Apple Pie Cheesecake bars

So it's back to school and back to baking again for me.  Over the summer, I'm too busy on the farm to really bake.  We work from early in the morning to late at night and by the time I get home, I'm lucky if I have enough energy to pour a bowl of cereal.  When I'm home I really miss baking and cooking, so the minute I come back to school it is tempting to go crazy and make EVERYTHING.  My guy friend out in Washington state requested peanut butter cookies, so I made Chocolate Peanut Butter cookies and Peanut Butter cookies with mini chocolate chips.  Those recipes will be posted in the coming days.    So this recipe was the combination of a recipe I found and what I had on hand.  The original recipe is for Pear Custard Bars, but I didn't have an pears.  What I had instead was homemade apple pie filling (that hadn't sealed and needed to be used quickly).  This recipe is quick, easy, and tastes AMAZING!  It might even be better than apple pie (and I love apple pie) .  I imagine that you could try this recipe with raspberries, blackberries, or any other fruit you wanted.  Definitely try this recipe, it is one of the best!

Ingredients:  
Crust:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract 
Filling: 

• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened (I used neufchatel) 
 

• 1/2 cup sugar
 

• 1 egg
 

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
 

• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (or less depending on your taste) 

Topping: 

• 1 can apple pie filling (or whatever fruit filling) 

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    1/2 to 1/4 cup sliced almonds (brown them gently on the stove first) 
Assembly:In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour to creamed mixture. Press into a greased 8-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the sugar, egg, cinnamon and vanilla. Pour over crust.On top of the cream cheese mixture place giant spoonfuls of apple pie filling.  Take a knife and swirl the apple pie filling into the cream cheese mixture (kind of like you make a marbled cake).  

Sprinkle the browned almonds on top of the pie and cream cheese mixture. Bake at 375° for 28-30 minutes (center will be soft-set and will become firmer upon cooling). Cool on a wire rack for 45 minutes.

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Raspberry Peach Jam

My mom started back to work this week and it's been a rough week.  So I wanted to do something really nice for her.  We have a grape arbor at home and in the fall we often pick the grapes and make grape jelly.  The grape jelly is delicious, but my mom doesn't like grape jelly.  Unfortunately for her, we have about 75 jars of grape jelly, 3 gallons of grape juice from last year, and more grapes coming on this year.  Needless to say, we have lots and lots of grapes and not a lot of ideas.

   So today while I was browsing some Taste of Home recipes, I came across a great and easy recipe for Raspberry Peach jam.  The ingredients were simple and so was the process, so I figured I would surprise my mom with this jam that featured her two favorite fruits.  Here is the original link.  While normally I try to tweak recipes a bit, jam recipes are touchy, so I literally followed the recipe and I'm so glad I did.  This might be the best jam ever!!! It's so good, I think I'm going to use it on vanilla ice cream instead of toast. Yummm!   

   If you're leary about canning, this is a good recipe to try it on. So put your fears behind you and try this recipe, you'll be so happy you did.  

   Here is a link to the national home preserving website for information on water bath canning.  However, I'll give you some of my tips and tricks , especially for this recipe.

    1. Use little jelly jars and you can water bath them in a large pot, so you don't need any special equipment.   Pick a large pot that fits all your jelly jars.  This makes between 4-6 little jelly jars, so use a pot that fits the jars in fairly tightly, so they won't tip over.   

  2. Make sure that the pot is deep enough.  You want about an inch or two of water over the top of the jelly jars. Remember,there will be hot water in the pot, so a snug fit for the jars.
  3. Have great tongs.  Since the water in the canner will be hot, you need a way to get the hot jelly jars into the hot water.  Get good tongs!
  4. Boil gently for the allotted time.  In a real canner, there is a metal frame that holds the jars up off the bottom.  In this set up, if it boils too hard they will bump against the bottom and could crack. Boil gently.
   5.  Only make one batch at a time! It will not set up right if you try to double it!!
   6.  This sugar mixture will burn you badly! Always cook with shoes on and handle everything CAREFULLY!!
 
Here is the recipe:

    2 2/3 cups peeled, diced peaches
    1 1/2 cups raspberries
     3 cups of white sugar
      1 1/2 teaspoons of lemon juice
    4 - 6 little jelly jars, lids and bands
     Hot pads
      Tongs
      Giant pot
      Skillet
      Metal funnel
      Metal scoop

  In a large sauce pan, combine the peaches, raspberries, lemon juice, and sugar.  Over low heat, let the sugar dissolve, about 10 minutes.  Then turn the heat to medium and bring to a roiling boil (when you stir the boil doesn't stop).  Boil for 15 minutes.
   In the meantime, get your "canner" ready and bring the water to a boil.  Also, get your hot jars ready.  Use a skillet and about 2 to 3 inches of water, put the jars in the skillet and water, mouth down, along with the lids.  The bands, do not need to be heated.  To tell when the jars are ready, touch the bottom of the jars with your fingers quickly.  If it is hot to the touch, your jars are ready to use.
  After the raspberry and peach mixture boils, bring out a hot jar and place it on a hot pad. Use the metal spoon to pour the jam mixture into the jar, leaving 1/4 inch of space. Take a butter knife and insert it down the inside of the jar to make sure there are no air bubbles.  Wipe the rim off with a damp paper towel.   Be careful, its HOT!  Take the lid out of the hot water and place it on the jar.  Hand tighten the band down and set aside on a hot pad.  Repeat until you're done.
   To hot water bath, take the tongs and gently lift the jelly (on a hot pad) over to the pot of water.  Gently set down the jelly in the water. Repeat until all the jars are in the hot water bath.  Bring the water back to a gentle boil and boil for 15 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure it's not boiling too hard.  You can use a lid to keep the temperature consistent.
   After the 15 minutes are up, gently grab the jelly jars and immediately place them on the hot pad.  As they cool, you will hear a "pop".  That pop is the sweet sound of success!  Congratulations on your delicious jam! 

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

My friend Lisa visited this weekend.  She is a math teacher in Connecticut and we became friends living next to each other in our apartment complex.  Her daughter Bailey is a beautiful and busy 5 year old who always makes us laugh and smile with her antics but since Lisa and Bailey moved to Connecticut it's been a while since we have seen each other.  By a while, I mean about a year.  However, this week is Lisa's spring break and she decided that the best place to spend her first weekend off would be with me at Penn State!  What a great decision that was!  She arrived in the evening on Friday and got to spend time grading papers and catching up on sleep while I worked.  After sleeping in on Saturday morning, we hit our favorite restaurant  Waffle Shop, for breakfast and the decided to hike Mt. Nittany with my upstairs neighbor and mutual friend Nicole.  We had an awesome, sweaty, laughter filled time.  Coming back exhausted we decided to spend a simple night hanging out and enjoying some girl time.  

  Sunday found Lisa and I shopping and walking downtown.  We went into just about every store in downtown State College and had a blast doing it.  From some super cute summer dresses to Penn State souvenirs, there was never a dull moment.  As we headed back to my place to watch movies and enjoy a quiet Sunday evening, I decided that I needed to make Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes.  I had willing and very enthusiastic tasters (Nicole and Lisa) and all the stuff to make these delicious morsels.  

   I'll be honest with you, at first I didn't think that there was enough cherry flavor in the chocolate batter.  I mean come on, I wanted it to scream CHERRY.  However, with the trusting taste buds of my friends, I realized it did taste like cherry and that I should just bake them already.  (Truth is, I think they might have just been hungry.)  So into the oven these little darlings went.  However, 14 minutes is a lie or else I fill my cupcakes a little full.  These took more like 16 to 18 minutes, but make sure to check on them fairly frequently.  Maybe my oven isn't as hot as where this recipe originally came from, so just pay attention is the best advice I can give you.  

   The frosting is also divine, who would have thought?  Butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, cherry juice and some raspberry extract... yumm, not a bad combination.  Here is the original recipe that I found, but I've done a few small changes.  Instead of just milk chocolate cocoa powder, I did a 1/4 cup of dark chocolate cocoa powder for a rich dark chocolate taste and a hint of raspberry extract in the frosting really helped bring out the cherry flavor (If you don't have it, don't worry, it'll still be awesome!) I also made chocolate dipped cherries for decoration on top.  Delicious and easy! 

Ingredients

6 tablespoons butter (softened)
1/2 cup light sour cream or mayonnaise (this makes the cake super light and
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup dark chocolate cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk chocolate cocoa powder
1/2 cup cherry juice (from a jar of maraschino cherries)
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 3/4 cups flour

Frosting
1/2 cup butter (softened)
8oz cream cheese (softened) 

3 cups powdered sugar 

1/2 tsp raspberry extract

3-5 tablespoons cherry juice (from a jar of maraschino cherries)

Directions 

 Preheat oven to 350*.   In a large bowl beat together butter, mayonnaise/sour cream, and sugars until smooth. Add in the cocoas and cherry juice and mix well.  Add the salt, eggs, and milk and mix until well combined.  Gradually add in the soda, baking powder, and flour. Once combined mix on high for one minute. Place 24 liners into cupcake pans and fill with cake batter 2/3 of the way. Bake about 16/18 minutes or until toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. Let cool on racks completely before frosting.

Frosting
 Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add in powdered sugar and beat really well.  Pour in cherry juice one TBS at a time and continue beating until it reaches the desired consistency. Frost cooled cupcakes. Top each cupcake with a cherry. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Chocolate Dipped Cherries 

Take 24 maraschino cherries and lay them out on a paper towel.  Take another paper town and lay it over the cherries, press VERY GENTLY until the cherries are dry.  In the meantime take about 4 Tbsp of milk chocolate chips and melt them gently in the microwave, about 30 seconds at a time until melted.  Then dip the dry cherries in the chocolate and place on wax paper.  Put in the refrigerator for 10/15 minutes  or until hard.  Peel off the wax paper and place them on top of the frosting.  Eat and Enjoy!

Strawberry Orange Cheesecake Cupcakes

A few weeks ago I promised my co-worker that I would bring cheesecake into work with me after torturing him for hours with pictures of various types of cheesecakes.  It also happened to be my friend Mike's belated birthday (although I didn't know it at the time).  I was hoping to copy my grandmother's mini cheesecake recipe that she makes with Nilla Wafers as the crust, but I soon realized I had a problem.  When I was at the store I had brought everything for the cheesecakes except mini cupcake wrappers and I figured that I couldn't just make the cheesecake in the trays and hope that they came out.  So I decided to make full size cheesecake cupcakes.  

  The original recipe is a Paula Deen recipe and there isn't any butter in it, just butter extract.  However, I decided since I wanted it to taste more Spring-like, I was going to add orange extract, some lemon juice and lemon zest.  Since the Nilla wafer wasn't quite big enough to cover the entire bottom of the cupcake wrapper, I put one Nilla wafer in the bottom and then proceeded to crumble other Nilla wafers around it, until the entire bottom was covered by both the cookie and the crumbs.  Turns out, it's a great idea and makes a nice crust.  Give this recipe a try for a delicious Easter/Spring treat!  They were a huge hit at work and they look very nice on a plate lined up to serve.  

Ingredients 

2 pkgs of cream cheese softened 

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp orange extract 

half a lemon of lemon juice 

half a lemon of lemon zest 

2 eggs 

12 Nilla wafers plus more for crumbling, I think I crumbed 6/7 more wafers (half a wafer per cupcake tin in addition to the one wafer 

10 whole strawberries diced 

1 tbsp of sugar 

First, dice the strawberries into small pieces and put into a bowl.  Sprinkle sugar over the diced berries and let them sit.  Overnight would be best, but if you don't have time, let them sit while these cheesecakes are made and cool and then top the cheesecakes with just the berries and a small amount of juice. 

Next, mix the softened cream cheese with the sugar and beat until fluffy.  Slowly add the eggs one at a time, then add the orange extract, the lemon juice, and the lemon zest.  The batter will be pretty loose.  In the meantime, add a Nilla wafer to each cupcake holder.  There will be space around the edge of each cookie, take another Nilla wafer, break it in half and crumble the half of the wafer into the space around the edges, creating a full crust of the cheesecake.  When this has been done to all cupcake holders, pour the cheesecake on top of the crust about 3/4 of the way to the top. 

Bake the cheesecakes in the oven for 20 minutes on 350 degrees.  Remove from the oven and let cool.  The tops of the cheesecakes will sink a bit, but don't panic, that's a perfect place for the strawberries to be put.  When the cupcakes are completely cool, add the strawberries and bit of strawberry juice.  Serve immediately or put in the refrigerator to chill.  

Pecan Pie

I went down to visit my brother in New Orleans over spring break and I decided to surprise him with one of his favorite pies, a pecan pie.  Since I was flying down, I had to take my pie on the airplane in a pie carrier.  Once I got to Houston and people started asking me what kind of pie I carried, I had to fight of the hordes of people who wanted to get their hands on my pie.  Pecan pie in the South is a hot commodity, especially if it's being carried around an airport by a girl in boots.
    This recipe is a little bit different than the recipe that I normally make.  I got this recipe off of Cook's Country, another affiliate of Create Tv.  I must say, this recipe is delicious.  I enhanced the flavor of the pecans by roasting them before I put them in the pie and it was amazing!  This pie isn't too heavy, isn't too sweet, but is definitely sticky and pleasing, everything you want from a pecan pie.
  So with Easter just around the corner, I suggest that you surprise the ones you love with this ooey, gooey, sticky Pecan Pie.  The perfect dessert for an Easter meal.


1 cup Maple syrup (the real stuff please)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp of molasses
4 Tbsp of butter, cut into cubes
1/2 tsp salt
6 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups of toasted and chopped pecans
1 9 inch unbaked pie shell
Serves 8 to 10

INSTRUCTIONS
Toast pecans:  Scatter pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Roast in the oven on 350 for 5 minutes, stir and then  put back into the oven for another 5 minutes.  When nuts start to smell toasted and look lightly brown, remove from oven and let cool.  

Then make the filling: Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Heat sugar, syrup, cream, and molasses in saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes. Whisk butter and salt into syrup mixture until combined. Whisk in egg yolks until incorporated.

 Bake the pie: Scatter pecans in pie shell. Carefully pour filling over. Place pie in hot oven and immediately reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Bake until filling is set and center jiggles slightly when pie is gently shaken, 45 to 60 minutes. Cool pie on rack for 1 hour, then refrigerate until set, about 3 hours and up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Cheese Souffle

I decided a while ago that I wanted to make a cheese souffle.  I had never made one before and I had always heard these horror stories about how souffles were the worst thing ever to make.  I had heard about how they didn't rise, or how they fell, how they were raw in the middle or how they were overcooked.  Needless to say, I had a fear of souffles.  Looking back, what a silly fear! This souffle recipe is easy to follow, not too hard, and turned out perfect cheese souffles.  I added a few spices to the recipe and it is delicious.  If you want the original recipe, here is the link .

Ingredients
4 1/2 tsp of butter
4 1/2 tsp of flour
1/2 cup of 2% milk
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs, separated
1/2 tsp dry mustard
pinch cayenne
pinch black pepper
pinch of salt


Directions
In a large saucepan, melt butter. Whisk in flour until smooth; gradually add milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat; stir in cheese until melted. Remove from the heat. Beat egg yolks and spices. Stir a small amount of hot mixture into yolks; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Cool slightly.
In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into egg yolk mixture. Pour into two 8-oz. ramekins or custard cups coated with cooking spray.
Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve immediately. Yield: 2 servings.

Nutritional Facts
1 souffle equals 301 calories, 23 g fat (14 g saturated fat), 270 mg cholesterol, 350 mg sodium, 9 g carbohydrate, trace fiber, 15 g protein.

Tofu Cheesecake

I know that I normally don't cook or bake with a whole lot of tofu.  It's not that I do not enjoy tofu, I do, it's just that I am never really sure what to make with it or what kind to buy.  However, I was watching Create Tv here at at PSU one day and Christina Cooks came on, a chef who cooks only vegan, non-dairy food.  Since I was trying to watch calories, but had been craving something sweet and cheesecake-like I was caught by her remake of cheesecake using tofu.  It was a lot lower in calories and had more protein than regular cheesecake, but it did use tofu.  I wrestled with the idea of the tofu cheesecake for a while and then finally figured, what the heck, I would give it a shot.  
   To be honest with you, I didn't really know what to expect.  Sometimes the magic of television doesn't transfer over to the magic of taste, but this time, I was pleasantly surprised.  The recipe was delicious.  Now the only warning I will give you is that the texture is not exactly the same as cheesecake.  It is just not as dense or as rich.  However, with the addition of some brown sugar into the batter, it was heavenly.  I will also tell you that since I do not have any allergies or intolerances to dairy or meat, I used regular chocolate, gelatin, and brown sugar.  If you do have an intolerance, here is the link to the vegan, non-dairy version .  
Otherwise, follow my version for  a pleasant and delicious surprise.  

Almond Oat Chocolate Crust: 
2 cups finely ground, blanched almonds
1 cup finely ground rolled oats
Pinch salt
2 ounces chocolate chips, melted
2 tablespoons butter, melted 

Filling:
2 pounds firm tofu, coarsely crumbled
1 cup agave nectar 
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons almond butter
Pinch salt
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2/3 teaspoon turmeric
1 package of unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond or soy milk
1/4 cup of brown sugar (make sweet to taste) 


Directions 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil a 9-inch spring form pan.

Make the crust. Combine ground almonds, oats and salt in a food processor with melted chocolate. Mix well to create a moist texture. If the crust mixture seems dry, add butter, by the teaspoon, until the texture is moist. It should gather and not stick to your fingers, but crumble easily.

Press the crust evenly into prepared spring form pan, covering the bottom and up the sides as much as your quantity will allow. Bake for 10 minutes, remove from oven and cool completely before filling.

Make the filling. Place all ingredients in a food processor and puree until smooth and creamy. Spoon ingredients into the cooled crust and bake for about an hour, until the edges of the filling are set, even though the center will still be loose. Set aside until cooled to room temperature and then place the cake in the fridge and chill completely.  Once cake is cool feel free to garnish with chocolate or fruit of your choice.