracker crust over the fudge, reserving the finer crumbs for later use on the top of the fudge.
- Pour the remaining fudge over the graham cracker crust, quickly and carefully spread the fudge to completely cover the chunks of graham cracker crust.
- Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly over the top of the fudge, press lightly to ensure the crumbs adhere to the fudge.
- Drop pan from a few inches above counter a couple times to remove any air pockets that may still be around the chunks of crust.
- Allow the fudge to cool completely and set before cutting into squares. Place the pan in the refrigerator to accelerate the cooling/setting and to get cleaner cuts.
Notes
- The graham cracker crust can be made ahead. Once it is baked and broken into small chunks, store it in an air tight container until you’re ready to use it.
- Some or all of the cream cheese baking chips can be replaced by white chocolate chips. This will result in a less intense cream cheese/cheesecake flavor and may be better described as “White Chocolate Cheesecake” rather than “New York Cheesecake”.
Private Notes
Nutrition
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Does this need to be refrigerated?
No, it can be stored in an air tight container at room temperature. You can store it in the refrigerator if you prefer, I would recommend bringing it back to room temperature before eating for the best texture. It can also be frozen if you need to store it for longer.