Raspberry Swirl Mini Cheesecakes

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you have a fun day filled with red, pink, hugs, kisses, and that you are surrounded by people that you love.

I love Valentine's Day just because it is a great excuse to make heart shaped sugar cookies. This is the holiday that I associate with decorating cookies and I have a bunch of hearts waiting to be frosted. (I used this sugar cookie recipe).

But, this post is really about these delicious little cheesecakes. I made these a few weeks ago for someone who needed a treat to take to a work function. These were perfect because I could make them the night before and they just get better with refrigeration.

This recipe is straightforward and very simple. The results are creamy, dreamy, and delicious.
The little raspberry swirl adds a tart & sweet little burst of flavor that is divine.
I made some in a mini muffin pan and those little treats were the perfect size. What could be better than a two-bite serving of cheesecake? You could even swirl your raspberry puree into a heart for that special someone. Have a great day!

Recipe for Raspberry Swirl Mini Cheesecakes

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

These are the perfect little treat. They combine a yummy graham cracker crust and a creamy pumpkin cheesecake filling. I found the recipe on Pinch My Salt and it was a real winner.
These were 1 of 4 mini treats I made for a recent fall dinner. Two of the desserts were pumpkin based and two were apple.
I have a mini cheesecake pan but couldn't find it, so I just used a normal muffin tin and baked these up in paper liners.

These mix up fast and the crust isn't prebaked. The crust is baked along with the filling and they are done in about 15-20 minutes.
Can you beat that? Cheesecake in such a short amount of time?

These are topped with cinnamon whipped cream.
You can't really feel guilty about a mini serving of delicious cheesecake.
These were just perfect.


Recipe for Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes
from Pinch My Salt

* I used a normal sized muffin tin instead of a mini cheesecake pan and increased the baking time by a few minutes

Key Lime Pie Gelato

When I was visiting my sister in DC, she was really excited about her new Ice Cream Maker that she gifted to her husband for Father's Day. She wanted me to show her how to make custard, so that she could make gelato. She also purchased a great book and picked this Key Lime Pie Gelato, as the first gelato to try.

Making the gelato base was the same as making an ice cream custard- the only difference being that there is more whole milk and less cream in this gelato base than a typical ice cream custard.
A slight difference, in my opinion.

We added more graham cracker crumbs then the recipe called for and made sure to freeze them ahead of time, so they would be completely frozen.

This was a really great frozen treat. It really tasted like key lime and everyone loved it.




recipe from the Ciao Bella Book of Gelato & Sorbetto

Plain Base
Makes enough for about 1 quart of gelato

INGREDIENTS
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar




PREPARATION
In a heavy-bottom saucepan, combine the milk and cream. Place over medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally so a skin doesn't form, until tiny bubbles start to form around the edges and the mixture reaches a temperature of 170 degrees F.

Meanwhile, in a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Gradually whisk in the sugar until it is well incorporated and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Temper the egg yolks by very slowly pouring in the hot milk mixture while whisking continuously. Return the custard to the saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and it reaches a temperature of 185 degrees F. Do not bring to a boil.

Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl and let cool to room temperature, stirring every 5 minutes or so. To cool the custard quickly, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water and placing the bowl with the custard in it; stir the custard until cooled. Once completely cooled, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.

When the custard has been completely chilled,
add:
3 Tbls key lime juice
2 tsp lime zest

Now churn in your ice cream machine, according to directions.

When custard is almost ready, add
3/4 cup crushed graham crackers, frozen.

Transfer to a container and freeze, until firm enough to scoop.

Spiced Pecans, S'mores Cookie Bars, Chocolate Gingerbread Bars, and Peppermint Brownies, oh & a Birthday Cake

I had so much fun this morning helping one of my best friends with her daughter's 8th birthday party. It was a tea party, very fancy. The cake I made was so cute. I had a great idea and it worked. Can't wait to get photos up of that cake.
I haven't yet, so these delicious treats will have to do.
The first thing here is Spiced Pecans. I made these a couple of weeks ago, along with the Holiday Biscotti as an idea for a Holiday Gift.
They were a big hit. They are coated in a sweet/spicy mixture. Mostly sweet, because of the cinnamon, sugar but also spicy because of the cayenne pepper and ground ginger.
Delicious. We couldn't stop munching on them. I am making a big double batch next week to send out with some cookies in the mail. Yum...
Next, is a treat that I made for one of the Thanksgiving Dinners we went to. I was asked to bring a kid-friendly treat and remembered some S'mores Cookies that I had seen awhile ago.
What is more kid friendly than something covered in marshmallows and chocolate?
I thought I would turn these cookies into bars and just made them in a 9x13-inch pan, instead of making individual cookies. I let the pan of cookies bake for about 23 minutes or so, and then I dumped on an entire bag of mini marshmallows and some chopped Hersheys milk chocolate.
Put them back under the broiler and let the marshmallows get really toasted.
These were very sweet (not like that is a surprise or something) and had to be eaten in small doses. They were good. The graham cracker crumbs in the cookie base made them taste like a real S'more.
Ooey and gooey, which is a great combination for kids, even if parents might not agree!
Next are Chocolate Gingerbread Bars. I threw these together for a potluck over Thanksgiving weekend. They came together really quickly and disappeared just as quickly. I think most people probably thought they were brownies, so they must have had a little surprise when they tasted the molasses/ginger. A great christmas treat.
Then we had some Peppermint Brownies. I saw this idea in a Holiday Baking magazine, but can't remember which one it was. My sister was visiting for Thanksgiving and we had a lot of fun with all these marshmallows.
We just made basic brownies and then covered them with marshmallows, chopped candy canes and drizzled melted milk chocolate over the top.
Gooey and delicious.
The last thing I wanted to share was a picture of the birthday cake my little girl got to share with her great grandpa. They share the same birthday, November 27th and we decided to celebrate with a sheet cake at our Thanksgiving Dinner. My mother-in-law requested the same cake that I made for her birthday back in July, so I just doubled it and tried out a new frosting recipe. The frosting recipe was really great to decorate with. It also had just a hint of cream cheese that was really delicious. I am definitely going to be using the frosting recipe in the future. You can find the frosting recipe at the bottom of this post. My sister helped me come up with the design for the cake. It was fun. The birthday girl and grandpa were very happy to share the cake and their birthdays with everyone.
Recipe for Spiced Pecans

Recipe for S'mores Cookies

Recipe for Chocolate Gingerbread Bars

Recipe for Vanilla Buttercream

Lemon Cheesecake Squares with Fresh Berries

This is another dessert, one of the 7, that I made for a church gathering a couple of weeks ago.
Since I was making so many desserts in one day, I was looking for recipes that were fairly quick, but still had the flavors and taste that people would want.
Everybody loves cheesecake and I remembered a section of recent issue of Bon Appetit that featured bar cookies. Perfect for this type of baking madness!
I got out my trusty 3-ring binder full of torn out recipes from magazines and was able to find the bar cookie recipes in no time.
These little cheesecake bars needed to set up in the fridge, so I threw them together the night before.
I didn't use the recipe for the crust because I had graham cracker crumbs instead of graham crackers, so I just winged it. (I don't keep graham crackers in the house ever. They are too good dipped in milk and I have absolutely no self control when it comes to graham crackers.They are an absolute no-no for me.)
These bars couldn't be simpler and they have great cheesecake taste with lemon flavor. They were very popular. I doubled the recipe and cut them into small squares, so they ended up serving quite a few people.
Perfect if you need a make-ahead dessert that will please a crowd!



Recipe for Lemon Cheesecake Squares with Fresh Berries

One Year Ago-Fall Pear Galette

Peanut-Butter Swirl Brownies, Key Lime Bars, and Mini Black-and-White Cookies

I was asked to make some goodies for a meeting and for some reason, everytime someone asks me to bake for them, I come up with 3 things that I want to make. I usually want to make something fruity, something chocolately, and then something else.

There are quite a few cookies and bars I have been wanting to make out of Martha Stewart's Cookies Cookbook. I really love how there is a picture of every single cookie in this cookbook at the front. It helped me decide which ones to choose. Pictures are really helpful to me when it comes to picking desserts.

All of these recipes came together really fast.

I had some key lime juice in the freezer and it just happened to be enough for these bars. I made the bars in a pie plate and ended up cutting them into triangles. I didn't have any key lime slices to use as a garnish, so I used strawberries.

The peanut butter brownies were fabulous! We really didn't get to try a normal serving size of any of these desserts, but we sampled small portions of each one. I think the brownies were the favorite with the taste-testers.

The mini black-and-whites were a soft, buttermilk cookie, with a delicious, lemony glaze. They were the perfect size to pop in your mouth.

Mini Black-and-White Cookies

Ingredients

Makes about 4 dozen

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon light corn syrup

2 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift flour, baking soda, and salt into a bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add granulated sugar; mix until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the buttermilk.

Roll tablespoons of dough into balls (or use a 1/2-ounce-capacity ice-cream scoop); place them 2 inches apart on lined sheets. Bake until bottoms turn golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks; let cool.

Whisk confectioners' sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until smooth. If necessary, add more water (icing should be a bit thicker than honey). Transfer half to a small bowl. Stir in cocoa; if necessary, thin with water. Spread white icing on half of each cookie's flat side, and cocoa icing on other half; let set 30 minutes

Key Lime Bars

Ingredients

makes about 16

1 cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs

2 1/2 tablespoons finely ground graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

3 large egg yolks

1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest

2/3 cup fresh Key lime juice , (about 23 Key limes total)

1 cup sweetened condensed milk, (14 ounces)

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 Key limes, thinly sliced into half-moons

Directions

Make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl. Press evenly onto bottom of an 8-inch square glass baking dish. Bake until dry and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.(Leave oven on.)

Make filling: Put egg yolks and lime zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on high speed until very thick, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to medium. Add condensed milk in a slow, steady stream, mixing constantly. Raise speed to high; mix until thick, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low. Add lime juice; mix until just combined.Spread filling evenly over crust using a spatula. Bake, rotating dish halfway through, until filling is just set, about 10minutes.

Let cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or overnight).

Cut into 2-by-2-inch bars. Put cream in the clean bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the clean whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Garnish bars with whipped cream and a slice of lime. Ungarnished bars can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days.

Peanut-Butter Swirl Brownies
To swirl brownies, work quickly so that batter and filling don't set, and place dollops of filling on the first layer of batter about one inch apart. Repeat with next layer of batter and remaining filling. Then, run a butter knife through the layers three times lengthwise and three times crosswise, being sure knife reaches the bottom of the pan. Store brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
Ingredients
Makes 9 large or 16 small squares.
FOR THE BATTER
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for pan
2 ounces good-quality unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
FOR THE FILLING
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a buttered 8-inch square baking pan with foil or parchment paper, allowing 2 inches to hang over sides. Butter lining (excluding overhang); set pan aside.
Make batter: Put butter and chocolates in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Let cool slightly.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl, and set aside.
Whisk granulated sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture; stir until well incorporated.
Make filling: Stir together butter, confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, salt, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth.
Pour one-third of batter into prepared pan, and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Place dollops of filling (about 1 tablespoon each) about 1 inch apart on top of batter. Drizzle remaining batter on top, and gently spread to fill pan. Place dollops of remaining filling on top.
With a butter knife, gently swirl filling into batter, running knife lengthwise and crosswise through layers. Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift out brownies; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares.

Coming Tomorrow- Quinoa Risotto with Hazelnuts

S'mores Lava Cakes

Who doesn't love S'mores? I can't think of anyone I know, that doesn't like the combination of chocolate, marshmallow and graham crackers. This little molten chocolate cake combines the flavors that you would find in a s'more and the results are delicious.
The great thing about a little molten cake like this, is- you can whip it up in a matter of minutes and it will be done shortly after that.
I actually mixed these little cakes up, while everyone was sitting at the dinner table, finishing their dinner. They are so fast.
I also made them in a muffin tin, because that way everyone got a little cake and I felt better about indulging in a small portion.
I found this recipe in the February issue of Everyday with Rachel Ray and I think it was intended to be a Valentine's Day dessert, but when you make the portions a little bit smaller, it can be shared with everyone.
The marshmallow sauce is made by combining marshmallow creme and a little bit of heavy cream and it was perfect with the cakes.
This little dessert left most everyone at the table asking for another mini-cake, but there were only enough for everyone to enjoy 1 serving.
If you like molten chocolate cake or chocolate at all- try this very simple, elegant dessert!
S'mores Lava Cakes
Silvana Nardone
From Every Day with Rachael Ray February 2009
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, plus more for greasing
1/4 cup sugar, plus more for coating
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 large eggs plus 2 large yolks, at room temperature
1 tablespoon flour
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2/3 cup marshmallow cream
1 graham cracker sheet (2 squares), finely chopped (I used graham cracker crumbs)

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Grease four 6-ounce custard cups (I used a muffin tin and used 9 cavities of the pan), then coat with sugar; place on a baking sheet. In a medium bowl, microwave the butter and chocolate at medium power for 2 minutes; stir until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks and sugar until foamy. Whisk in the chocolate mixture, then the flour. Fill the prepared custard cups two-thirds full with the batter. Bake until the edges are puffy, 13 to 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, microwave the heavy cream at high power for 30 seconds. Stir in the marshmallow cream until smooth.
4. Carefully invert the cakes onto plates and drizzle the marshmallow sauce on the side. Top with the graham cracker crumbs.

Coming Up Next- Craving Ellie in my Belly- Chicken with Mango BBQ Sauce

Raspberry Cream Sandwich Cookies and Graham PB Bon Bons

I haven't found out the results of the pizza contest yet, but I did get around to making that pot pie. Look for it on Sunday with some fab twists. Now for some treats!

Last week my husband asked me to bake some goodies for a team meeting at work. I had a couple of things I wanted to try, but then the day before he told me he wanted me to make a pony cake instead. You see, my daughter is turning 4 tomorrow and she is obsessed with horses. She wanted a horse cake, so I looked online to see if Wilton had a cute pony pan. They do. Only problem is that they haven't made it since 1986. Back when I used to play with My Little Pony. Luckily, I found one on E-bay and with a little help from my bro (Thanks Jake!), secured the pan. My husband told me I could practice and make his co-worker a b-day cake. It was a joke, of course. What 30+year old man actually wants a pink pony cake for his birthday? Everyone got a good laugh and my hand was hurting from piping all those stars. I get to do it again today!
I also made these delicious sandwich cookies from Martha Stewart. The cookies are great by themselves but even better with the Raspberry-White Chocolate Cream Filling. I used another vanilla bean (can I say expensive?) and then threw together some Peanut Butter Bon Bons. They may sound simple, but they are a crowd pleaser!

Raspberry Cream Sandwich Cookies from Martha Stewart Cookies
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 c. plus 2 tsp. sugar
1 lg. egg
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
6 oz. (1 cup) fresh raspberries
7 1/2 oz. best-quality white chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/3 c. heavy cream

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
Mix butter and 1 1/2 c. sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 min.
Add egg, extract and vanilla seeds; mix until smooth.
Reduce speed to low.
Gradually mix in flour mixture.
Scoop batter using a 1-inch ice cream scoop; space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake cookies 4 minutes.
Remove from oven; gently tap baking sheets on counter to flatten cookies.
Return to oven, switching positions of sheets; bake until cookies are just set, 4 to 6 minutes more.
Let cool on parchment paper on wire racks.
Puree raspberries and remaining 2 tsp. sugar in a food processor.
Pour mixture through a fine sieve into a small bowl, pressing to extract juice; discard seeds.
Set mixture aside.
Melt white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
Remove from heat; whisk in cream in a slow stream.
Whisk in reserved raspberry mixture.
Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Spread 1 heaping teaspoon raspberry cream on the undersides of half the cookies.
Sandwich with remaining cookies.
Cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container up to 2 days.

Graham and Peanut Butter Bon Bons 1 1/2 cups rice krispies
1 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup powdered sugar
12 oz white or dark chocolate candy coating (I used Bakers milk chocolate dipping chocolate)

In a large bowl, stir together cereal, peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, and sugar. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Shape crumb mixture into balls, using 1 level Tbls for each.
Melt candy coating or dipping chocolate and dip each ball in coating, letting the excess drip off. Place on wax or parchment paper. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes or until set. Store in an airtight container

Coming Tomorrow- Minestone and Easy Breadsticks!

Graham and Peanut Butter Bon Bons

Who doesn't love peanut butter and chocolate? I had exactly 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs left and found this recipe on the back of the box. It was a cinch to throw together and very good for a bite-size snack.


Graham and Peanut Butter Bon Bons
1 1/2 cups rice krispies

1 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup powdered sugar

12 oz white or dark chocolate candy coating (I used Bakers milk chocolate dipping chocolate)

In a large bowl, stir together cereal, peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, and sugar. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Shape crumb mixture into balls, using 1 level Tbls for each.

Melt candy coating or dipping chocolate and dip each ball in coating, letting the excess drip off. Place on wax or parchment paper. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes or until set. Store in an airtight container.