Strawberries N Cream Bars

Strawberries and Cream Bars

(from lilluna.com)

Sugar Cookie Bottom Layer:

-1/3 cup shortening

- 1/3 cup butter

- 3/4 cup sugar

- 1 egg

- 1 tsp. vanilla

- 1/2 tsp. almond extract

- 1 tsp. baking powder

- 1/2 tsp. salt

- 1 1/2 cup flour

INGREDIENTS FOR CREAM LAYER:

- 1 8 oz. package (1 bar) of PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese (softened)

- 1 cup white chocolate chips

- 1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries

- 1/2 cup sugar

- 1/3 cup water

- 2 TB cornstarch

- Large tub of Cool Whip

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9×13 pan,

2. Cream together shortening, butter and sugar. Mix until fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and almond extract until well combined.

3. In a separate bowl, combine baking powder, salt and flour and mix well. Gradually add to creamed mixture until well blended. Spread into the bottom of your greased pan. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until edges or golden brown. Let cool.

4. Melt white chocolate chips in a bowl in the microwave by heating up in 30 second intervals. Mix with softened cream cheese until well blended. Spread over sugar cookie layer and refrigerate.

5. In a small pan, mix together sugar and cornstarch. Add chopped strawberries and water and heat on medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Once it is boiling, take off the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. Pour over cream cheese layer and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

6. Top with Cool Whip and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Totally perfect and delicious.  A great treat!

Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Cheesecake Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Chocolate chip cookie layer:

• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 1 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 T cider vinegar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Cheesecake layer:

• 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, at room temp
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, shortening, sugars, vanilla, salt and vinegar. Beat in the egg, then the baking soda and flour. Stir in the chocolate chips. Divide the dough into two equal portions and set aside.

2. In a medium mixing bowl cream the cream cheese with the sugar until thoroughly combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla. 

3. In a 9x13 pan, spread 1/2 of the cookie dough mixture evenly across the bottom. (This is somewhat tricky to do. I find it easier to add dollops of cookie dough throughout the pan and then spread all the dollops together. Spread the cream cheese mixture on the top of the cookie dough. With the remaining cookie dough, flatten chunks of dough between your hands into discs, and then place on top of the cream cheese mixture. (The dough discs don't have to touch, just place them near each other so they cover the surface as well as possible.) 

4. Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes, or until the top is brown and cooked through. Cool completely and store in the refrigerator.

(To make this in a sheet pan double the recipe and press into a 12x17" sheet pan. The cooking time is slightly shorter.)

Of course these are yummy!  And easy to make and very fun.  

Vanilla Mousse Cheesecake

Vanilla Mousse Cheesecake
(from kraft.com, picture as well)

40 Nilla Wafers, crushed (about 1-1/2 cups)  OR use your favorite pie crust- graham cracker or oreo

3 Tbsp.  butter or margarine, melted

4 pkg. (8 oz. each)  cream cheese, softened, divided

1 cup  sugar, divided

1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. vanilla, divided

3   eggs

1 tub (8 oz.) Whipped Topping, thawed

Heat oven to 325ºF.

Mix wafer crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

Beat 3 pkg. cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp. vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.

Bake 50 to 55 min. or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool completely in pan.

Beat remaining cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer in large bowl until well blended. Whisk in COOL WHIP; spread over cheesecake. Refrigerate 4 hours. Remove rim of pan before serving cheesecake

I halved the recipe for our family.  Quick, easy, and delicious!

Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

from (www.melskitchencafe.com)

*Note: this cheesecake, like any good, baked cheesecake, tastes best after being refrigerated overnight.

Crust:

4 tablespoons butter, melted

2 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (I like to use chocolate Teddy Grahams but you could use any chocolate wafer cookie or even Oreos)

Filling:

4 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sour cream (I used light and it worked just fine)

Cookie Dough:

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup sugar

½ cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoon water or milk

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup mini chocolate chips

An additional 1 cup mini chocolate chips to fold into the batter with the cookie dough balls

Garnish:

1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks (add 1 tablespoon powdered sugar while whipping if you like a bit of extra sweetness)

Mini chocolate chips, for sprinkling

For the cookie dough: In a medium bowl, combine the butter and sugars for the cookie dough. Add the water (or milk), vanilla and blend. Mix in the flour, salt and the chocolate chips. The dough will be fairly soft. Gently roll the dough into small balls (about a teaspoon size, maybe a bit larger) and place them on a wax paper lined plate or baking sheet. Place them in the freezer to harden while making the rest of the cheesecake. **don't worry about making these look pretty!**

For the crust: Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan. In a medium bowl, combine the butter with the chocolate cookie crumbs (you could easily use a food processor to crush the cookies and incorporate the butter). Press onto the bottom and about halfway up the sides of the prepared pan.

For the cheesecake: Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and flour until smooth. Add the vanilla and sour cream and mix just until blended. Be careful not to overmix - incorporating too much air into the batter can contribute to a cheesecake cracking on top during baking.

Pour half the batter into the prepared crust. Gently stir in the cookie dough balls and the additional 1 cup mini chocolate chips into the remaining batter. Pour into the pan, spreading the batter to the sides of the pan and evening it out across the top (it is ok to see bumps of cookie dough here and there, smooth it the best you can). Bake the cheesecake at 325 degrees for one hour. Turn off the oven and prop the door open several inches. Let the cake sit in the oven for an additional 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate until chilled (ideally, overnight). To serve, cut into slices and top with whipped cream and mini chocolate chips.

I halved this recipe and it worked really well!  This whole recipe makes a lot, but you can either freeze extra pieces or share them!  I recommend you cook it longer if you are making the whole batch.  Yes, the center should be jiggly when you turn off the oven, but it should only be slightly so, and not raw-looking at all.  It won't set if it's not cooked, and that is a bad thing!  I know because it happened to me, sadly...

Though this looks labor-intensive it really isn't too bad time-wise.  I put it together in about half an hour.

Cheesecake Brownies, easy

Cheesecake Brownies

(from Taste of Home magazine)

• 1 pkg. (13x9 pan size) fudge brownie mix
• 6 oz cream cheese (almost a full cube)
• 6 T. butter, softened
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 t. vanilla
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 can chocolate frosting

1. Prepare brownie mix batter according to package directions.  
2. Spread 2 cups into a greased 13x9 pan; set aside.  
3. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, flour, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.  
4. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined.  Spread evenly over brownie batter.
5.   Top with remaining brownie batter then cut through batter with a knife to swirl.  
6. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs (brownies may appear moist).  Cool completely and frost. 

I really can't say more about these- if you imagine these would taste good, then most likely you'll love them.  They didn't last long at our house!  I halved the recipe (my brownie mix was the smaller size) and put it into an 11x7 casserole dish and it made enough for us.  If you have a 13x9 and aren't sharing, then it's a lot of pressure to eat a lot more fast!  

A decadent cheesecake

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Yields 8 servings

(from cookingclassy.com)

Ingredients:

1 store-bought pre-made oreo crust (save the lid)

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

1/3 cup cold water

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries

12 oz. cream cheese (1 1/2 pkg.), softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 egg white

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 Tbsp lemon juice

6 oz. white chocolate, chopped or 1 cup white chocolate chips

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream (I skipped- just melted the chips alone)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small saucepan, whisk together 1 Tbsp granulated sugar and cornstarch until well blended. Stir in cold water and add raspberries. Cook over medium heat whisking often, until raspberries break down and sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and force sauce through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl to remove seeds, set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and granulated sugar until fluffy, about 1 minute. Mix in egg and egg white. Add vanilla and lemon juice. Set mixture aside.

Melt white chocolate with cream in a double boiler until melted and smooth, or melt in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave on 50% power in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval until melted and smooth. Add melted chocolate mixture to cream cheese mixture and blend until smooth.

Pour 2/3 cup cheesecake mixture into the oreo crust and spread evenly over bottom. Drizzle or spoon with 2 Tbsp raspberry sauce. Slowly ladle remaining cheesecake mixture over the drizzled raspberry sauce, covering all the raspberry sauce (you just don't want it to show through). Swirl cheesecake with a toothpick or knife (your just swirling that inside layer of sauce for now, be careful not to let the sauce show through). Carefully giggle the pan to even out the top. Now, fill a clean medicine syringe with raspberry sauce and begin to pipe small circles in a swirl pattern over cheesecake. Take a toothpick or sharp pointy knife and beginning with the center circle, run the toothpick through the center of each heart (don't lift the toothpick out until you finish the last circle).

Bake cheesecake for 40 minutes, then turn oven off and leave cheesecake in the oven for 5 more minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Cover with saved lid and refrigerate until fully set about 6 hours. Top slices with remaining raspberry sauce and optional sweetened whipped cream (for extra indulgence =).

Well, I love all kinds of cheesecake but this is extraordinary! Seriously! I did the shortcut of using seedless raspberry jam instead of the frozen raspberries. It worked pretty well and was delicious, but I might want to try the real raspberries next time. The white chocolate adds to the taste in a very good way! A very impressive cheesecake, restaurant quality!  I doubled this and baked for about an hour.  Just the center should be slightly jiggly.  It will firm up.

Quick no-bake cheesecake

Fluffy Cheesecake

• 16 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature (I like Neufchatel)
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 8 oz. container whipped topping, thawed
• 1 t. vanilla
  
• 1 graham cracker pie crust (I like making one with Nilla Wafers)

1. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Gently fold in whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until set.
2. Cover with any toppings you desire or eat plain.

I don't know how I haven't posted this recipe yet, since this is one of my favorite desserts. I love cheesecake that is baked, but this no-bake cheesecake is rave-worthy as well.

Blueberry Cheesecake Squares

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake Squares
(from kraft.com)

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 cup plus 3 Tbsp. sugar, divided

3 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

4 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup sour cream

4 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Mix crumbs, 3 Tbsp. of the sugar and the butter. Press firmly onto bottom of foil-lined 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake 10 min.
2. Beat cream cheese, remaining 1 cup sugar and the vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust. Puree the blueberries in a blender or food processor. Gently drop spoonfuls of the pureed blueberries over batter; cut through batter several times with knife for marble effect.
3. Bake 45 min. or until center is almost set; cool. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.

I have made this recipe several times, and we love it. I usually half the ingredients and cook in a 11x7 pan.

PB Choc Brownies

Double Peanut Butter Cheesecake Swirled Brownies
(from bakingblond.wordpress.com)

• 3/4 cup butter, very soft (not melted but softer than room temp)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 T. vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, melted
• 1 oz. semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted (I just used 1/3 cup unsweetened choc chips for these 2 oz)
  
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Swirl

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
  1/2 cups creamy PB
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 5-6 Reese’s peanut butter cups (regular size) cut into 6-8 pieces each

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8×8″ square pan (mine was 8x11 and that worked well) with foil and lightly coat with PAM cooking spray.
2. In a microwave safe bowl melt the two baking chocolate squares in 30 second intervals stirring after each interval until smooth and melted after stirring. Do not scorch! Remove from microwave and allow to come to room temperature.
3. In a large mixing bowl, Beat together butter and sugar until combined. Beat in eggs one at a time until blended.
   
4. Add vanilla and melted chocolate. Mix to combine.
   
5. Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl and wisk together. Gradually stir dry ingredients into butter mixture. Do not overmix.
6. In separate mixing bowl, beat together cream cheese, peanut butter sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add egg and beat until just combined.
7. Spread about 2/3 of chocolate brownie batter into prepared pan. Evenly drop 1/2 of cheesecake batter in dollups over brownie batter. Run a knife through both mixtures to slightly swirl.
8. Dollop remaining brownie batter and cheesecake batter over swirled mixture. Run knife through the brownie and cheesecake dollops (not all the way through the already swirled layer) to create a swirled pattern.
9. Bake for 40-45 minutes**, or until center is set and a toothpick inserted in the center has a few crumbs stuck to it. Do not overbake or they will harden, if underbaked they will be too gooey. Every oven is different so watch and check these after about 35-40 minutes of baking to ensure propper doneness.
10. **After about 35-40 minutes of baking (with about 5-7 minutes of baking time left, you just need to eyeball it) gently place cut up Reese’s cups over top of almost fully baked brownies. Finish baking until a toothpick inserted in the center has a few crumbs stuck to it. The Reese’s PB cups will melt but hold their shape slightly. Cool completely on wire rack before cutting and serving.

These take a little extra time (not much, I promise) but they are so smooth and decadent, it's worth it. If you like pb and chocolate and have a special occasion to use this for (so you don't eat the whole pan) this is worth making!

Making cheesecake a great snack

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
(recipe from dozenflours.com, taken from cookbook)

Crust

• 1 & 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter a 9″-square baking pan (mine was round). Line pan with parchment paper (I used tinfoil), leaving enough to extend over the sides. Butter the parchment paper. Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter until crumbs are moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Press crust mixture into bottom of pan. Bake for 6 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool.

Cookie Dough

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Using an electric mixer, mix butter, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract at medium speed until smooth. Decrease mixer speed to low and add flour. Mix just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.

Filling

• 10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar just until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating just until blended. Pour batter into baked crust. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls over the top of the filling. Bake about 30-35 minutes, or until set. Transfer to wire rack.

For chocolate topping, melt 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave. (Tip: put the chocolate chips into a zipper bag and heat on 50% power for a few minutes. Cut the corner off the bag and squeeze the bag to make drizzling less messy). Use a teaspoon to drizzle chocolate over top of bars. Cool bars in pan completely, about an hour. Using the edges of the parchment paper, remove bars from pan. Cut into bars (clean the knife after each cut) and serve. Best in fridge for a couple of hours.

These really don't take that long, though it seems like they could. Prep time was about 30 minutes for everything, and then the 35 minutes in oven. These are so fun and good! The cookie dough isn't dough-ey, it is cooked, but it is soft and a good texture with the cheesecake filling. These make a lot if you cut them in little bars, and they are so fun to eat! Yummy!

Cold brownies

Cheesecake Brownies
(allrecipes.com)

• 1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup white sugar

1. Prepare the brownie mix as directed by manufacturer. Preheat oven to temperature indicated on box. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
2. Spread the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan (grease very well!). Using an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, egg and sugar until smooth. Dollop the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie batter. Swirl together using a knife or skewer.
3. Bake according to manufacturer's instructions (I had to bake an extra 10 or so minutes). Brownies will be done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in the pan, then cut into bars and serve.

I thought this was a wonderful way to use boxed brownies. I am not a fan of them, mostly because of the telltale taste. Truth is, it doesn't take much longer to make brownies from scratch and they taste tons better! That is why these brownies are fun- they combine the easiness of the box variety and by adding the cream-cheese mixture it makes a tasty, fancy brownie! It doesn't even taste box-ey any more. For summer, it's wonderful because you put them in the fridge and it is a cold treat. Tastes best the next day, like most cheesecake recipes!

Chocolate Cheesecake!

Chocolate Cheesecake Squares
(recipe from kraft.com)

• 24 Oreo cookies, crushed (about 2 cups)
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted
• 4 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 pkg. (8 squares/8 oz) Baker's Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted, slightly cooled (I use semi-sweet chocolate chips instead; 8 0z)
• 4 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Mix crumbs and butter; press firmly onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking pan. Bake 10 minutes.
2. Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add melted chocolate; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust.
3. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until center is almost set. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Cut into 32 squares to serve. Store leftover dessert squares in refrigerator.

These are perfection. Great flavor, great serving potential. Easy just using a cake pan rather than a springform. Oreo crust is heavenly. I usually half this recipe and put it in my 11x7 rectangle pan.

Not so Hard!

I finally did it, and without a water bath! I made the perfect cheesecake- creamy on the inside and outside, no cracks, and New York style! I have always liked making cheesecake because I have never done it perfectly. Thanks to this recipe, and other people's reviews on allrecipes.com, I created a masterpiece my family is still enjoying. A little goes a looooong way!



Cheesecake Supreme

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 3 T white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 5 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 5 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 3/4 cups white sugar
• 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 
  
• Mix the graham cracker crumbs, 3 T. sugar, and the melted butter together. Press mixture into the bottom of one 9 or 10 inch springform pan.
• In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, eggs and egg yolks; mix until smooth. Add the remaining 1 3/4 cups white sugar, the flour and the sour cream. Blend until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake at 200 degrees F (don't preheat) for 3 hours and 10 minutes, then turn oven off, leaving door ajar for an hour. Let cheesecake cool, then refrigerate a day before eating.

http://allrecipes.com