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Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

With my family, it's kinda assumed that I will be bringing dessert to the family gatherings. So, when we had Easter at Mama's house (with my brother & grandparents too), it was time again for me to find something yummy to make!

This recipe is one I found on Pinterest ages ago (really, Pinterest is quite addicting.... there are sooo many recipes to try on there!). It's definitely something to make when you are feeding multiple people.... this is RICH! Even I couldn't finish a small slice. (And I have quite the sweet tooth, clearly.) We had 6 adults and Gabriel there, and I don't think we even had 1/2 the cheesecake that day. 

It was definitely a hit, though! Everyone loved it, even if you can't eat much! I will most certainly make this again, for another gathering some time! (Next time, I might even leave out the Reese's, though. I don't really think they added much.) 

Gabriel had fun helping me make this! I think his favorite part about helping Mama in the kitchen is licking the beaters when we are done with the mixer, but he is getting to be a pretty good helper! (We are working on stirring things without spilling them out of the bowl, but that's ok. He just turned 2; we have plenty of time to practice!) 

As always, comments are love! 


Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake




Ingredients
  • 15.35 ounce package Oreo cookies
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 32 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 5 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups lightly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup heavy cream, divided
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 8 ounces Reese’s minis (Original called for 16 ounces: 8 to go in, and 8 to go on top after the topping. That seemed like way to much for me; I didn't add any on top.)
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 325°. In the bowl of a food processor, process the cookies until they are finely ground crumbs. Add the butter and pulse until moistened. (May have to do in 2 batches.) Press into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9” springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time; beating until smooth. Add in the sugar, peanut butter, 1/2 cup cream, and vanilla; beat until combined. Be careful not to overbeat. Stir in the Reese’s.
  3. Pour the batter into the cooled crust. Bake for about 1 hour, or until set and the top looks slightly dry. Cool the cheesecake completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours. Release the cheesecake from the pan onto a cake stand or serving plate.
  4. Place the chocolate chips in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat 1/2 cup cream just until simmering. Pour over the chocolate chips. Let sit for 3 minutes, then stir until the mixture is melted and smooth. Pour over the cheesecake, allowing to drip down the sides. Serve or cover and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Yield/Time
16 to 20 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 5 hours 35 minutes

Nutrition Facts
Very, very bad for you.



Friday, April 25, 2014

Chocolate Chip Sprinkle Cookies

I meant to post this ages, but apparently I forgot.... oops!

We had Easter with my extended family a few weeks ago, and I always bring a dessert (or two). I wanted to bring the Cherry Kuchen Bars, but I couldn't decide what else to make... then I remembered this! I found this recipe on Pinterest and wanted to try it when I could share them with a lot of people, so a family gathering was the perfect time! (Besides, who doesn't like sprinkles??)

They turned out amazing. They are definitely pretty sugary, but so worth having a few! (I think the kids really liked them, too!) My only complaints are that 1) the sprinkles don't stick well without a bit of extra effort, and 2) they get pretty hard after a few days. I am considering adding a little extra Crisco/egg next time, and see if that helps. However, if you don't expect them to last more than a day or two, the only problem is getting the sprinkles to stick. That just takes some extra work when you are rolling them.

I will definitely be making these again!

Remember, comments are love! Let me know if you try them!


Chocolate Chip Sprinkle Cookies
Ingredients
  • 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco
  • 3/4 cup Sugar
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup milk chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup sprinkles
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the Crisco and both sugars. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.
  4. With the mixer on low, add in one egg at a time. Mix well after each egg, then add vanilla. Gradually add in the flour mixture until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips by hand.
  5. Form small amount of dough into a ball, rolling into a bowl of sprinkles. Scoop rounded two-tablespoons of the cookie dough and roll them in a bowl of sprinkles until coated. (May have to press the sprinkles in slightly.)
  6. Place 2” apart on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper, and bake for 8-10 minutes.
  7. Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the pan, then transfer to a wire rack.
Yield/Time
3 dozen cookies
1 hour

Nutrition Facts
140 calories/cookie

Source (for original): Simply Scratch

Friday, April 11, 2014

Whole Wheat Honey Cinnamon Muffins

Nate is a huge fan of honey, and whole wheat, so when I saw this recipe on one of the blogs I follow, I had to try it! 

This is one of those recipes that I saw, and just decided to make right then-which is great, because it's something where I have all the ingredients on hand! (Well, except for the whole wheat flour.... I apparently did not have a full bag in the back of the pantry, like I thought. I had 1/2 cup, and that was it. So, I subbed regular flour.) I love finding recipes like this... and Nate does, too!

As usual, Gabriel helped me to make these, too! I love having a little helper in the kitchen! He'll be 2 in a couple weeks, and as soon as he sees me cooking, he comes out and tells me to get his stool out so he can help! What a sweet little boy. :)

Overall, this was a big hit with my boys! (I liked them too, but Gabriel & Nate really liked them!)

(I did adapt this recipe quite a bit. If you follow the link to the original, you'll see that it calls for 2 cups of her quick mix. Well, I didn't want to make a full batch of the mix, so I just cut it into 1/5, which made about 2 1/2 to 3 cups. I adjusted the rest of the recipe accordingly.)


Whole Wheat Honey Cinnamon Muffins

Ingredients
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour
  • 5 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2/3 cup honey
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1 egg
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Thoroughly cut in Crisco until mixture resembles fine crumbs.
  3. Add in cinnamon, honey, milk, and egg; mix all ingredients until just combined.  (Do not over-stir.)  Scoop batter into 12 paper lined muffin cups.  Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until muffins are golden brown.
Yield/Time
12 muffins
45 minutes


Source (for original): Heavenly Homemakers