New York Style Cheesecake

Happy December!

Our bellies may still be lamenting the onslaught of food this past weekend, but planning for Christmas will soon be under way, if it’s not already! Actually, for it just being my husband and I (and baby!) eating a 15lb turkey, we demolished it in good time. Read, the only thing left of the turkey is some turkey broth I made from the bones.

What’s on your Christmas menu? Do you have traditional recipes or try new ones every year? A mix of both? One thing that’s not strictly traditional but I love for Christmas…is cheesecake. It just seems so rich and stately, special enough for my favorite holiday, yet not terribly difficult.

If you’re surprised by that last statement, good. This recipe’s point is to make a bakery-worthy cheesecake attainable in your own kitchen. Cheesecake shouldn’t be intimidating to make. Heed a few simple techniques and the rest is as easy as crushing graham crackers and mixing a few ingredients together.

Tips for making great cheesecake

The most difficult part, at least for me, is baking. Under bake, and it won’t set up. Over bake, and it’ll be a bit dry/crumbly, especially near the edges. It just feels wrong to turn off the oven when the cheesecake is still jiggly in the middle! But it’s supposed to be that way because it works. Trust!

My biggest piece of advice for you, don’t rush your cheesecake. While not difficult, it requires time. Shortcuts will jeopardize the final product. Your ingredients need time to come to room temperature, cheesecakes usually bake an hour or upwards, then there is the gradual cooling, and finally, the refrigeration. All essential for the best cheesecake, no cracks. Other things to remember when making cheesecakes:

• As mentioned above, it’s important for your ingredients to be room temperature before starting. This may mean pulling out your cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs, etc. first thing in the morning. If it’s particularly cold in your home, you may need to put them near a source of heat. If it’s a holiday baking day, I might put them near the oven that’s giving off heat. You can use a microwave to soften cream cheese, but not eggs. I don’t have a microwave so must stay on top of getting my ingredients out in a timely manner. It’s also possible to stick them in a bowl of warm water to speed up the process.

• Use full fat ingredients where possible. This is coming from a person who often cuts corners to lighten up dishes, using less sugar, milk instead of cream, and so on. But if you’re going to eat cheesecake, you might as well make it super creamy. I have often used the lower fat Neufchâtel instead of cream cheese in cheesecakes, but there IS a difference. Enough of one for once I am recommending you use the full fat. Take my word for it or try it yourself, but now you know!

• Use a bain-marie. I’ve made many a cheesecake in my shortish life, sometimes with and sometimes without a bain-marie. A bain-marie is simply a water bath that helps the cheesecake bake evenly thus producing a creamier end product and helps prevent cracks. You might be tempted to skip this step, as I have in the past, but I’ve come to the conclusion that it really does help. A water bath alone can’t save a cheesecake that wasn’t made correctly, but it is one of the keys to a perfect cheesecake.

• Don’t over mix! In fact, because cheesecake batter shouldn’t be beaten, it’s a good one to mix by hand.

Keeping these simple tips in mind you’re already on your merry way to a fantastic cheesecake.

We’ve all heard of it, but what exactly makes a New York Cheesecake, New York?

To simplify cheesecakes in the most general way possible, there are two kinds. Baked and unbaked. You’ll see unbaked cheesecakes pop up more in hot summer months, but I think most Americans will think of “classic” cheesecake as the baked version. Among the baked variety there are many more categories, I’ve heard of New York style, Chicago style, Pennsylvania-Dutch, Philadelphia, Swedish, Vegan, Roman, Japanese, Savory, among others. Some are made with cream cheese, farmer’s cheese, or ricotta, some are baked in springforms or squarepans. Of the baked variety, probably the most familiar by far is the New York style. And according to some, that’s the only kind that should matter.

In fact, as an American I’m so conditioned to think of cheesecake as the cream cheese based dessert, often in the guise of New York style, that when I try some of the other kinds that use different cheeses, such as ricotta or farmer’s cheese, I don’t like it as well. That’s preference, but for me there is nothing like the silky smooth texture of a cream cheese cheesecake. Here in Italy cheesecake is…weird. Often the cheesecake is more of a semi-freddo or uses ricotta and mascarpone and it’s just not the same. Maybe if it wasn’t called cheesecake I could go into it with more of an open mind. If you’re going to use ricotta, make cannoli!!

A typical cheesecake usually calls for a moderate amount of cream cheese and is  “lightened” with sour cream or heavy cream, whereas a New York style is heavy on the cream cheese, with less sour cream or heavy cream. NY style will usually call for 2lbs (32oz or four 8oz blocks; that’s roughly 900g) of cream cheese, has a graham cracker crust, and maybe just a touch of lemon juice or vanilla extract for flavor, nothing more. The density and richness of the cheesecake speaks for itself and needs no more extra fluff. The original recipe used at The Cheesecake Factory uses the iconic sour cream topping. The first time I ever made a cheesecake with a sour cream topping I thought that was the weirdest thing, but it’s so good. You can choose to make a sour cream topping, use a fruit topping, dust with powdered sugar, or just leave your cheesecake plain, as you can see I did in these photos. It might have looked more picture perfect with a topping but I honestly love how it looks with its golden and crackless top.

And that’s it. New York style cheesecake is just a richer, denser, no frills cheesecake. And when done well, as I hope you’ll agree with me this recipe does, it needs nothing else.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Butternut Bakery

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New York Style Cheesecake

Serves 12-16

Ingredients:

For the Graham Cracker Crust

• 12 sheets / 170g graham crackers

• 1/3 cup / 66g sugar

• 1/2 cup / 113g butter, melted

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, optional

• 1/8 tsp salt

For the Filling

• 32oz / 900g cream cheese, room temperature

• 1 1/2 cups / 300g sugar

• 3 Tbsp / 23g cornstarch

• 4 eggs + 1 egg yolk

• 2 tsp / 10g vanilla extract

• 2 tsp / 10g lemon juice

• 1 cup / 245g sour cream, room temperature

Directions:

Make the Graham Cracker Crust

Oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C. Lightly grease a 9in / 23cm springform pan. Line the sides by cutting two or three strips of parchment paper that are a little bit wider than the springform sides are tall, about 5in / 13cm, and wrap them around the inside of the springform. The parchment paper should rise up a little higher than the sides.

1. Finely crush graham crackers with a rolling pin or in a food processor. Add sugar, butter, cinnamon, and salt to the graham cracker crumbs in a large bowl or pulse in the processor until graham cracker crumbs are evenly moistened, like wet sand.

2. Press mixture evenly and firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan, reaching almost to the top.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes; remove and let cool.

Make the Filling

Reduce oven temperature to 305°F / 152°C. Place one oven rack in the middle and the second below it. Place a large baking dish on the bottom rack. Bring a quart or so of water to boil while you make the cheesecake filling.

1. In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, and cornstarch with a rubber spatula. The mixture should be smooth.

2. Add eggs and yolk one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

3. Add vanilla and lemon juice, mixing until smooth.

4. Add sour cream, mixing just until combined.

5. Pour filling over cooled crust, gently tap pan on counter to encourage any air bubbles to come up.

6. Place cheesecake in oven on the middle rack and pour the boiling water into the baking pan on the rack below. Bake for about 1 hour 40 minutes or until 1-2in / 2.5-5cm of the edges of the cheesecake are set and the center is still jiggly when lightly shaken.

7. Turn off the oven and crack the oven door, leaving the cheesecake inside for 1 hour.

8. Remove cheesecake from oven and let cool the rest of the way. Once cool, cover cheesecake and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

9. Remove sides of springform, top cheesecake if so desired, and serve!

Jenny’s Notes:

• When pressing the graham cracker mixture into the springform pay special attention that the corners don’t get too thick.

• It might seem unusual to mix a cheesecake by hand, but it’s the simplest and safest way to ensure you’re not incorporating excess air into the batter. You can use a stand mixer or hand held mixer, but only use the lowest speed. While it’s important for the cheesecake batter to be well combined and smooth, too much air that inevitably gets incorporated when over beaten can lead to the cheesecake cracking.

• Most often cheesecake recipes call to place the cheesecake IN the bain-marie, but this recipe has you place the cheesecake on the rack ABOVE the bain-marie, so they’re not touching. Why? It’s easier and it works! If you however wish to place the cheesecake in the water bath (if your oven only has one rack or any other reason) first wrap the outside of your springform in tinfoil to keep the water out.

NY style cheesecake, new york cheesecake, best cheesecake, cheesecake troubleshooting,

dessert, cheesecake

American

Yield: 12-16 Servings

Author: Jennyblogs

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New York Style Cheesecake

Classic New York Cheesecake is rich, dense, slightly tangy and oh so creamy.

Prep time: 45 MinCook time: 1 H & 40 Minactive time: 9 HourTotal time: 11 H & 25 M

Ingredients

For the Graham Cracker Crust

• 12 sheets / 170g graham crackers
• 1/3 cup / 66g sugar
• 1/2 cup / 113g butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, optional
• 1/8 tsp salt

For the Filling

• 32oz / 900g cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups / 300g sugar
• 3 Tbsp / 23g cornstarch
• 4 eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp / 10g vanilla extract
• 2 tsp / 10g lemon juice
• 1 cup / 245g sour cream, room temperature

Instructions

Make the Graham Cracker Crust

1. Oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C. Lightly grease a 9in / 23cm springform pan. Line the sides by cutting two or three strips of parchment paper that are a little bit wider than the springform sides are tall, about 5in / 13cm, and wrap them around the inside of the springform. The parchment paper should rise up a little higher than the sides.
2. Finely crush graham crackers with a rolling pin or in a food processor. Add sugar, butter, cinnamon, and salt to the graham cracker crumbs in a large bowl or pulse in the processor until graham cracker crumbs are evenly moistened, like wet sand.
3. Press mixture evenly and firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan, reaching almost to the top.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes; remove and let cool.

Make the Filling

1. Reduce oven temperature to 305°F / 152°C. Place one oven rack in the middle and the second below it. Place a large baking dish on the bottom rack. Bring a quart or so of water to boil while you make the cheesecake filling.
2. In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, and cornstarch with a rubber spatula. The mixture should be smooth.
3. Add eggs and yolk one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. Add vanilla and lemon juice, mixing until smooth.
5. Add sour cream, mixing just until combined.
6. Pour filling over cooled crust, gently tap pan on counter to encourage any air bubbles to come up.
7. Place cheesecake in oven on the middle rack and pour the boiling water into the baking pan on the rack below. Bake for about 1 hour 40 minutes or until 1-2in / 2.5-5cm of the edges of the cheesecake are set and the center is still jiggly when lightly shaken.
8. Turn off the oven and crack the oven door, leaving the cheesecake inside for 1 hour.
9. Remove cheesecake from oven and let cool the rest of the way. Once cool, cover cheesecake and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
10. Remove sides of springform, top cheesecake if so desired, and serve!

Notes:

• Room temperature ingredients are essential for making a cheesecake correctly!
• While I'm for lightening up recipes to make them healthier, cheesecake is one area I fully endorse using full-fat ingredients!
• When pressing the graham cracker mixture into the springform pay special attention that the corners don’t get too thick.
• It might seem unusual to mix a cheesecake by hand, but it’s the simplest and safest way to ensure you’re not incorporating excess air into the batter. You can use a stand mixer or hand held mixer, but only use the lowest speed. While it’s important for the cheesecake batter to be well combined and smooth, too much air that inevitably gets incorporated when over beaten can lead to the cheesecake cracking.
• Most often cheesecake recipes call to place the cheesecake IN the bain-marie, but this recipe has you place the cheesecake on the rack ABOVE the bain-marie, so they’re not touching. Why? It’s easier and it works! If you however wish to place the cheesecake in the water bath (if your oven only has one rack or any other reason) first wrap the outside of your springform in tinfoil to keep the water out.

Calories

591.48

Fat (grams)

40.97

Sat. Fat (grams)

22.97

Carbs (grams)

49.39

Fiber (grams)

0.59

Net carbs

48.80

Sugar (grams)

37.88

Protein (grams)

8.53

Sodium (milligrams)

396.34

Cholesterol (grams)

185.41

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 12 servings.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2020/11/24/ny

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My Favorite Scones

Happy 2020!
Once again heading into the Christmas season I went MIA from the blog, there’s just too much to be done, eaten, seen, and experienced!

I closed out 2019 by getting to show my husband America for the first time ever, and more importantly, my hometown! It was a blast traveling home for Christmas, and busy. Every year it seems to get a little bit harder to say goodbye.

2020 started out completely uneventful, we were flying somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean and we don’t know when or where we were when the new year happened. It just did. I think 2020 is going to be a good year, though, if nothing else, it’s a great number, right?

I must confess, I was a bit nonplussed at the seeming coincidence of seeing photos of not one, not two, but several 20’s or Gatsby themed New Year’s parties. The movie came out several years ago, guys, why the big comeback? … It took seeing someone’s post on fb about entering the roaring 20’s again for it to click for me. I can’t help it, guys, I’m just not always the brightest bulb in the case.

However, our vision is 2020 and it is roaring and all those good things, so let’s get rolling. Rolling scones. I mean, these scones don’t have to be rolled, it just sounds like the band…;)

Now. This scone recipe is not just any recipe I am about to share with you, no no no. This is my favorite scone recipe, and I like/use several different scone recipes, so this is saying something.

Like these coconut scones, which are pretty darn delicious.
And these Orange Chocolate Chip Scones. YUM.

But. This scone recipe to beat all scone recipes (opinion) is so versatile, you can make just about any flavor you can think up! It’s also quite forgiving, which makes your scones turn out great every single time. Pictured are cranberry orange scones, but I will give you more flavor ideas and a launch pad to create your own flavors after the basic recipe!

I know, I know, calm down, this is all a lot to take in. The best scone recipe ever PLUS so many different flavors?? What is it, Christmas or something? No, but I decided to start the year off right with one of my favorites recipes (and I’m not even talking just in the scone category! Gasp.) and extending an olive branch for having ignored the inter webs for a bit longer than intended. (It was the eggnog, you guys!)

Ok, scones, let’s go!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from allrecipes

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My Favorite Scones

Makes 12 scones

Ingredients:

For the Scones

• 1 cup / 225g plain yogurt

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 4 cups / 480g all-purpose flour

• 1 cup / 200g sugar

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 3/4 cup / 169g oil

• 1 egg

• 1 cup flavorings, 1 tsp extract, 1 Tbsp zest, etc. (see below)

For the Glaze

• 1 cup / 120g powdered sugar

• 1-2 Tbsp / 15-30g milk

Directions:

Make the Scones

Oven 350°F / 177°C. Baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat.

1. In a small bowl, combine yogurt and baking soda; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

3. Add oil to flour mixture, mixing until coarse crumbs form.

4. Stir in egg, yogurt mixture, and any add-ins just until barely moistened.

5. Turn the dough out onto a generously floured surface. Knead briefly, about 4-8 turns, then press into an even 1-inch thick circle.

6. Cut the circle into 12 triangular shaped scones, and place on prepared baking sheet.

7. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the centers look set, the scones have cracked slightly, and/or the bottoms or a light golden brown.

Make the Glaze

1. Stir together powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp milk. Continue adding milk, a tsp at a time, until a thick but drizzleable glaze is achieved. Drizzle over cooled scones.

Scone Flavors:

Use one of these ideas (they’re all tried and true!) or create your own!

• Lemon Scones: 1 tsp lemon extract, 1 Tbsp lemon zest; use lemon juice to make the glaze. Use lemon yogurt if available.

• Orange Coconut Scones: 1 tsp orange extract, 1 Tbsp orange zest, optional 1/2 tsp coconut extract, 3/4 cup coconut; use orange juice to make the glaze. Use orange or coconut yogurt if available.

• Chocolate Chip Scones: 1 cup mini chocolate chips, 1 tsp vanilla extract. Make the simple glaze as in the basic recipe or melt more chocolate chips and drizzle over scones.

• Chestnut Chocolate Chip Scones: 1 cup mini chocolate chips, 1 tsp vanilla extract, replace 1/4 cup of the yogurt with 1/4 cup chestnut purée. Glaze as in basic recipe.

• Cherry Maple Scones: 1 cup dried cherries; use maple syrup to make the glaze.

• Strawberry Scones: 1/2 cup diced fresh strawberries; use strawberry yogurt. Use basic glaze, sprinkle with demarara sugar before baking, or spread strawberry jam over the top while the scones are still warm.

• Cranberry Orange Scones: 1 tsp orange extract, 1 Tbsp orange zest, 1 cup fresh (or frozen and thawed/drained) cranberries; use orange juice to make the glaze. Use orange yogurt if available.

• Gingerbread Scones: replace 1/4 cup of the oil with 1/4 cup molasses, add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp cloves; use basic glaze or make a cream cheese drizzle by beating 4oz softened cream cheese with 1/4 cup powdered sugar until smooth, then adding milk 1 Tbsp at a time until mixture is thin enough to be drizzled.

Jenny’s Notes

• In place of the plain yogurt you can also use sour cream or even mascarpone if you have leftovers from say, making tiramisu. You can also easily use Greek yogurt, or sweetened vanilla yogurt. If you use a sweetened yogurt, cut sugar in the recipe by 1/3 cup / 67g. You can also use a flavored yogurt to boost the scones flavor. For example, in the cranberry orange recipe above you could use orange yogurt.

• If you accidentally make your glaze too thick or too thin, it’s a super easy fix. For a too-thick glaze, keep adding more milk (or whichever liquid you are using) gradually until desired consistency is achieved. Likewise, for a too-thin glaze, keeping adding a bit more powdered sugar until thick enough.

Best scone recipe, Scone base, teatime

Breakfast, Brunch

British

Yield: 12

Author: Jennyblogs

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Jenny's Favorite Scones

If I had to make one scone recipe for the rest of my life this, would be it: the perfect base to add any fill-ins and flavorings you wish. Perfectly moist, a sweet glaze, and pairs perfectly with a good book and a cup of tea!

prep time: 25 Mcook time: 15 Mtotal time: 40 M

ingredients:

For the Scones

• 1 cup / 225g plain yogurt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 cups / 480g all-purpose flour
• 1 cup / 200g sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup / 169g oil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup flavorings, 1 tsp extract, 1 Tbsp zest, etc. (see below)

For the Glaze

• 1 cup / 120g powdered sugar
• 1-2 Tbsp / 15-30g milk

Scone Flavor Ideas

• Lemon Scones: 1 tsp lemon extract, 1 Tbsp lemon zest; use lemon juice to make the glaze. Use lemon yogurt if available.
• Orange Coconut Scones: 1 tsp orange extract, 1 Tbsp orange zest, optional 1/2 tsp coconut extract, 3/4 cup coconut; use orange juice to make the glaze. Use orange or coconut yogurt if available.
• Chocolate Chip Scones: 1 cup mini chocolate chips, 1 tsp vanilla extract. Make the simple glaze as in the basic recipe or melt more chocolate chips and drizzle over scones.
• Chestnut Chocolate Chip Scones: 1 cup mini chocolate chips, 1 tsp vanilla extract, replace 1/4 cup of the yogurt with 1/4 cup chestnut purée. Glaze as in basic recipe.
• Cherry Maple Scones: 1 cup dried cherries; use maple syrup to make the glaze.
• Strawberry Scones: 1/2 cup diced fresh strawberries; use strawberry yogurt. Use basic glaze, sprinkle with demarara sugar before baking, or spread strawberry jam over the top while the scones are still warm.
• Cranberry Orange Scones: 1 tsp orange extract, 1 Tbsp orange zest, 1 cup fresh (or frozen and thawed/drained) cranberries; use orange juice to make the glaze. Use orange yogurt if available.
• Gingerbread Scones: replace 1/4 cup of the oil with 1/4 cup molasses, add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp cloves; use basic glaze or make a cream cheese drizzle by beating 4oz softened cream cheese with 1/4 cup powdered sugar until smooth, then adding milk 1 Tbsp at a time until mixture is thin enough to be drizzled.

instructions:

How to cook Jenny's Favorite Scones

Make the Scones

1. Oven 350°F / 177°C. Baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat.
2. In a small bowl, combine yogurt and baking soda; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
4. Add oil to flour mixture, mixing until coarse crumbs form.
5. Stir in egg, yogurt mixture, and any add-ins just until barely moistened.
6. Turn the dough out onto a generously floured surface. Knead briefly, about 4-8 turns, then press into an even 1-inch thick circle.
7. Cut the circle into 12 triangular shaped scones, and place on prepared baking sheet.
8. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the centers look set, the scones have cracked slightly, and/or the bottoms or a light golden brown.

Make the Glaze

1. Stir together powdered sugar and 1 Tbsp milk. Continue adding milk, a tsp at a time, until a thick but drizzleable glaze is achieved. Drizzle over cooled scones.

NOTES:

In place of the plain yogurt you can also use sour cream or even mascarpone if you have leftovers from say, making tiramisu. You can also easily use Greek yogurt, or sweetened vanilla yogurt. If you use a sweetened yogurt, cut sugar in the recipe by 1/3 cup / 67g. You can also use a flavored yogurt to boost the scones flavor. For example, in the cranberry orange recipe above you could use orange yogurt. If you accidentally make your glaze too thick or too thin, it’s a super easy fix. For a too-thick glaze, keep adding more milk (or whichever liquid you are using) gradually until desired consistency is achieved. Likewise, for a too-thin glaze, keeping adding a bit more powdered sugar until thick enough.

Calories

397.79

Fat (grams)

15.22

Sat. Fat (grams)

1.33

Carbs (grams)

60.11

Fiber (grams)

1.47

Net carbs

58.64

Sugar (grams)

28.27

Protein (grams)

5.78

Sodium (milligrams)

401.65

Cholesterol (grams)

16.82

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 12 servings of cranberry orange scones.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2020/1/13/pwz6nfajwt5szb93vbho820msx5png

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Triple Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy something using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

After more than two years in Italy, I have finally made a cheesecake.

Proof that you don’t need a springform pan to bake a cheesecake

Cheesecakes are not hard to make, but the baking is important, probably the most important part, and has always been tricky for me. Cheesecakes are usually baked at a slightly lower temperature, usually around 325F, and just until the sides are set but the center is still jiggly. If the center sets, the cheesecake is over done, but if the center is too jiggly, then your cheesecake won’t set up in the fridge and you’ll end up with soup when you cut into it. You don’t want the cheesecake to crack, and some recipes will tell you to add a bain-marie (a hot water bath) to the oven to keep the atmosphere humid or to crack the oven door after you’ve turned it off so your cheesecake won’t cool down too quickly and yes, crack.

So when you live in Italy with strange ovens, you think twice before baking things when you can’t perfectly control the heat in your oven or where the heat is coming from. IF you’re able to tell the temperature of your oven at all. (I’m thinking of you, my oven two apartments ago. I DO NOT miss you!) Or if your oven is small and cooks things a lot quicker. Add on top of that the cream cheese here, “formaggio fresco” or literally translated fresh cheese, is…different. I’m not even sure what it is, it tastes similar to cream cheese in the States, but when you whip it it doesn’t become soupy like the American stuff, it becomes super creamy. Sometimes I think the American stuff is stickier too, maybe? The only brand here I’ve ever seen is Philadelphia, and it has had great success in Italy. But the cheesecakes I’ve eaten in restaurants or pastry shops? Always weird. They taste and look more like semi-freddo or a mousse. I therefore assumed when I made a cheesecake it would be weird like the other ones I’ve eaten here. So I never made one.

Along came Easter and I wanted to make a cheesecake. I didn’t even have a springform pan but found that pie dishes work pretty great as substitutes. And you know what? The cheesecake turned out delicious and not weird. And my husband and colleagues liked it so well I made the same one again and bought a springform pan. And if you know me, you know I rarely bake the same thing twice in a row. I’m always on to the next new recipe or at least something I haven’t made in a while. But this recipe asked to be made again. And so I did. And now you can make it, too, weird cream cheese or normal cream cheese!

Recipe adapted from omgchocolatedesserts

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Triple Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

Serves about 12

Ingredients:

For the Oreo Crust

Crushing Oreos the old-fashioned way…

• 24 Oreos

• 1/4 cup / 56g butter, melted

For the Filling

• 7.5 oz / 225g dark chocolate, broken into small chunks

• 24 oz (3 8 oz packages) / 675g cream cheese, room temperature

• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp / 125g granulated sugar

• 2 Tbsp / 14 g cocoa powder

• 3 eggs

For the Ganache Topping

• 3/4 cup / 175g heavy whipping cream

• 6 oz / 180g dark chocolate, broken into small chunks

Directions:

Oven 350F / 177C. Grease an 8in - 9in / 20cm - 24cm springform pan.

Make the Oreo Crust

1. Chop the Oreos finely, either in a food processor, by crushing with a rolling pin on a clean surface or cutting board, or by putting in a resealable plastic bag and crushing with a rolling pin or meat tenderizer.

2. If using a food processor, pulse in the melted butter until crumbs are evenly moistened. If crushing the Oreos by hand, transfer to a bowl and stir in the butter.

3. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared springform pan and bake for 8 minutes.

4. Remove from oven and let cool while you prepare the filling.

Make the Filling

Spreading cream cheese mixture over baked crust

1. In a double boiler or pan over low heat, melt the chocolate, stirring constantly. Remove from heat when there are still small chunks of chocolate, and continue to stir until completely melted. In this way the chocolate won’t overheat or burn. Let chocolate cool.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Changing to low speed, carefully beat in cocoa powder so that it doesn’t “poof” everywhere. Every so often stop beating and scrape down the sides of the bowl well.

3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until smooth.

4. Beat in melted and cooled chocolate.

5. Pour mixture over the crust, smoothing the top.

6. Bake for 45 - 60 minutes, or until center is still slightly wiggly and the top looks dry.

7. Turn the oven off and crack open the door for about 10 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven and place in fridge until completely cooled, 8 hours or overnight.

Make the Ganache Topping

1. In a small pan place heavy cream and chocolate over low heat. Stir constantly until the mixture is smooth and melted. Allow to cool slightly.

2. Remove cheesecake from fridge and pour ganache evenly over the top. Allow to set before running a dull knife around the edge of cheesecake and releasing from springform pan. Alternately, if you don’t need to transport the cheesecake anywhere, you can remove the ring of the springform first and then pour the ganache over, using a spoon to guide the ganache toward the edges and allowing some to dribble down the sides.

Jenny’s Notes:

• Not a dark chocolate fan? Try it out with milk chocolate or a mixture of milk and dark to create your preferred bitterness!

• If you don’t own a double boiler, you can make a makeshift one by placing a small pan with an inch or so of water in the bottom and bring to a simmer. Place the chocolate in a bowl big enough that it can sit on top of the pan without touching the water. Stir constantly and proceed as in the recipe. This might take a touch more effort than just melting the chocolate in a pan, but it’s safer if you’re not used to melting chocolate so as not to burn it.

• Powdered sugar can be substituted for the granulated, use 1 cup / 110g.

• For cleaner slicing, try running your knife under hot water for a few seconds between slices.

American

Yield: 12

Author: Jennyblogs

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Triple Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

Oreo crust, creamy dark chocolate cheesecake filling, and a decadent dark chocolate ganache.

prep time: 1 hourcook time: 1 H & 8 Mtotal time: 2 H & 8 M

ingredients:

For the Oreo Crust

• 24 Oreos
• 1/4 cup / 56g butter, melted

For the Filling

• 7.5 oz / 225g dark chocolate, broken into small chunks
• 24 oz (3 8 oz packages) / 675g cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp / 125g granulated sugar
• 2 Tbsp / 14 g cocoa powder
• 3 eggs

For the Ganache Topping

• 3/4 cup / 175g heavy whipping cream
• 6 oz / 180g dark chocolate, broken into small chunks

instructions:

How to cook Triple Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

Make the Oreo Crust

1. Preheat oven to 350F / 177C. Grease an 8in - 9in / 20cm - 24cm springform pan.
2. Chop the Oreos finely, either in a food processor, by crushing with a rolling pin on a clean surface or cutting board, or by putting in a resealable plastic bag and crushing with a rolling pin or meat tenderizer.
3. If using a food processor, pulse in the melted butter until crumbs are evenly moistened. If crushing the Oreos by hand, transfer to a bowl and stir in the butter.
4. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared springform pan and bake for 8 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and let cool while you prepare the filling.

Make the Filling

1. In a double boiler or pan over low heat, melt the chocolate, stirring constantly. Remove from heat when there are still small chunks of chocolate, and continue to stir until completely melted. In this way the chocolate won’t overheat or burn. Let chocolate cool.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl with a handheld mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Changing to low speed, carefully beat in cocoa powder so that it doesn’t “poof” everywhere. Every so often stop beating and scrape down the sides of the bowl well.
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until smooth.
4. Beat in melted and cooled chocolate.
5. Pour mixture over the crust, smoothing the top.
6. Bake for 45 - 60 minutes, or until center is still slightly wiggly and the top looks dry.
7. Turn the oven off and crack open the door for about 10 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven and place in fridge until completely cooled, 8 hours or overnight.

Make the Ganache Topping

1. In a small pan place heavy cream and chocolate over low heat. Stir constantly until the mixture is smooth and melted. Allow to cool slightly.
2. Remove cheesecake from fridge and pour ganache evenly over the top. Allow to set before running a dull knife around the edge of cheesecake and releasing from springform pan. Alternately, if you don’t need to transport the cheesecake anywhere, you can remove the ring of the springform first and then pour the ganache over, using a spoon to guide the ganache toward the edges and allowing some to dribble down the sides.

NOTES:

Not a dark chocolate fan? Try it out with milk chocolate or a mixture of milk and dark to create your preferred bitterness! If you don’t own a double boiler, you can make a makeshift one by placing a small pan with an inch or so of water in the bottom and bring to a simmer. Place the chocolate in a bowl big enough that it can sit on top of the pan without touching the water. Stir constantly and proceed as in the recipe. This might take a touch more effort than just melting the chocolate in a pan, but it’s safer if you’re not used to melting chocolate so as not to burn it. Powdered sugar can be substituted for the granulated, use 1 cup / 110g. For cleaner slicing, try running your knife under hot water for a few seconds between slices.

Calories

715.12

Fat (grams)

54.28

Sat. Fat (grams)

31.43

Carbs (grams)

52.73

Fiber (grams)

3.26

Net carbs

49.47

Sugar (grams)

39.29

Protein (grams)

7.29

Sodium (milligrams)

316.65

Cholesterol (grams)

118.98

Nutritional Information is Approximate.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2019/5/30/triple-dark-chocolate-cheesecake

Created using The Recipes Generator

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Mascarpone Peanut Butter Pie with Chocolate Ganache

Let me take a gander at what you're thinking, probably something like, "OH! PEANUT BUTTER PIE? I love peanut butter pie! So good! But I already have a recipe for peanut butter pie. Why do I need this recipe? Wait, don't YOU already have a recipe up on this blog for peanut butter pie??" Maybe? Well, you'd be right about one thing, this is not my first recipe up for a peanut butter pie.  But let me tell you, they each have their own merited place in your recipe box.  For example, the Peanut Butter Pie with Chocolate Whipped Cream has a shortbread crust, creamy peanut butter filling, topped with chocolate whipped cream.  Perfect for casual events, potlucks, birthdays, summer evenings, Sunday afternoons...but what happens if you need a peanut butter pie for a gala? The president is coming over?  You're presenting a peanut butter pie to the CEO of Godiva chocolate and want chocolate to be showcased more prominently?  Then you need a peanut butter pie with refinement, elegance, and classy chocolate utilized in more than one element of the pie.  How do you do this without compromising the stand-alone peanut butter filling of a peanut butter pie?  Why, you change out the shortbread crust for a chocolate crust, and top the pie with flowing chocolate ganache.  Elegance.  Refinement.  The chocolate ganache envelopes the peanut butter filling in a tender embrace...still with me?  Ok let's stop dreaming and comparing peanut butter pies and MAKE one!  

Not a fan of chocolate and peanut butter together? Neither is my mom.  That's ok, I still love you.  And because of that, why not head over to this Nutter Butter Pie instead? No chocolate there! 

This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from what megan's making.

---

Mascarpone Peanut Butter Pie with Chocolate Ganache

Serves 8-12

Ingredients:

For the Chocolate Crust

• 7.5 oz / 210g chocolate graham crackers, teddy grahams, or chocolate shortbread

• 2 oz / 55g (1/3 cup) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped, or mini chips

• 5 Tbsp / 65g butter, melted

For the Peanut Butter Filling

• 1 cup / 237g heavy whipping cream

• 8 oz / 227g mascarpone or cream cheese, room temperature

• 1 cup / 250g peanut butter

• 1/2 cup / 100g sugar

• 1 tsp / 5g vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Ganache

• 4 oz / 110g (2/3 cup) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped, or chips

• 1 Tbsp / 14g butter

• 1/2 cup / 118g heavy whipping cream

Directions:

Oven 325°F / 163°C.  Ungreased 9in / 23cm pie dish.  

Make the Chocolate Crust

1. In a food processor combine chocolate grahams, butter, and chocolate chips.  Pulse until the mixture is uniformly fine crumbs.  Or do it the "old fashioned" way and beat the crumbs to oblivion in a well sealed plastic bag with a rolling pin or other hard object, then mixing in the chocolate and butter in a bowl with a spoon. 

2. Press evenly into the bottom and sides of pie dish and bake for 8 minutes or until fragrant.  Set aside to cool completely.

Make the Peanut Butter Filling

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form.  Transfer to another bowl if using a stand mixer and set aside.

2. Again in the bowl of a stand mixer or a separate bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy.  

3. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture in three or four parts.  

4. Spoon the filling over the cooled crust and smooth the top.  Refrigerate to set.  

Make the Chocolate Ganache

1. Place the chocolate and butter in a small bowl.  Heat the cream in a small saucepan over low heat, just until simmering.  The moment you see bubbles remove from heat and pour over chocolate and butter.  Let sit for 1 minute to melt the chocolate, then whisk briskly until smooth and shiny.  

2. Pour over chilled pie.  If you don't desire chocolate running over the sides, you may have to wait a minute or two between pourings, or simply don't use all the ganache.  (The rest can be disposed of with a spoon and a mouth.  But I don't need to tell you that.)  

3. Chill for 3-4 hours or overnight until set.  

Jenny's Notes:

• If using a shallow pie dish you may have some leftover crust, and that's ok. Don't feel like you have to use all the crust mixture or you may have an impenetrable crust, especially in the corners.

• I frequently substitute whole milk or coconut milk for all or part of the cream in ganache, but usually not when it's a topper as it can separate a bit if you don't use all cream. However, one time when making this I only had 1/4 cup cream left for the topping and so added 1/4 cup whole milk, and it made for a beautiful ganache, even as the topper.

• Top with chocolate chips or chocolate shavings as desired!

peanut butter pie, PB pie, mascarpone peanut butter pie, chocolate ganache, cookie crust

Dessert, Pie

American

Yield: 8-12

Author: Jennyblogs

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Mascarpone Peanut Butter Pie with Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate cookie crust, whipped mascarpone peanut butter filling, and chocolate ganache to top.

Prep time: 1 hourCook time: 8 MTotal time: 1 H & 8 M

Ingredients:

For the Chocolate Crust

• 7.5 oz / 210g chocolate graham crackers, teddy grahams, or chocolate shortbread
• 2 oz / 55g (1/3 cup) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped, or mini chips
• 5 Tbsp / 65g butter, melted

For the Peanut Butter Filling

• 1 cup / 237g heavy whipping cream
• 8 oz / 227g mascarpone or cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup / 250g peanut butter
• 1/2 cup / 100g sugar
• 1 tsp / 5g vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Ganache

• 4 oz / 110g (2/3 cup) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped, or chips
• 1 Tbsp / 14g butter
• 1/2 cup / 118g heavy whipping cream

Instructions:

Make the Chocolate Crust

1. Oven 325°F / 163°C. Ungreased 9in / 23cm pie dish.
2. In a food processor combine chocolate grahams, butter, and chocolate chips. Pulse until the mixture is uniformly fine crumbs. Or do it the "old fashioned" way and beat the crumbs to oblivion in a well sealed plastic bag with a rolling pin or other hard object, then mixing in the chocolate and butter in a bowl with a spoon.
3. Press evenly into the bottom and sides of pie dish and bake for 8 minutes or until fragrant. Set aside to cool completely.

Make the Peanut Butter Filling

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl if using a stand mixer and set aside.
2. Again in the bowl of a stand mixer or a separate bowl with a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
3. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture in three or four parts.
4. Spoon the filling over the cooled crust and smooth the top. Refrigerate to set.

Make the Chocolate Ganache

1. Place the chocolate and butter in a small bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over low heat, just until simmering. The moment you see bubbles remove from heat and pour over chocolate and butter. Let sit for 1 minute to melt the chocolate, then whisk briskly until smooth and shiny.
2. Pour over chilled pie. If you don't desire chocolate running over the sides, you may have to wait a minute or two between pourings, or simply don't use all the ganache. (The rest can be disposed of with a spoon and a mouth. But I don't need to tell you that.)
3. Chill for 3-4 hours or overnight until set.

Notes:

If using a shallow pie dish you may have some leftover crust, and that's ok. Don't feel like you have to use all the crust mixture or you may have an impenetrable crust, especially in the corners. I frequently substitute whole milk or coconut milk for all or part of the cream in ganache, but usually not when it's a topper as it can separate a bit if you don't use all cream. However, one time when making this I only had 1/4 cup cream left for the topping and so added 1/4 cup whole milk, and it made for a beautiful ganache, even as the topper. Top with chocolate chips or chocolate shavings as desired!

Calories

791.91

Fat (grams)

62.46

Sat. Fat (grams)

30.79

Carbs (grams)

54.43

Fiber (grams)

3.89

Net carbs

50.53

Sugar (grams)

37.64

Protein (grams)

12.12

Sodium (milligrams)

502.22

Cholesterol (grams)

110.56

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 8 servings.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2018/3/15/peanut-butter-pie-with-chocolate-ganache

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jenevamorris on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

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---

Caramel Cream Pie

Fellow citizens of the webs, I've missed you!  It's been a dreadfully long time since I've posted a new recipe.  Not that I haven't been baking, oh no, but going home for Christmas, festivities, and general merry-making have kept me quite occupied.  It has been difficult to find the time to carve out a window of several hours not only to bake something blog-worthy, but photograph said something, upload photos, edit photos, write the nonsense that is what you are currently reading, type up the recipe, add finished photos, proof read, and post the now finished blog form. 

It's quite the process for something that is merely a hobby and even though I enjoy the blogging process, sometimes I don't feel that good at any of it.  Except the baking, that's the one thing I feel somewhat competent in.  And even then, there are definitely off days, off recipes, or off concentration.  And I think to myself, does the world need one more baking blog?  One that's, well, not fantastic?  (At least not yet, mwahaha.)  There are so many great ones out there.  But I think the blogs that inspire me the most, the ones that come across as fantastic, are the ones that are passionate about what they do.  Yes, they have picture-perfect photography, reliable recipes, and witty writing, (hey, look at all those alliterations!), but I don't think they all started that way.  How did they arrive there?  Passion, dedication, perseverance, and always looking for ways to improve, I think. 

The world has enough perceived perfection, what we need are those hungry to learn, with a little talent and a lot of humility, and who are then willing to share what they've learned.  I can only hope, in this tidbit of a clumsy blog, that you'd join me in this voyage of discovering and learning, average photography, and lots of good food.  Oh, and feedback and questions are always welcome, that’s what the comments are for below!

Here's to a bright and shiny new year! 

Now, back to that good food we were talking about...

This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Shugary Sweets

---

Caramel Cream Pie

Serves 8-12

Ingredients:

For the Crust

• 1 1/3 cup / 160g all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp / 2.5g salt

• 4 Tbsp / 56g butter, cold, cut into small pieces

• 4-6 Tbsp / 59 - 89g ice water

For the Caramel Cream filling and topping

• 1 14oz can / 380g dulche de leche, your favorite caramel, or 1/2 recipe of this Caramel Sauce

• 8 oz / 225g cream cheese, room temperature

• 2 1/2 cups / 605g heavy whipping cream

• 1/4 cup / 50g sugar

Directions:

Make the Crust

Oven 425°F / 220°C. Ungreased 8 - 9in / 20 - 23cm pie dish. 

1. In a medium bowl whisk together flour and salt.  Blend in cold butter using a pastry cutter, fork, or your hands.  You want the butter to end up in small pieces, like peas. 

2. Add the ice water, starting with 4 Tbsp / 59g, mixing as little as possible.  The dough should be able to hold together in a ball, without being too dry and shaggy or too wet.  Add more water if necessary, 1 tablespoon at a time.  

3. Place dough on a piece of plastic wrap, shape into a disc, and wrap tightly.  Place in the fridge for 1 - 48 hours.  

4. After the crust has rested, roll into a circle on a lightly floured surface or silpat.  Roll a few times with your rolling pin in one direction before turning the crust 45° (quarter turn) and continuing with a few more rolls.  Periodically check under the crust to make sure it isn’t sticking and sprinkling more flour if needed. Continue like this until your crust is nicely round and roughly 2in / 5cm larger than your pie dish.  

5. Carefully transfer crust to pie dish (this is easier if using a silpat), trim the excess overhang if necessary, and fold the ends under. Crimp as desired, or press with a fork.  Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork.  The crust can also be refrigerated at this point, if needed.  

6. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until crust is lightly golden-brown.  Cool completely.  

Make the Caramel Cream filling and topping

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup / 120g caramel.  Set aside.

2. In the clean bowl of a stand mixer, beat whipping cream and sugar until stiff peaks form.  Reserve 1/2 cup for the topping.  Fold the remaining whipped cream into cream cheese mixture, about a quarter at a time.  

3. Reserve 1-2 tablespoons of the remaining caramel for the topping.  Spread the rest into the bottom of the crust.  Spread cream cheese mixture over caramel.  

4. Top pie with reserved 1/2 cup whipped cream and caramel, using a spoon or piping desired.

Jenny's Notes:

• For the crust, you can also use a food processor, pulsing in the butter until it has the desired consistency.  Just be sure to remove the dough from the food processor and mix in the water with a fork or pastry cutter so you don't overwork the dough.  You want to work it as little as possible once you add the water. The liquid helps to awaken the gluten, and the more you work it and the gluten strands develop, the tougher your crust will be.  The minimum of 1 hour rest in the fridge allows what gluten inevitably developed to relax.  

• If you are having problems with a shrinking crust, try using a metal or ceramic pie dish and allowing the crust more time to rest before baking.  

• I have made this pie several times over the past year, and have always needed all 6 tablespoons of water, possibly because it was always during the dry winter.  If you live in a really dry climate, you might need up to 7.  Just be aware, an overly wet crust is more likely to glue itself to the pan during baking.   

caramel cream pie, butter crust, fresh whipped cream, dulche de leche

Dessert, Pie

American

Yield: 8-12 servings

Author: Jennyblogs

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Caramel Cream Pie

Flaky, buttery crust, whipped caramel filling, and fresh whipped cream with caramel drizzled on top.

Prep time: 1 hourCook time: 12 MTotal time: 1 H & 12 M

Ingredients:

For the Crust

• 1 1/3 cup / 160g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp / 2.5g salt
• 4 Tbsp / 56g butter, cold, cut into small pieces
• 4-6 Tbsp / 59 - 89g ice water

For the Caramel Cream filling and topping

• 1 14oz can / 380g dulche de leche, your favorite caramel, or 1/2 recipe of this Caramel Sauce
• 8 oz / 225g cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 1/2 cups / 605g heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup / 50g sugar

Instructions:

Make the Crust

1. Oven 425°F / 220°C. Ungreased 8 - 9in / 20 - 23cm pie dish.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together flour and salt. Blend in cold butter using a pastry cutter, fork, or your hands. You want the butter to end up in small pieces, like peas.
3. Add the ice water, starting with 4 Tbsp / 59g, mixing as little as possible. The dough should be able to hold together in a ball, without being too dry and shaggy or too wet. Add more water if necessary, 1 tablespoon at a time.
4. Place dough on a piece of plastic wrap, shape into a disc, and wrap tightly. Place in the fridge for 1 - 48 hours.
5. After the crust has rested, roll into a circle on a lightly floured surface or silpat. Roll a few times with your rolling pin in one direction before turning the crust 45° (quarter turn) and continuing with a few more rolls. Periodically check under the crust to make sure it isn’t sticking and sprinkling more flour if needed. Continue like this until your crust is nicely round and roughly 2in / 5cm larger than your pie dish.
6. Carefully transfer crust to pie dish (this is easier if using a silpat), trim the excess overhang if necessary, and fold the ends under. Crimp as desired, or press with a fork. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork. The crust can also be refrigerated at this point, if needed.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until crust is lightly golden-brown. Cool completely.

Make the Caramel Cream filling and topping

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup / 120g caramel. Set aside.
2. In the clean bowl of a stand mixer, beat whipping cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Reserve 1/2 cup for the topping. Fold the remaining whipped cream into cream cheese mixture, about a quarter at a time.
3. Reserve 1-2 tablespoons of the remaining caramel for the topping. Spread the rest into the bottom of the crust. Spread cream cheese mixture over caramel.
4. Top pie with reserved 1/2 cup whipped cream and caramel, using a spoon or piping desired.

Notes:

For the crust, you can also use a food processor, pulsing in the butter until it has the desired consistency. Just be sure to remove the dough from the food processor and mix in the water with a fork or pastry cutter so you don't overwork the dough. You want to work it as little as possible once you add the water. The liquid helps to awaken the gluten, and the more you work it and the gluten strands develop, the tougher your crust will be. The minimum of 1 hour rest in the fridge allows what gluten inevitably developed to relax. If you are having problems with a shrinking crust, try using a metal or ceramic pie dish and allowing the crust more time to rest before baking. I have made this pie several times over the past year, and have always needed all 6 tablespoons of water, possibly because it was always during the dry winter. If you live in a really dry climate, you might need up to 7. Just be aware, an overly wet crust is more likely to glue itself to the pan during baking.

Calories

652.74

Fat (grams)

42.84

Sat. Fat (grams)

26.73

Carbs (grams)

56.39

Fiber (grams)

0.54

Net carbs

55.85

Sugar (grams)

40.81

Protein (grams)

6.75

Sodium (milligrams)

437.41

Cholesterol (grams)

128.91

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 8 servings.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2018/1/2/caramel-cream-pie

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jenevamorris on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

Created using The Recipes Generator

And yet, for as many times as I've made this pie, I've yet to get a photo of it sliced. Oh well, there's butter, caramel, and whipped cream, what more do you need to know?

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Pinwheels 3 Ways: Avocado Veggie, Buffalo Chicken, and Thanksgiving

From top to bottom: Thanksgiving, Veggie, Buffalo Chicken

Or veggie rolls, veggie wraps, or veggie roll-ups, (but that just makes me think of fruit roll-ups, blech! No offense to my fruit roll-up loving friends.  Actually, every once in a blue moon I see a fruit roll up and think, hey, that sounds good right about now.  Then I walk on.  That's the end of the story.)  Or you could just call these tortilla/veggie/cream cheese concoctions for what they are; delicious.  That would be fine.  And the truth.  

They make for a great snack or appetizer, or lunch even if you forgot just how many pinwheels you popped in your mouth.  They're also very portable, quick, and simple to make, which make them ideal for parties, potlucks, lunch at the office, you name it.  

The formula is very easy to get the hang of, think tortillas, cream cheese, and condiments/spices!  The tortilla is your playground and the cream cheese is your best friend, so get creative!  Put all those flavor combinations you dreamt up while watching Food Network, The Great British Bake-Off, and Chef's Table to work in these tortillas.  Might be more manageable than that fried parmesan cheese bowl filled with pickled cabbage, grilled chicken, diced red peppers, fresh cilantro, lemon garlic aioli swiped across the plate and turmeric sprinkled over top.  But, hey, you could totally manage to put all that in a tortilla.  You might be on to something.  

To get you started, I give you three recipes: Fresh Veggie and Avocado, Buffalo Chicken, and Turkey Cranberry a.k.a. Thanksgiving.  

This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipes by Jenny

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Avocado Veggie Pinwheels

Makes about 24 pinwheels

Ingredients: 

Hmm, these photos could use improving upon…

• 4 8-inch or 6 6-inch flour tortillas

• 8 oz / 225g cream cheese, softened

• 1/3 cup shredded carrots, or about 1-2 small carrots

• 1/3 chopped spinach or broccoli

• 1 bunch green onions, chopped

• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

• 1/4 tsp dill weed

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 1/2 cup guacamole

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, carrots, spinach, green onions, garlic powder, dill weed, and salt and pepper.  

2. Distribute evenly over tortillas, spreading almost to the edges.  Spread a thick layer of guacamole over cream cheese mixture.  Roll up tightly.  

3. Trim edges and slice into approximately 1 inch slices.  Serve or chill until it's par-tay time.  

pinwheels, roll ups, veggie rolls, veggie wraps, avocado, buffalo chicken pinwheels, Thanksgiving pinwheels, vegetable wraps, cranberry sauce, appetizer, finger food, snack

American

Yield: 24

Author: Jennyblogs

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Avocado Veggie Pinwheels

Tortillas slathered with seasoned cream cheese, avocado, and veggies, rolled up and sliced.

Prep time: 25 MinTotal time: 25 Min

Ingredients:

• 4 8-inch or 6 6-inch flour tortillas
• 8 oz / 225g cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup shredded carrots, or about 1-2 small carrots
• 1/3 chopped spinach or broccoli
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp dill weed
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup guacamole

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, carrots, spinach, green onions, garlic powder, dill weed, and salt and pepper.
2. Distribute evenly over tortillas, spreading almost to edges. Spread a thick layer of guacamole over cream cheese mixture. Roll up tightly.
3. Trim ends and slice into approximately 1 inch slices. Serve or chill until it's par-tay time.

Notes:

All quantities are very approximate. You could double basically any ingredient you want to have more filling, less filling, more flavor, less flavor. The tortilla is your playground.

Calories

68.72

Fat (grams)

4.49

Sat. Fat (grams)

2.11

Carbs (grams)

5.73

Fiber (grams)

0.61

Net carbs

5.05

Sugar (grams)

0.50

Protein (grams)

1.52

Sodium (milligrams)

104.65

Cholesterol (grams)

9.47

Nutritional information is approximate, based on 1 pinwheel.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2017/8/12/veggie-pinwheels

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

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---

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels

Makes about 24 pinwheels

Ingredients:

• 4 8-inch or 6 6-inch flour tortillas

• 8 oz / 225g cream cheese, softened

• 1/3 cup / 80g Frank's hot sauce

• 1/2 cup cooked chopped or shredded chicken

• 1 bunch green onions, chopped

• 1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled, optional

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, hot sauce, chicken, green onion, and blue cheese.

2. Distribute evenly over tortillas, spreading almost to the edges.  Roll up tightly.  

3. Trim edges and slice into approximately 1 inch slices.  Serve or chill until it's par-tay time.   

pinwheel, veggie roll up, veggie wrap, buffalo chicken, blue cheese, buffalo chicken wrap, buffalo chicken pinwheel, canned chicken

snack, appetizer

American

Yield: 24

Author: Jennyblogs

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Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels

Tortillas slathered in Frank's hot sauce and cream cheese with chicken and green onions, rolled, and sliced for bite size hot wing pinwheels.

Prep time: 15 MinTotal time: 15 Min

Ingredients:

• 4 8-inch or 6 6-inch flour tortillas
• 8 oz / 225g cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup / 80g Frank's hot sauce
• 1/2 cup cooked chopped or shredded chicken
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled, optional

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, hot sauce, chicken, green onion, and blue cheese.
2. Distribute evenly over tortillas, spreading almost to the edges. Roll up tightly.
3. Trim edges and slice into approximately 1 inch slices. Serve or chill until it's par-tay time.

Notes:

All quantities are approximate. You could double basically any ingredient you want to have more filling, less filling, more flavor, less flavor. I often use canned chicken for the buffalo chicken. Pinwheels aren't exactly a showcase of your cooking/baking skills, anyway, so I like to keep things chop, chop. (Literally)

Calories

74.28

Fat (grams)

4.60

Sat. Fat (grams)

2.40

Carbs (grams)

5.20

Fiber (grams)

0.30

Net carbs

4.90

Sugar (grams)

0.42

Protein (grams)

3.02

Sodium (milligrams)

177.01

Cholesterol (grams)

14.74

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on one pinwheel; includes blue cheese.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2017/8/12/veggie-pinwheels

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Thanksgiving Pinwheels

Makes about 24 Pinwheels

Ingredients:

• 4 8-inch or 6 6-inch flour tortillas

• 8 oz / 225g cream cheese, softened

• 1/2 cup cranberry sauce

• 8 oz sliced deli turkey (or leftover Turkey, hey!)

• 1/3 cup chopped spinach, optional

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl mix together cream cheese, cranberry sauce, and spinach.  Distribute evenly over tortillas, spreading almost to the edges.  

2. Layer turkey slices over cream cheese mixture.  Roll up tightly.  

3. Trim edges and slice into approximately 1 inch slices.  Serve or chill until it's par-tay time.  

pinwheels, veggie roll ups, Thanksgiving, cream cheese, Thanksgiving pinwheel, Thanksgiving wrap, turkey, cranberry sauce, spinach

snack, appetizer

American

Yield: 24

Author: Jennyblogs

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Thanksgiving Pinwheels

Tortilla spread with cream cheese, cranberry sauce, and turkey, rolled and sliced for a nostalgic bite-sized taste of Thanksgiving.

Prep time: 15 MinTotal time: 15 Min

Ingredients:

• 4 8-inch or 6 6-inch flour tortillas
• 8 oz / 225g cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup cranberry sauce
• 8 oz sliced deli turkey (or leftover Turkey, hey!)
• 1/3 cup / 15g chopped spinach, optional

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl mix together cream cheese, cranberry sauce, and spinach. Distribute evenly over tortillas, spreading almost to the edges.
2. Layer turkey slices over cream cheese mixture. Roll up tightly.
3. Trim edges and slice into approximately 1 inch slices. Serve or chill until it's par-tay time.

Notes:

All quantities are approximate. You could double basically any ingredient you want to have more filling, less filling, more flavor, less flavor. Like I said, the tortilla is your playground. I like the spinach, it gives it a nice punch of color. It also makes the roll versatile for Christmas, beautiful red and green!

Calories

79.26

Fat (grams)

4.10

Sat. Fat (grams)

2.05

Carbs (grams)

8.14

Fiber (grams)

0.39

Net carbs

7.75

Sugar (grams)

2.56

Protein (grams)

2.63

Sodium (milligrams)

182.60

Cholesterol (grams)

14.67

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on one pinwheel; Includes spinach.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2017/8/12/veggie-pinwheels

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Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

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Jenny's Notes:

• All quantities are approximate.  You could double basically any ingredient you want to have more filling, less filling, more flavor, less flavor.  Like I said, the tortilla is your playground.  

• I like the spinach in the Thanksgiving roll, it gives it a nice punch of color.  It also makes the roll versatile for Christmas, beautiful red and green! 

• Speaking of the Thanksgiving roll, you could probably make a much more legitimate roll by using all Thanksgiving leftovers in a roll...gravy instead of cream cheese...nah that'd be gross.  

• I usually use canned chicken for the buffalo chicken.  Pinwheels aren't exactly a showcase of your cooking/baking skills, anyway, so I like to keep things chop, chop.  (Literally)   

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Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

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Cream Cheese Coffee Cake. Think a delicate crumb, super moist with swirls of cream cheese making the coffee cake even softer, and a sweet crumble on top.

Coffee cakes (and scones) often get a bad rap for being dry. No one likes to eat something that makes their mouth feel like it’s full of sawdust. There is no need to make dry baked goods when there are so many good recipes out there! A good example? This Cream Cheese Coffee Cake recipe. I already have a few favorite NOT dry recipes like this Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake, but today’s Cream Cheese Coffee Cake really uh, takes the cake on the moist scale. I apologize if you don’t like the word “moist”, but I struggle finding suitable synonyms that get the same point across. If you have any ideas, I’m open to suggestions so I don’t offend some people’s sensibilities. :)

Now, post Valentine's Day, or Galentine's Day, you may need to take a break from chocolate.  No wait, never mind, that's silly.  Chocolate is always necessary.  What was I thinking?  But I'm sure you already have plenty of chocolate on your hands (maybe literally, put that candy bar down and get busy making this coffee cake) in the form of heart boxes, Dove dark chocolate with those hidden messages, Hershey's kisses, or in my case, Toblerone.  So instead, let's make a very white dessert (or breakfast, hey) with a delicate crumb and cheesecake filling.  Yes? Yes.

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Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Serves 12-16

Ingredients:

For the Filling

• 8 oz / 225g cream cheese, softened

• 1/4 cup / 50g sugar

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 egg

For the Cake

• 1 1/2 cups / 180g all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 3 Tbsp / 42g oil

• 1/2 cup / 100g sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 cup / 123g yogurt or sour cream

For the Streusel

• 1/4 cup / 50g sugar

• 1/4 cup / 30g all-purpose flour

• 3 Tbsp / 42g cold butter, cubed

Directions:

Oven 350°F / 177°C.  Greased 8x8in / 20x20cm square baking pan.

For the Filling

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat cream cheese until smooth, about 30 seconds. 

2. Add sugar, vanilla, egg and beat on medium-low speed until combined.  Pour into another bowl and set aside. 

For the Cake

1. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine oil and sugar.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Add vanilla. 

3. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and yogurt to the oil and sugar mixture.  Dry, yogurt, dry, yogurt, dry.  Mix only until just combined after each addition. 

For the Streusel

1. Combine sugar, flour, and butter in a small bowl with a pastry cutter, fork, or your hands until crumbles the size of pebbles appear.

Assembly

1. Spread half of the cake batter in the bottom of prepared pan. 

2. Pour and spread cream cheese filling evenly over batter; gently swirl.

3. Spread remaining half of cake batter over cream cheese filling. 

4. Evenly sprinkle streusel over the top.

5. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out mostly clean. 

Jenny's Notes:

• Love coffee cake or serving at a party?  You can double this recipe and bake in a 9x13 inch pan.  Increase baking time to about 40 minutes.

cream cheese, coffee cake, streusel, cream cheese filling, swirl, moist

Breakfast, Dessert

American

Yield: 12-16 Servings

Author: Jennyblogs

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Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

Super moist coffee cake with a thick cream cheese swirl and delicate streusel topping.

prep time: 45 Mcook time: 25 Mtotal time: 70 M

ingredients:

For the Filling

• 8 oz / 225g cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup / 50g sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg

For the Cake

• 1 1/2 cups / 180g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp / 42g oil
• 1/2 cup / 100g sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup / 123g yogurt or sour cream

For the Streusel

• 1/4 cup / 50g sugar
• 1/4 cup / 30g all-purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp / 42g cold butter, cubed

instructions:

How to cook Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

For the Filling

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat cream cheese until smooth, about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar, vanilla, egg and beat on medium-low speed until combined. Pour into another bowl and set aside.

For the Cake

1. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine oil and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla.
3. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and yogurt to the oil and sugar mixture. Dry, yogurt, dry, yogurt, dry. Mix only until just combined after each addition.

For the Streusel

1. Combine sugar, flour, and butter in a small bowl with a pastry cutter, fork, or your hands until crumbles the size of pebbles appear.

Assembly

1. Oven 350°F / 177°C. Greased 8x8in / 20x20cm square baking pan.
2. Spread half of the cake batter in the bottom of prepared pan.
3. Pour and spread cream cheese filling evenly over batter; gently swirl.
4. Spread remaining half of cake batter over cream cheese filling.
5. Evenly sprinkle streusel over the top.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted near the center comes out mostly clean.

NOTES:

Love coffee cake or serving at a party? You can double this recipe and bake in a 9x13 inch pan. Increase baking time to about 40 minutes.

Calories

269.85

Fat (grams)

13.92

Sat. Fat (grams)

6.21

Carbs (grams)

31.96

Fiber (grams)

0.47

Net carbs

31.48

Sugar (grams)

18.21

Protein (grams)

4.58

Sodium (milligrams)

270.60

Cholesterol (grams)

58.08

Nutritional information is approximate and based on 12 servings.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2017/2/16/cream-cheese-coffee-cake

Created using The Recipes Generator

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Caramel Toffee Cheesecake

Happy Thanksgiving!  I am thankful for so many things.  One of those things is cheesecake. 

Especially a caramel cheesecake with a layer of chocolate between the crust and cheesecake, toffee bits, whipped cream, and more caramel drizzled on top. Yep, especially that.

I love the graham cracker crust because it stays together so well! The secret is to use toffee bits in the crust. Toffee is sticky and while the crust is baking all the little pieces melt a bit, fusing the graham cracker crust together into a beautiful, slightly crunchy mass. No crumbling graham cracker crusts today! I mean, I even pressed the crust all the way up the sides of the pan and it stayed even after taking off the spring form pan. Success.

You know how they say actions speak louder than words?  Well, instead of talking about how much I love cheesecake and how great this crust is, I'm going to share the recipe with you...that's an action, right?  Then in turn you can make it, and then you acted on your thankfulness too.  This is such a great plan, let's go! 

This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy something using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Yammie’s Noshery

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Caramel Toffee Cheesecake

Serves about 16-20

Ingredients:

For the Toffee Crust

• 3 cups / 255g crushed graham crackers, about 2 packages or 18 sheets

• 1/2 cup / 85g toffee bits, plain or with chocolate (Heath Bits O Brickle)

• 1/2 cup / 100g brown sugar

• 1 cup / 226g butter, melted

• 6 oz / 170g bitter-sweet chocolate, chopped

For the Filling

• 3 8oz packages / 675g cream cheese, room temperature

• 1 cup / 245g sour cream

• 1 cup / 200g sugar

• 1 Tbsp / 15g vanilla extract

• 1/4 cup / 75g caramel sauce (To make homemade caramel, halve this recipe here)

• 4 eggs, lightly beaten

For the Topping

• 1 cup / 237g heavy whipping cream

• 2 Tbsp / 40g maple syrup or sugar

• 1/4 cup / 75g caramel sauce

• 1/4 cup / 43g toffee bits

Directions:

Oven 300°F / 149°C.  10in / 26cm spring-form pan lined with parchment paper, bottom and sides.

Make the Toffee Crust

1. Combine graham crackers, toffee, brown sugar, and butter.  Press firmly into the prepared spring-form pan, pressing all the way up the sides.  Sprinkle chopped chocolate evenly over bottom of crust. 

2. Bake for 5 minutes or until chocolate is melted.  Remove from oven and spread chocolate evenly with a spatula.  Place crust in freezer while you make the filling.

Make the Filling

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar on low-medium speed for a few minutes.  Add vanilla and caramel.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just combined. 

2. Pour over crust and bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until edges are set and center is still a bit jiggly when lightly shaken. 

3. Turn off oven and crack open the door, leaving cheesecake to set for another 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for a further 30 minutes.

4. Refrigerate until completely chilled, about 6 hours or overnight.

Make the Topping

1. When cheesecake is ready, beat whipping cream in the bowl of a stand mixer until soft peaks form.  Add maple syrup and beat until stiff peaks form. 

2. Pipe whipped cream onto cheesecake, or if you don't have piping bags or tips, simply spread it with a spatula. 

3. Warm caramel in a small saucepan and drizzle all over the cheesecake with a spoon or spatula.  Sprinkle with toffee and chill until ready to serve.

Jenny's Notes:

• Cheesecakes require a decent amount of beating, however, avoid beating on high speeds as you don't want to incorporate too much air into the batter. 

• You can also use an 8in / 20cm spring-form pan + a 6in / 15cm spring-form pan to make this recipe. Or, instead of the 6 incher just stick any extra crust in the bottom of a square baking dish, top with lefotver filling and you have cheesecake bars! I have done the second option before. :) The bars will bake for less time than a spring-form pan.

caramel, toffee crunch, Heath, Bits O Brickle, cheesecake, homemade caramel, chocolate, graham cracker crust

dessert

American

Yield: 16-20 servings

Author: Jennyblogs

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Caramel Toffee Cheesecake

Toffee graham gracker crust, a layer of dark chocolate, caramel cheesecake filling, and whipped cream, caramel, and more toffee bits on top.

prep time: 1 hourcook time: 1 H & 55 Mtotal time: 2 H & 55 M

ingredients:

For the Toffee Crust

• 3 cups / 255g crushed graham crackers, about 2 packages or 18 sheets
• 1/2 cup / 85g toffee bits, plain or with chocolate
• 1/2 cup / 100g brown sugar
• 1 cup / 226g butter, melted
• 6 oz / 170g bitter-sweet chocolate, chopped

For the Filling

• 3 8oz packages / 675g cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup / 245g sour cream
• 1 cup / 200g sugar
• 1 Tbsp / 15g vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup / 75g caramel sauce (To make homemade caramel, halve this recipe here)
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten

For the Topping

• 1 cup / 237g heavy whipping cream
• 2 Tbsp / 40g maple syrup or sugar
• 1/4 cup / 75g caramel sauce
• 1/4 cup / 43g toffee bits

instructions:

How to cook Caramel Toffee Cheesecake

1. Oven 300°F / 149°C. 10in / 26cm spring-form pan lined with parchment paper, bottom and sides.

Make the Toffee Crust

1. Combine graham crackers, toffee, brown sugar, and butter. Press firmly into the prepared spring-form pan, pressing all the way up the sides. Sprinkle chopped chocolate evenly over bottom of crust.
2. Bake for 5 minutes or until chocolate is melted. Remove from oven and spread chocolate evenly with a spatula. Place crust in freezer while you make the filling.

Make the Filling

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar on low-medium speed for a few minutes. Add vanilla and caramel. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until just combined.
2. Pour over crust and bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until edges are set and center is still a bit jiggly when lightly shaken.
3. Turn off oven and crack open the door, leaving cheesecake to set for another 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a further 30 minutes.
4. Refrigerate until completely chilled, about 6 hours or overnight.

Make the Topping

1. When cheesecake is ready, beat whipping cream in the bowl of a stand mixer until soft peaks form. Add maple syrup and beat until stiff peaks form.
2. Pipe whipped cream onto cheesecake, or if you don't have piping bags or tips, simply spread it with a spatula.
3. Warm caramel in a small saucepan and drizzle all over the cheesecake with a spoon or spatula. Sprinkle with toffee and chill until ready to serve.

NOTES:

Cheesecakes require a decent amount of beating, however, avoid beating on high speeds as you don't want to incorporate too much air into the batter. You can also use an 8in / 20cm spring-form pan + a 6in / 15cm spring-form pan to make this recipe. Or, instead of the 6 incher just stick any extra crust in the bottom of a square baking dish, top with lefotver filling and you have cheesecake bars! I have done the second option before. :) The bars will bake for less time than a spring-form pan.

Calories

619.24

Fat (grams)

42.95

Sat. Fat (grams)

25.01

Carbs (grams)

53.18

Fiber (grams)

0.90

Net carbs

52.27

Sugar (grams)

42.62

Protein (grams)

7.17

Sodium (milligrams)

376.36

Cholesterol (grams)

156.01

Nutritional information is approximate and based on 16 servings.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2016/11/24/235s5sno40u8k76ro7k5m6fq2466gw

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Peanut Butter Pie with Chocolate Whipped Cream

Shortbread crust.  A layer of creamy peanut butter filling.  Topped with a mountain of chocolate whipped cream.  And chocolate shavings.  Because, we're so fancy, you already know.  Did I mention No-Bake?

I first made this pie with a pretzel crust.  The salty sweetness really off-set the creamy full-bodied mouth feel of the layers well.  Yes, sometimes I describe dessert and food like wine.  It just works so well.  But if you ever catch me saying "I prefer the '98 vintage of this cheesecake" or something along that line, I might have taken it too far.  Ew, rancid cheesecake.  Anyway...

The next time I made this pie was in Italy.  Pretzels do exist here, but they have a very strange texture.  Think pretzels that went stale and chewy and then got so stale they got crispy again, almost. But still a little chewy.  And don't chop well in a food processor. It took over 8 minutes to get them partly broken up.  The crust was still good, but it looked more like a bird's nest of pretzel sticks than a uniform crust.  

Oh hey, Thanksgiving pie. And there is Lucia the poinsettia in the background. Good times, good times.

Regardless, all the Americans in Italy are so peanut butter deprived that everyone loved it.  In fact, two days later was Thanksgiving and it was requested of me to make and bring this pie to Thanksgiving dinner.  Not pecan pie.  Not pumpkin pie.  Peanut Butter Pie with Chocolate Whipped Cream.  With a delicious but slightly strange looking crust.  

When I made the pie this time, I used shortbread cookies with great success.  The Italian supermarkets have practically a whole aisle devoted to all their different kinds of shortbread cookies, called frollini.  A nice big 800g bag for 1.5-2.5 euros?  Hehe don't mind if I do.  Shortbread with cream, or chocolate and stars, buckwheat, almond, almond and chocolate, hazelnut, stuffed with apricot, stuffed with chocolate, coarse sugar-topped, made with egg, chocolate drops...the varieties go on. 

Someday I will share with you the pretzel crust, but when I have access again to pretzels that behave in a food processor and I can get some decent photos.  But until then, get your hands on some shortbread cookies.  You could make some homemade (classic shortbread consists of just 3 ingredients: flour, butter, sugar) or if you're in the States buy some Sandie's shortbread cookies or something similar. 

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from the Cooking Channel

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Peanut Butter Pie with Chocolate Whipped Cream

Makes 1 9in / 23cm pie - 8-12 servings

Ingredients:

For the Shortbread Crust

• about 15 / 150g shortbread cookies

• 4 Tbsp / 56g butter, melted

For the Peanut Butter Filling

• 1/2 cup / 119g heavy whipping cream

• 1/2 cup / 113g mascarpone or cream cheese, room temperature

• 1/3 cup / 87g creamy peanut butter

• 1/4 cup / 50g brown sugar

For the Chocolate Whipped Cream

• 3-4 oz / 100g good quality dark chocolate, chopped

• 2 cups / 474g heavy whipping cream

• Extra chocolate in bar form, for chocolate shavings, optional

Directions:

Make the Chocolate Whipped Cream First

1. Place chocolate and cream in a double boiler or a glass or metal bowl over a pan of simmering water.  The bottom of the bowl shouldn’t touch the water.

2. Gently stir until chocolate is mostly melted.  Remove from heat and continue stirring until chocolate has completely melted.  Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours. 

Make the Shortbread Crust

1. In a food processor, pulse cookies until they become crumbly.  Add butter and pulse until smooth and can be pressed into a crust.  Depending on the type of cookies you use, you may need to add a touch more melted butter to ensure the crust will stay together.  Press into a 9in / 23cm pie dish and refrigerate.

Make the Peanut Butter Filling

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form.  Transfer to another bowl. 

2. Again, in the bowl of the stand mixer beat mascarpone, peanut butter, and brown sugar together until smooth.  Gently fold in the whipped cream with a spatula.  Pour filling over crust and return to the refrigerator. 

Assembly

1. Once the chocolate cream is cooled, beat with a stand mixer or handheld mixer until stiff peaks form.  Remove pie from the refrigerator and spread or pipe chocolate whipped cream over the top. 

2. Use a vegetable peeler or knife to shave a chocolate bar over the pie for the finishing touch. 

Jenny's Notes:

• Try using Nutella or Biscoff spread instead of peanut butter.  YUM.

peanut butter pie, no bake pie, summer dessert, chocolate whipped cream, mascarpone, shortbread crust

dessert, pie

American

Yield: 8-12

Author: Jennyblogs

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Peanut Butter Pie with Chocolate Whipped Cream

No-bake pie with shortbread crust, mascarpone peanut butter filling, chocolate whipped cream and topped with chocolate shavings.

Prep time: 50 Mininactive time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 50 M

Ingredients:

For the Shortbread Crust

• about 15 shortbread cookies / 150g
• 4 Tbsp / 56g butter, melted

For the Peanut Butter Filling

• 1/2 cup / 119g heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup / 113g mascarpone or cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/3 cup / 87g creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup / 50g brown sugar

For the Chocolate Whipped Cream

• 3-4 oz / 100g good quality dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 cups / 474g heavy whipping cream
• Extra chocolate in bar form, for chocolate shavings, optional

Instructions:

Make the Chocolate Whipped Cream (first)

1. Place chocolate and cream in a double boiler or a glass or metal bowl over a pan of simmering water. The bottom of the bowl shouldn’t touch the water.
2. Gently stir until chocolate is mostly melted. Remove from heat and continue stirring until chocolate has completely melted. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Make the Shortbread Crust

1. In a food processor, pulse cookies until they become crumbly. Add butter and pulse until smooth and can be pressed into a crust. Depending on the type of cookies you use, you may need to add a touch more melted butter to ensure the crust will stay together. Press into a 9in / 23cm pie dish and refrigerate.

Make the Peanut Butter Filling

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Transfer to another bowl.
2. Again, in the bowl of the stand mixer beat mascarpone, peanut butter, and brown sugar together until smooth. Gently fold in the whipped cream with a spatula. Pour filling over crust and return to the refrigerator.

Assembly

1. Once the chocolate cream is cooled, beat with a stand mixer or handheld mixer until stiff peaks form. Remove pie from the refrigerator and spread or pipe chocolate whipped cream over the top.
2. Use a vegetable peeler or knife to shave a chocolate bar over the pie for the finishing touch.

Notes:

Try using Nutella or Biscoff spread instead of peanut butter. YUM.

Calories

636.86

Fat (grams)

54.27

Sat. Fat (grams)

29.83

Carbs (grams)

27.35

Fiber (grams)

1.81

Net carbs

25.54

Sugar (grams)

20.45

Protein (grams)

7.07

Sodium (milligrams)

259.95

Cholesterol (grams)

119.26

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on the pie cut into 8 servings; includes chocolate shavings.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2016/8/9/peanut-butter-pie-with-chocolate-whipped-cream

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

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Amaretto Mascarpone Coffee Cake

Guest Photography featuring Bailey Shoemaker

When my roommate Rachel moved back to the States at the at the end of June, it wasn't possible to take everything with her.  Some things got left behind, and I got to inherit them.  Dishes? Yay, I don't have to eat off my hands.  Laundry hamper?  Keeping all the dirty clothes in one place, I like it.  Coffee grinder?  Yahoo, fresh ground coffee in the morning!  And a of bottle Disaronno?? Oh, joy! What baking adventures lie before us, my sweet (literally), Italian made, amaretto flavored, almond liqueur? Maybe cupcakes, coffee cake, and cookies, oh my! 

Today, coffee cake.  With a layer of slightly sweet mascarpone in the middle to balance the sweetness of the Disaronno and oatmeal crumble on top. 

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Call Me PMc

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Amaretto Mascarpone Coffee Cake

Makes 1 8in / 20cm coffee cake, about 12 servings

Ingredients:

For the Cake

• 1 1/4 cups / 150g all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup / 100g sugar

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp baking powder

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup / 56g oil

• 1 whole egg + 1 egg white

• 1/4 cup / 60g amaretto

• 1/3 cup / 79g buttermilk or sour milk

For the Mascarpone Filling

• 8 oz / 225g mascarpone, room temperature

• 1/4 cup / 50g sugar

• 1 egg yolk

For the Oat Streusel

• 1 cup / 120g all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup / 150g sugar

• 1/2 cup / 45g oats

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup / 113g butter, room temperature

Directions:

Oven 325°F / 163°C.  Grease well either an 8in / 20cm spring-form pan or 8x8in / 20x20cm square pan. 

Make the cake

1. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Add oil and mix until crumbly.  Add eggs, milk, and amaretto and beat until smooth. 

2. Pour half of this batter into prepared pan.  Set remaining half aside while you make the mascarpone filling.

Make the Mascarpone Filling

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, beat mascarpone, sugar, and yolk just until creamy.  Pour over cake batter in pan and carefully spread to edges. 

2. Pour remaining cake batter over mascarpone filling and spread to edges. 

Make the Oat Streusel

1. In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, oats, and salt.  Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, fork, or clean hands.  Combine until coarse crumbs form.  Evenly crumble over the top of the cake batter in pan.

2. Bake cake for 25-30 minutes or until center is almost set but still has a slight jiggle to it.  Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving. 

Jenny's Notes:

• Don't have mascarpone on hand, but do have cream cheese?  They can usually be substituted for each other, and certainly in this case if you wish.  Mascarpone is a decadently creamy Italian cheese, a touch thicker than cream cheese, but it is the same price here as the cream cheese, if not cheaper.  Despite what you've probably heard most of your life, even sadly from chefs and cooks on TV, it is not pronounced mas-car-pone nor mars-cah-pone, but mas-car-pone-NAY.  Let that Italian fly free and pronounce the hard E at the end!

• You can get creative with what type of liqueur or liquor you use in this coffee cake!  Bailey's, rum, Kahlua, Triple Sec...

• I suggest serving (to the adults, of course!) with hot coffee with a splash of milk and amaretto...your very own caffè corretto!  Caffè corretto means "corrected coffee."  Because we all know, coffee without alcohol isn't correct...haha.

coffee cake, cream cheese coffee cake recipe, mascarpone coffee cake, amaretto, disaronno, oat streusel

breakfast, dessert, brunch, cake

American

Yield: 12 servings

Author: Jennyblogs

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Amaretto Mascarpone Coffee Cake

Moist coffee cake flavored with amaretto liqueur and a decadent mascarpone filling, topped with an oat streusel

Prep time: 45 MinCook time: 21 MinTotal time: 1 H & 6 M

Ingredients:

For the Cake

• 1 1/4 cups / 150g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup / 100g sugar
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup / 56g oil
• 1 whole egg + 1 egg white
• 1/4 cup / 60g amaretto
• 1/3 cup / 79g buttermilk or sour milk

For the Mascarpone Filling

• 8 oz / 225g mascarpone, room temperature
• 1/4 cup / 50g sugar
• 1 egg yolk

For the Oat Streusel

• 1 cup / 120g all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup / 150g sugar
• 1/2 cup / 45g oats
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup / 113g butter, room temperature

Instructions:

Make the Cake

1. Oven 325°F / 163°C. Grease well either an 8in / 20cm spring-form or 8x8in / 20x20cm square pan.
2. In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add oil and mix until crumbly. Add eggs, milk, and amaretto and beat until smooth.
3. Pour half of this batter into prepared pan. Set remaining half aside while you make the mascarpone filling.

Make the Mascarpone Filling

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a handheld mixer, beat mascarpone, sugar, and yolk just until creamy. Pour over cake batter in pan and carefully spread to edges.
2. Pour remaining cake batter over mascarpone filling and spread to edges.

Make the Oat Streusel

1. In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, oats, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, fork, or clean hands. Combine until coarse crumbs form. Evenly crumble over the top of the cake batter in pan.
2. Bake cake for 25-30 minutes or until center is almost set but still has a slight jiggle to it. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Notes:

Don't have mascarpone on hand, but do have cream cheese? They can usually be substituted for each other, and certainly in this case if you wish. Mascarpone is a decadently creamy Italian cheese, a touch thicker than cream cheese, but it is the same price here in Italy as the cream cheese, if not cheaper. You can get creative with what type of liqueur or liquor you use in this coffee cake! Bailey's, rum, Kahlua, Triple Sec...

Calories

414.77

Fat (grams)

22.26

Sat. Fat (grams)

10.64

Carbs (grams)

47.32

Fiber (grams)

0.99

Net carbs

46.33

Sugar (grams)

27.48

Protein (grams)

5.34

Sodium (milligrams)

305.52

Cholesterol (grams)

77.06

Nutritional information is approximate. Based on 12 servings.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2016/8/3/amaretto-mascarpone-coffee-cake

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

Created using The Recipes Generator

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Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

And Reeses's Cups. 

Banana cupcakes! Your friendly neighborhood cupcake made soft and moist with the humble browned bananas that otherwise would’ve been thrown away. A delicious dessert that avoids waste, I love it. Not to mention, these throw in chopped Reese’s cups to make them that much more delicious.

What kind of frosting do you put on banana cupcakes? That’s a great question that I present to you with an answer: CHOCOLATE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING.

Cream cheese frosting is the staple frosting for pumpkin cake, carrot cake, spice cake, and red velvet cake. I’m starting to think it should be for banana cake, too.

(Warning, rabbit trail: I really think people like red velvet cake for the cream cheese frosting.  After all, red velvet cake is more of a barely chocolate cake with a bottle of red food coloring.  The original recipe wasn't originally artificially colored.  The color came from a natural reaction between some of the ingredients, but somewhere along the line someone decided to add a bottle of poison [aka Red Dye #40] to make it more red.  Boo.  So you will probably never see a red velvet recipe on this blog, unless it's colored with beets or something.  I'm so sorry, but red velvet is overrated. #unpopularopinion.  But cream cheese frosting is not!  It's wonderful and tangy and creamy and delicious.  And if you add chocolate to it?  Ohhhh.)

Chocolate cream cheese frosting is new to my repertoire.  If it's not a part of yours, then might I suggest you make this now and let the soft tang of the cream cheese awaken your taste buds while the smoothness of the chocolate soothes them over?  And it goes really well on these Banana Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes.  Nom nom nom.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

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Banana Cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the Banana Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

• 1 cup / 120g all-purpose flour

• 1/2 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup + 2 / 84g Tbsp oil

• scant 1/2 cup / 80g sugar

• 1/4 cup / 61g vanilla yogurt

• 1 1/2 tsp / 8g vanilla extract

• 2 eggs

• 2 medium ripe bananas, peeled and well mashed

• 6 Reese's Cups, chopped small (about 1 cup)

For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 cup / 113g unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature

• 1 8 oz / 225g package cream cheese, room temperature

• 1/4 cup / 25g unsweetened cocoa powder

• 3 oz / 90g semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled

• 1 tsp / 5g vanilla extract

• 3 cups / 360g powdered sugar

• 1 -2 Tbsp / 15-30g milk

Directions:

Make the cupcakes

1. Oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C.  Grease a 12 cup muffin tin or line with cupcake liners

2. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer mix together oil and sugar.  Add yogurt and vanilla.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Slowly incorporate dry mixture into the wet mixture until thoroughly combined.  Stir in mashed bananas and Reese's. 

4. Using a measuring cup or ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake about 3/4 full.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until tops or lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

5. Allow cupcakes to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then remove onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Make the frosting

1. While the cupcakes are cooling, beat cream cheese and butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.

2. Add cocoa powder slowly so as not to create a cocoa powder cloud.  Then stir in cooled chocolate and vanilla until combined.  Slowly beat in powdered sugar.  Add in enough milk, 1-2 Tbsp, to make a spreadable or pipe-able frosting. 

3. Frost cooled cupcakes and top with more chopped Reese's, if desired. 

Jenny's Notes:

• Banana cupcakes are very moist by nature, so be sure they get their full baking time.  Normally I would recommend taking cupcakes out of the oven when there are still small crumbs clinging to the toothpick, but not with banana cupcakes.  You want to make sure the toothpick is clean. 

• I would recommend chopping the Reese's for the cupcakes small.  Too big and they will sink, too fine and they will get lost in the cupcake. 

• You can easily substitute plain yogurt or sour cream for the vanilla yogurt in the cupcake recipe, just add a level 1/2 cup of sugar instead of the scant 1/2 cup.  (Scant in the baking world means "just less than" the designated amount.)

cupcakes, banana muffins, banana cupcakes, banana peanut butter cup cupcakes, Reese's, chocolate cream cheese frosting

dessert

American

Yield: 12

Author: Jennyblogs

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Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Classic, moist banana cupcakes with chunks of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups topped with chocolate cream cheese frosting

Prep time: 50 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 1 H & 10 M

Ingredients

For the Banana Peanut Butter Cup Cupcakes

• 1 cup / 120g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup + 2 / 84g Tbsp oil
• scant 1/2 cup / 80g sugar
• 1/4 cup / 61g vanilla yogurt
• 1 1/2 tsp / 8g vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 medium ripe bananas, peeled and well mashed
• 6 Reese's Cups, chopped small (about 1 cup)

For the Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1/2 cup / 113g unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature
• 1 8 oz / 225g package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup / 25g unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 oz / 90g semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1 tsp / 5g vanilla extract
• 3 cups / 360g powdered sugar
• 1 -2 Tbsp / 15-30g milk

Instructions

Make the cupcakes

1. Oven preheated to 350°F / 177°C. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin or line with cupcake liners
2. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer mix together oil and sugar. Add yogurt and vanilla. Beat in eggs one at a time. Slowly incorporate dry mixture into the wet mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in mashed bananas and Reese's.
4. Using a measuring cup or ice cream scoop, fill each cupcake about 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until tops or lightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Allow cupcakes to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then remove onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting

1. While the cupcakes are cooling, beat cream cheese and butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Add cocoa powder slowly so as not to create a cocoa powder cloud. Then stir in cooled chocolate and vanilla until combined. Slowly beat in powdered sugar. Add in enough milk, 1-2 Tbsp, to make a spreadable or pipe-able frosting.
3. Frost cooled cupcakes and top with more chopped Reese's, if desired.

Notes

• Banana cupcakes are very moist by nature, so be sure they get their full baking time.  Normally I would recommend taking cupcakes out of the oven when there are still small crumbs clinging to the toothpick, but not with banana cupcakes.  You want to make sure the toothpick is clean. 
• I would recommend chopping the Reese's for the cupcakes small.  Too big and they will sink, too fine and they will get lost in the cupcake. 
• You can easily substitute plain yogurt or sour cream for the vanilla yogurt in the cupcake recipe, just add a level 1/2 cup of sugar instead of the scant 1/2 cup.  (Scant in the baking world means "just less than" the designated amount.)

Nutrition Facts

Calories

486.88

Fat

25.42 g

Sat. Fat

11.97 g

Carbs

62.19 g

Fiber

2.33 g

Net carbs

59.85 g

Sugar

48.38 g

Protein

5.41 g

Sodium

228.69 mg

Cholesterol

68.13 mg

Nutritional Information is approximate. Based on 1 cupcake.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2016/5/24/banana-cupcakes-with-chocolate-cream-cheese-frosting

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it # jennyblogs

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