1poundcandy melts or chocolate disks(white, milk, dark chocolate- as desired)
Instructions
Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325°F. Lightly grease a 10-inch cake pan or a 9 or 10-inch square pan (don't use a springform pan.)
In a large bowl, with an electric mixer set at low speed, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour and salt until smooth. 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.
Pour the cheesecake batter into the cake pan and place in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 40 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 cold and very firm, use a 2-tablespoon scoop to scoop the cheesecake into balls and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 to 2 hours (overnight is best).
When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate coating. Place half of the chocolate wafers in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir. If the chocolate is not completely melted, microwave for 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.
Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. It's best to dip it all the way up to the stick. Hold the pop over the melted chocolate and shake off any excess. Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate wafers as needed.
Refrigerate (or freeze) pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.
Notes
We've actually kept these in the freezer for a few days with success. They still taste delicious.
Candy melts or chocolate disks can be found in baking supply or cake decorating stores and they're available in dark, milk, and white chocolate varieties, as well as a rainbow of colors. It doesn't need to be tempered and makes for easier dipping.
I would suggest that you dip into the chocolate deep enough to allow some of the chocolate attach to the stick. That will alleviate any potential problems of cheesecake falling off the stick when people are eating them.
To dress up the pops, you can roll them in crushed nuts, coarse sanding sugar, colorful jimmies, toffee bits, or mini chocolate chips, or drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate.
If you want a super quick and easy way to make cheesecake pops, buy an already made cheesecake at the store. Dump the whole cheesecake (crust and all) into a large mixing bowl, and use a hand mixer to mix it all up. Cover the bowl of mixed cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight. Then you can continue the recipe on step 5.