July 30, 2009
Deep Dark Chocolate Cheesecake
This is a recipe from Kroger. No joke. They didn’t steer me wrong with the Chocolate Chip Cookie Truffles so I had no reason to doubt them. This is the first cheesecake I’ve ever attempted. It is magically delicious. It is insanely rich so start with a small piece. Not kidding. I’m a chocoholic and can usually handle richness… but this is RICH. Mine came out really dense and thick. But that’s the way I like my cheesecake so it’s perfect.
Crust:
9 oz. chocolate wafer cookie (I assumed the meant Oreos so I bought an 18 oz package of Kroger brand Kiddo’s and used half)
1 T. sugar
1/4 c. butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9 inch springform pan with 3 inch high sides. Chop cookies in food processor until finely ground, blend in sugar. Add melted butter and process until smooth. I had to stop and stir a few times to get it going. Press crumbs evenly onto bottom (not sides) of pan. Bake about 5 minutes. Mine burned a little, but now in hindsight, I think I baked mine for 9 minutes… Hmm… Take pan out of oven and let cool while preparing filling. Maintain oven temp.
Filling:
10 oz. dark chocolate (bittersweet), chopped (I used Ghirardelli chocolate chips)
4 8 oz. pkgs. of cream cheese, room temp. (I used 2 regular cream cheeses and 2 low fat, you know, because I’m watching my figure)
1 1/4 c. plus 2 T. sugar
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
4 large eggs
Stir chopped chocolate in double boiler until melted and smooth. (I microwaved. Shut up Martha, that’s how I roll.) Let chocolate cool slightly – lukewarm but still pourable. Blend cream cheese, sugar, and cocoa powder in food processor until smooth. I did this little by little so my processor wouldn’t freak out and explode. I don’t know it it helped, I like to think it did. Blend in eggs, one at a time. At this point if it looks like your processor is going to overflow, we’re in the same boat. Don’t worry, it didn’t. Now add the chocolate to the mixture and blend until all mixed. Pour filling over crust and smooth the top. Bake until center is set and just appears dry, about an hour. Cool for 5 minutes and then run a knife around the edges to loosen. Chill overnight.
Topping:
3/4 c. whipping cream
6 oz. dark chocolate (bittersweet), chopped
1 T. sugar
Stir all ingredients in medium saucepan over low heat until smooth. Cool slightly. Pour over center of cheesecake and spread to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Chill until topping is set, about an hour.
Release pan sides. Transfer to platter. Let stand 2 hours at room temp before serving (if you can wait… we couldn’t). Enjoy.
April 22, 2009
Chocolate Chip Cookie Truffles
I’ve attempted truffles before and failed miserably. I swore I’d never do it again. But I got this recipe in the mail from Tollhouse. It looked super easy so I gave it a shot. Besides the fact that the needs to stay refrigerated, these are perfect. My Meme once said that broken cookies don’t have any calories because they fall out. So I guess we’re in the clear!
1 pkg cookie dough; I used Toolhouse. (They gave me the recipe, the least I could do was use their brand!)
3 oz. cream cheese, softened (I used 3.5-4 oz)
1 c. chocolate chips (Calls for semi-sweet. It’s great that way but next time I’ll try dark chocolate)
1 T. vegetable oil
Bake your cookies according to the package. Make sure they are thoroughly cooked, but not burned. Crispy cookies work best. Once cooled, crumble your cookies into a food processor. Grind them up- not into a powder though! Add cream cheese and blend/chop/process?/whatever until thoroughly mixed through. It will look like chocolate dough. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Roll into 1″ balls and cool on cookie sheet in fridge. About 45 min-an hour. Before they are ready, heat chocolate chips and oil in a microwave save bowl. Let it cool on the counter. Then, dip each ball into your chocolate and put it back on the cookie sheet. Make sure you don’t have too much dripping chocolate. Refrigerate until hardened. Enjoy!
April 12, 2009
The Best Carrot Cake I’ve Ever Had
Okay… it’s also the only carrot cake I’ve ever had! But don’t let that take away from it’s greatness! I was in charge of dessert for Easter this year. I was asked to bring two desserts: one chocolate, one not chocolate. I’ve always held the opinion that it’s not worth the calories if it’s not chocolate. But momma wanted choices, so choices I gave her. I thought a carrot cake would be cute, seeing as it’s Easter and happens to be the Big Bunny’s favorite. Coincidentally, it was also my mother-in-law’s b-day and she loves carrot cake. So I searched for a great recipe. This one got fantastic reviews. And although I still prefer chocolate, I’ll definitely be making this again!
Cake
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 t. ground cinnamon
1 3/4 c. white sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 c. shredded carrots
1 c. flaked coconut
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, drained
Frosting
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. butter, softened
2 c. confectioners’ sugar
Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 9×13. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Make a well in the center of your dry ingredients and then add sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Mix with a wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed. Batter will be thick. Stir in carrots, coconut, walnuts, and pineapple. Pour into pan and bake for about 45 minutes. When cool, ice the cake. Cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar and beat until creamy. I added some vanilla as well.
(I used two 9″ round pans and baked for 40 minutes, worked wonderfully. But I doubled the icing recipe to make sure I had enough. Had tons left over but not sure that I would have had enough if I didn’t.)
That Amazing Oreo Thing
This recipe is actually called Oreo Refrigerator Cake. But I think it’s misleading, as it’s not actually cake. Regardless, it’s fabulous. I’ve made this a few times. I made it for Easter and the dish was literally licked clean. I’ve found that it works best if you don’t make it all in one day. You certainly can if you don’t have time. But I think it sets better if you do it a layer at a time.
1 bag/pkg of Oreos (I, of course, use Kroger brand)
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 (8oz) pkg of cream cheese, softened
1 c. confectioners’ sugar
1 large tub of thawed Cool Whip
1 large pkg of instant chocolate pudding mix
2 1/4 c. half-and-half cream (I use milk)
Put the Oreos in a big ziplock and crush them up. Put 1/4 cup in aside to use as topping. Mix the rest of the crushed Oreos with the melted butter. Once mixed, press into a 9×13 dish and stick in the fridge. I usually leave this in the fridge overnight so it sets well. For the next layer, beat the cream cheese with the confectioners’ sugar until smooth. Fold in half of the Cool Whip. Spread over the cookie crust. Return to fridge. Make sure your cream cheese has a chance to set (about 30min – 1 hour) before you do the next step. Combine milk and pudding until smooth. Pour over cream cheese layer. Once set (approx. 1 hour) top with remaining Cool Whip and leftover crushed Oreo. Cover with Saran Wrap and store in fridge. Enjoy!
Roots & Rings Recipes 