Caramel Cheesecake Bars with Sea Salt

For the Crust

• 2 1/4 cups ground graham crackers (about 1 and a half sleeves of crackers)
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 10 Tbsp. melted butter

Cheesecake Filling

• 3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, room temp
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup dulce de leche
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Caramel Topping

• 2/3 cup dulce de leche
• 2-3 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream
• 2-3 Tbsp. caramel sauce (the good stuff in a jar, not that runny syrup junk)
• Sea salt 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a large rectangular pan with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Combine the crust ingredients in a medium bowl until the crust comes together, kind of like wet sand. Press crust evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake crust for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on a rack while you make the filling.

3. Beat cream cheese and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at time, beating each one until it's incorporated before adding the next one. Add dulce de leche and vanilla extract and beat until fully incorporated. Pour batter onto crust and spread even. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until center is just set and edges are puffy and slightly cracked and golden. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before topping with caramel.

4. Pour dulce de leche and whipping cream into a glass bowl or measuring cup. Microwave for 10 seconds at a time, stirring between each interval, until the whipping cream is well combined with the dulce de leche. Add caramel sauce and stir until well combined. The topping should be pourable, but not runny. 

5. When cheesecake bars are cooled, pour caramel topping all over the bars and spread evenly. Refrigerate for a few hours to allow caramel to set well. Cut into squares and *top with sea salt right before serving!