No-Bake Cheesecake

School starts tomorrow and I have been having trouble accepting that fact.  True, I only have three classes this week.  Also true, I don't start going into the middle school for my practicum for another week.  So basically, school is only sort of starting.  However, I already have homework!

I spent my day making a cheesecake to kick-off the first DTS meeting of the semester.  This epic cake has to bake for 60-90 minutes.  So, that means I can get some work done while I'm waiting...right?  WRONG! I got my books out...and then decided to make a no-bake cheesecake recipe that I found while browsing my cheesecake options.  I think I may have a problem. I think I'm a baking addict...

The recipe looked really simple and really delicious and, in my defense, I did need to make a friend a cake as a present.  So really, I wasn't procrastinating.  I was being productive.  Yep, I'm going to go with that.

The original recipe, found at Joy of Baking, called for a 9-inch tart pan or springform pan.  Unfortunately, I left my new tart pan at home and my springform pan was already occupied with my first cheesecake.  So, I used a square 8 by 8 inch pan.  What was really good about this, was that this pan was disposable and came with a cute lid.  It's perfect for giving away!  Plus, a 9-inch tart pan and an 8 by 8 square pan are totally compatible and hold almost exactly the same amount.

No-Bake Cheesecake (adapted from Joy of Baking)

Square Cheesecake To-Go...weird right?

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
8 oz cream cheese (I used regular)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions:
1. Grease an 8 by 8 inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter.  Press the crust mixture into the bottom the pan and up the sides, about 1 inch. Cover and place in the refrigerator while you make filling.
3.  In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the sugar and beat until well combined and smooth.  Then, add the vanilla and beat to combine.  In a separate bowl, beat the cream until a soft peak forms and the cream starts to thicken.  Gradually, fold the cream into the cream cheese mixture.  Pour filling into the crust.  Spread the filling out so that it is even and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
4. To serve: serve with fresh fruit or fruit topping.  Yum!
Enjoy :)

New York Cheesecake

I want to start my semester off as President of the DTS Little Sisters right.  I also want to make cheesecake.  I figured that combining these two things couldn't be a bad idea!  So, as tomorrow is our first meeting I decided that a "sweet" way to welcome the sisters back for a new semester would be to bring a cheesecake to the meeting.

I have always wondered what made New York style cheesecake different from other cheesecakes.  After searching for a good recipe...I am still baffled.  What makes it New York?  If anyone has any idea please clue me in because according to the plethora of recipes I found, there really is no one component that makes it "New York Style."

Sorry for the ranting, this has been on my mind for a while now...

And now, the recipe! I have recently fallen in love with Joy of Baking.  It's a great site where the recipes come with videos, photos, and explanations.  Plus, you can download an application on your phone that will allow you to see recipes and save ingredients to a grocery list.  How cool is that? Technology is really blowing my mind these days.  

Please check out the site for the New York Cheesecake recipe and to get a great video of how to make it! The original recipe calls for a 9-inch springform pan.  I only have a 10-inch, but the volume is still about the same and so it is okay to use either.  You might just need to shorten the baking time a little.  This cheesecake looks absolutely amazing and ridiculously rich.  I can't wait to try it tomorrow night! 

New York Cheesecake (adapted from Joy of Baking)

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

So much cream cheese!

Filling:

32 oz Regular Cream Cheese 

1 cup sugar

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

5 eggs

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla

Topping:

1 cup regular sour cream

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Grease a 10-inch springform pan.  Place plan on a baking sheet.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees and make sure the rack is in the center of the oven.

2. Make the crust: In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter.  Pour crust into your springform pan and press evenly over the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides.  Cover and refrigerate while making the filling.

3. Make the filling: Place the cream cheese, sugar, and flour in a large bowl.  Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Scrape down the sides.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition.  Scrape down the sides.  Add the whipping cream, lemon zest, vanilla, and beat until combined. Remove the crust from the fridge and pour the filling in.  Place the cheesecake on a baking plan and place in the oven.

4. Bake for 15 minutes.  Then, lower the oven temperature to 250 degrees and continue to bake for another 60-90 minutes.  The cheesecake is done with it looks firm, but the center looks a little wet and wobbly. When done, remove from the oven to cool.

5. While baking, make the topping: place the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla in a small bowl and whisk to combine.  Spread the topping over the warm cheesecake and then return the cake to the oven to bake for another 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and run a knife around the sides of the cheesecake to loosen it from the pan.  Let the cake cool completely.  Then, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.  

Enjoy :)

mmmm...

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins

Tonight my good friend Kimmy is coming back to school and we planned on a movie/baking night.  These are my two favorite activities most days and so I am extremely excited.  Kimmy suggested muffins and so I have been looking for a good recipe.

Another member of Optima Dance, Megan, has this great food blog.  Recently she posted about a great muffin recipe that she found.  They sound and look delicious and so I think I'm going to have to give them a try with Kimmy for our movie/baking night!  Now, we just need to decide on a a movie...any suggestions?

But first! I had a great dinner with my friends Caryn, Lauren, and Max.  I wanted to bring something, but didn't have that much time to actually make something.  So, I picked up some strawberries and chocolate and we made some amazing chocolate covered strawberries! Great last minute dessert!

Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins (slightly adapted from A Dash of Megnut)

From: A Dash of Megnut

Don't hers look amazing??

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar

3 tbsp creamy natural peanut butter

1/4 cup non-fat sour cream

1 egg

1 egg white

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup hot water

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

powder sugar for topping (optional)

Directions:
1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tin with baking cups or cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, beat together sugar, peanut butter, sour cream, egg, and egg white.
3. In a medium bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda together. On a low speed, alternate mixing in the dry ingredients with the hot water into the wet ingredients until just combined.  Using a spoon, stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Spoon the batter into the muffin pan and bake for 15-20 minutes.  For mini muffins it should take around 12-15 minutes.  Muffins are done with an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Remove the muffins from the oven to cool and sprinkle with powder sugar if you want.

Enjoy :)

Note: we made ours mini muffins and they took 15 minutes.  Also, we ended up watching Crazy Stupid Love and it was fantastic!

French Apple Tart

Tonight is my last night at home with my family.  My parents are taking me out for a nice dinner at Francescas and then I decided to make one last great dessert for us to share together.  My cousin, Chris, gave me a tart pan for the holidays and with the pan she gave me a recipe for a French Apple Tart.  This was a great gift to give me (if anyone is looking for gift ideas/inspiration) and I was so excited to try out the new recipe.  Along with this gift, she gave me a rolling pin cover and pastry cloth.  Supposedly this is the way to go when dealing with any kind of dough.  She knows me so well!

French Apple Tart

Ingredients:
Pastry Dough:
1 11/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used white whole wheat and it turned out great!)
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
8 tbsp unsalted butter (very cold, you can freeze it even), diced
5 tbsp ice water

Apples:
4 large Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp cold (you can freeze it) unsalted butter, diced
1/3 cup apricot jelly or jam
2 tbsp Calvados, rum, or water (I used 1 tbsp water and 1 tbsp rum)

Directions:
For the pastry:
1. Place flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to combine.  Add the butter and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is in small bits the size of peas.  With the motor running, slowly add the ice water just until the dough starts to come together.  Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it into a ball.  Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  I let it chill overnight.

For the tart:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Roll the dough on a slightly floured pastry cloth until it is slightly larger than the tart pan.  Place the dough on the tart pan and press to fit the pan.  Using the rolling pin, roll over the top edge of the tart pan to cut and remove the overhanging dough.  Place the tart pan in the refrigerator.
2. To prepare the apples, keep the skins on and core the apples.  Then, slice into moderately thin slices. Take the tart out of the refrigerator and arrange the apples in the pan.  Use all the apples, it is okay if it is overfilled as the apples will shrink while baking.  Sprinkle with the 1/2 cup of sugar and dot with the butter.
3. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pastry is browned and the edges of the apples start to brown. Mine took exactly 45 minutes.  When the tart's done, heat the apricot jam with the Calvados, rum, or water, and brush over the tart.  Allow to cool completely and serve heated up or at room temperature.
Enjoy :)