Posted by Melanie G.
**I made this for Brian's birthday - it was a hit and I can't wait to request him to make it for my birthday!**
1 crumb-crust recipe (recipe below)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
8 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Make crumb crust as directed in separate recipe, using chocolate wafer cookies or chocolate teddy grahams (which is what I used) instead of graham crackers.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Cook sugar in a dry heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring slowly with a fork, until melted and pale golden. This step takes a lot longer than I thought - a good 10-15 minutes on my stovetop. After the sugar turns pale golden, cook without stirring, swirling pan, until deep golden. Remove from heat and carefully add heavy cream (mixture will vigorously steam and caramel will harden). Cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until caramel is dissolved. (I will admit I had a bit of trouble with this step - my caramel never fully dissolved again but I was also a little impatient and probably didn't wait long enough so I ended up removing the chunks of sugar that never dissolved and using the rest of the cream/caramel mixture in the cheesecake. The cheesecake still tasted phenomenal. Next time I'll try to have more patience in remelting the hardened caramel.) Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate until smooth. Stir in sour cream.
Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy, then beat in chocolate mixture on low speed. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated and scraping down bowl between additions.
Put springform pan with crust in a shallow baking pan. Pour filling into crust and bake in baking pan (to catch drips) in middle of oven 55 minutes (this took about 65 minutes in my oven), or until cake is set 3 inches from edge but center is still slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken. My cheesecake developed an enormous crack after baking so next time I will bake it in a water bath to eliminate cracking.
Run a knife around top edge of cake to loosen and cool completely in springform pan on a rack. (Cake will continue to set as it cools.) Chill cake, loosely covered, at least 6 hours. Remove side of pan and transfer cake to a plate. Bring to room temperature before serving (I actually found the cheesecake tasted better slightly cold). Makes 8 to 10 servings
Crumb Crust
3 cups (10 oz) finely ground cookies such as chocolate wafers or chocolate teddy grahams
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
Stir together crust ingredients and press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of a buttered 24-centimeter springform pan. Fill right away or chill up to 2 hours.
Recipe adapted from smittenkitchen.com
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Kicked Up Rice Krispy Treats
Posted by Melanie G.
3 tablespoons butter
1 (10-ounce) bag marshmallows
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups Rice Krispies cereal (or off-brand works fantastic, too)
1 cup dried cherries or cranberries (I used dried cranberries)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
Prepare pan by lining an 11X7-inch baking dish with foil, allowing excess foil to hang over pan edges. If you want the treats thinner, use a 9X13 - for thicker treats still, use an 8X8-inch pan. I found the 11X7 pan size to be perfect - not too thick and not too thin. Grease the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
Melt butter in a large pot over low heat. Add marshmallows, white chocolate chips, and salt and cook, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth, about 8 minutes. Stir in vanilla.
Off heat, stir in rice krispies and cherries or cranberries until incorporated. Scrape mixture into prepared pan and press into bottom and corners with a greased spatula (I just used my fingers since the marshmallows weren't overly hot at this point). Let cool completely, about 1 hour.
Melt semisweet chocolate chips in the microwave on low at 30 second intervals until smooth. Pour melted chocolate into a ziploc baggie, pressing chocolate into one corner of the bag. Using scissors, clip a tiny piece off the corner and drizzle chocolate over cooled treats. Allow chocolate to cool, about 45 minutes. Using foil overhang, lift treats from pan. Cut into squares. Serve.
Double Chocolate Caramel Turtle Treats
Prepare Crispy Chocolate Cherry Treats, substituting 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips for white chocolate chips. Omit the cherries or cranberries and stir in 15 soft caramel candies, quartered, and 1 cup chopped toasted pecans with the rice krispies.
Fluffer-Nutter Treats
Prepare Crispy Chocolate Cherry Treats, substituting 1/2 cup peanut butter chips for white chocolate chips, 1 cup dry-roasted peanuts for dried cherries or cranberries, and 1/2 cup peanut butter chips for semisweet chocolate chips.
3 tablespoons butter
1 (10-ounce) bag marshmallows
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 cups Rice Krispies cereal (or off-brand works fantastic, too)
1 cup dried cherries or cranberries (I used dried cranberries)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
Prepare pan by lining an 11X7-inch baking dish with foil, allowing excess foil to hang over pan edges. If you want the treats thinner, use a 9X13 - for thicker treats still, use an 8X8-inch pan. I found the 11X7 pan size to be perfect - not too thick and not too thin. Grease the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
Melt butter in a large pot over low heat. Add marshmallows, white chocolate chips, and salt and cook, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth, about 8 minutes. Stir in vanilla.
Off heat, stir in rice krispies and cherries or cranberries until incorporated. Scrape mixture into prepared pan and press into bottom and corners with a greased spatula (I just used my fingers since the marshmallows weren't overly hot at this point). Let cool completely, about 1 hour.
Melt semisweet chocolate chips in the microwave on low at 30 second intervals until smooth. Pour melted chocolate into a ziploc baggie, pressing chocolate into one corner of the bag. Using scissors, clip a tiny piece off the corner and drizzle chocolate over cooled treats. Allow chocolate to cool, about 45 minutes. Using foil overhang, lift treats from pan. Cut into squares. Serve.
Double Chocolate Caramel Turtle Treats
Prepare Crispy Chocolate Cherry Treats, substituting 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips for white chocolate chips. Omit the cherries or cranberries and stir in 15 soft caramel candies, quartered, and 1 cup chopped toasted pecans with the rice krispies.
Fluffer-Nutter Treats
Prepare Crispy Chocolate Cherry Treats, substituting 1/2 cup peanut butter chips for white chocolate chips, 1 cup dry-roasted peanuts for dried cherries or cranberries, and 1/2 cup peanut butter chips for semisweet chocolate chips.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Yummy Chocolate pudding
Heidi Harper
3/4 C sugar
1/3 C cocoa powder
2 T cornstarch
2 2/3 C milk
4 beaten egg yolks
1 T Butter or margarine
1 1/2 t vanilla
In a medium heavy saucepan combine sugar, cocoa powder, and cornstarch. Stir in milk. Cook and stir mixture over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove pan from heat. Gradually stir 1 cup of milk mixture into eggs yolks. Add egg mixture to milk mixture in pan. Bring milk mixture to a gentle boil; reduce heat and cook and stir for another 2 minutes.
Remove pan from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Pour pudding into a bowl. Cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap. (that helps keeps a skin from forming) Serve warm or cold. (do not stir while chilling) I like it best warm, but Tim likes it better cold. Either way, it's way yummy.
3/4 C sugar
1/3 C cocoa powder
2 T cornstarch
2 2/3 C milk
4 beaten egg yolks
1 T Butter or margarine
1 1/2 t vanilla
In a medium heavy saucepan combine sugar, cocoa powder, and cornstarch. Stir in milk. Cook and stir mixture over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for 2 minutes more. Remove pan from heat. Gradually stir 1 cup of milk mixture into eggs yolks. Add egg mixture to milk mixture in pan. Bring milk mixture to a gentle boil; reduce heat and cook and stir for another 2 minutes.
Remove pan from heat. Stir in butter and vanilla. Pour pudding into a bowl. Cover surface of pudding with plastic wrap. (that helps keeps a skin from forming) Serve warm or cold. (do not stir while chilling) I like it best warm, but Tim likes it better cold. Either way, it's way yummy.
Creme puffs Heidi Harper
1 C water
1/2 C butter
1/8 t salt
1 C all-purpose flour
4 eggs
3 C whipped cream, pudding or icecream
powdered sugar (optional)
In a sauce pan combine water, butter and salt. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once stirring vigorously. (it is important that you add the flour immediately after your mixture boils so that the liquid doesn't boil away.) Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Cool 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition.
Drop 12 heaping tablespoons of dough onto a grease baking sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. (if you want mini creme puffs, drop dough by rounded teaspoons and bake about 18 minutes. Transfer creme puffs to a wire rack and let cool.
Cut tops from puffs, remove soft dough from inside and fill with your desired filling. Sift powdered sugar on top.
Only fill what you think you will eat, cause they do get soggy.
1/2 C butter
1/8 t salt
1 C all-purpose flour
4 eggs
3 C whipped cream, pudding or icecream
powdered sugar (optional)
In a sauce pan combine water, butter and salt. Bring to boiling. Add flour all at once stirring vigorously. (it is important that you add the flour immediately after your mixture boils so that the liquid doesn't boil away.) Cook and stir until mixture forms a ball. Remove from heat. Cool 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wooden spoon after each addition.
Drop 12 heaping tablespoons of dough onto a grease baking sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. (if you want mini creme puffs, drop dough by rounded teaspoons and bake about 18 minutes. Transfer creme puffs to a wire rack and let cool.
Cut tops from puffs, remove soft dough from inside and fill with your desired filling. Sift powdered sugar on top.
Only fill what you think you will eat, cause they do get soggy.
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