lemon cheesecake cups

My husband is a sucker for cheesecake and anything flavored with lemon, the more tart the better. So when I found these light versions of mini lemon cheesecakes, I knew I had a winner. They're made with cream cheese, mascarpone cheese and plain greek yogurt. Lots of lemon zest makes them fresh and delicious.

 

 The "crust" part of these cheesecake cups is just one Nilla wafer dropped in the bottom of the cupcake liner. It gets soft and lovely during the baking process.

The only problem with these beauties is that the recipe only makes 12. I made them for Fathers Day, and they were gone before everyone got to try it! Double the recipe if you're feeding a crowd, or if you're really hungry.

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Lemon Cheesecake Cups 

Serves: 12

12 vanilla wafers (I used Nilla wafers, is there any other kind?)
6 oz cream cheese, softened
2 oz mascarpone cheese, slightly softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
6 oz fat-free plain Greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
2 large egg whites
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp lemon zest (about 3 lemons)
1 tbsp all purpose flour

Heat oven to 350°. Line cupcake tin with liners. Place a vanilla wafer at the bottom of each liner.

In a medium sized bowl, beat cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth using an electric mixer. Gently beat in yogurt, egg whites, lemon juice, lemon zest and flour. Do not over beat. Pour into cupcake liners (I just used a spoon) filling about half way. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool to room temperature. Chill a few hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Recipe adapted from: Skinny Taste

easy monkey bread

Work has been crazy the last few weeks. I've been leading a culinary tourism campaign (awesome, right?!) that links local restaurants to producers and growers in our area. It will highlight restaurants that are already serving local, and encourage restaurants who aren't. I am excited to see where this project goes!

Here is the website I've been working on. It launched yesterday, part of the reason I've been so busy! Writing content and designing a website from scratch is no joke.

Local on the Menu

All this work hasn't left me much time for baking. I needed an easy dessert one night, so I found this Monkey Bread recipe that is made from a can of biscuits... and I am not ashamed.

You just make a cinnamon sugar mixture, then melt some butter.

I set up a little station with my bowl of melted butter, cinnamon sugar and a loaf pan. Cut the biscuits into quarters, dip the pieces in melted butter then roll them in cinnamon sugar. Yes it's true.

Line up those little beauties in a loaf pan. You will probably end up putting a few pieces on top of the first layer... unless you eat them of course. I'm just saying.

It bakes up beautifully. The melted butter caramelizes the sugar and creates this gooey center just dripping with a syrup-y cinnamon glaze. I mean you can just imagine what biscuits dunked in melted butter tastes like. It's out of control.

I set this pan of goodness out for our weekly movie night. People were just picking the pieces right from the pan and going to town.

I think I like this recipe so much because the only thing I don't keep stocked in my kitchen is the can of biscuits, so it's really easy just to run out and get one thing in a pinch. So if you need a super easy dessert you can make in just a few minutes, this is a good one.

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Easy Monkey Bread

3/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 cup melted butter
1 can buttermilk biscuits (I used Pillsbury)
Cooking spray

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray your loaf pan and set aside. In small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon and mix well. Separate dough into individual biscuits and then cut them into quarters. Dip each quarter in the melted butter, then roll it in cinnamon sugar mixture. Arrange in the loaf pan. You may end up putting a few pieces on top of the first layer.

Bake for 15-18 minutes and let cool 2-3 minutes just so the sugar doesn't burn you. At this point, you can loosen the edges and place the whole loaf on a serving platter. Or let it cool a few more minutes and serve it right from the loaf pan.

Recipe adapted from Pillsbury

toffee nut cookies

There has been a lot of chocolate going on lately... in the form of Caramel Chocolate Chip Bars, Chocolate Cupcakes with Oreo Cream and Dark Chocolate Shortbread. It's no secret that I'm a chocolate fan, but sometimes it is nice to enjoy cookies without throwing chocolate chips in the dough.

These Toffee Nut Cookies are so delicious. They are chewy, sweet and slightly crunchy. Even though I'm usually a fan of thick, fudgy-type cookies, I love how these are thin and chewy.

They have a buttery taste, and a nice crunch from the nuts and toffee pieces. They're kind of amazing.

I made them for friends that came over for dinner last week. The dough makes quite a bit of cookies, so I was able to keep the rest of it in the refrigerator and bake off a few when I wanted them. You could also freeze it to use later.

But I'm just warning you... you're going to want to have this dough in your fridge at all times. You will be baking off a few (7) cookies at 3:00 in the morning. They're kind of addicting.

Enjoy!

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Toffee Nut Cookies

Makes about 40 cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 (10-ounce) bag toffee candy bits
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet (or several if you're making all the cookies) with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for a few minutes until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each one. Add vanilla and stir. To the wet ingredients, add flour, salt and baking soda in one addition. Mix together, being careful not to over-mix the dough. Add in the toffee bits, oatmeal and walnuts. Stir until just combined. You may need to use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides and incorporate any pieces that fell to the bottom of the bowl.

Take a teaspoonful or so of the dough (it should be pretty small, about the size of a large marble, if that's a real thing) and roll it in your hands until it forms a ball. Place onto your prepared cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes or until cookies are golden brown.

Recipe Adapted From: the Food Network (ingredients and directions changed)

chocolate cupcakes with oreo whipped cream

A friend invited my sister and I over to her house last week for a girls craft night. We made adorable little pompom necklaces (I burned my fingers on the hot glue gun) and had great conversation. I wish I was more crafty... but at least I can bake one heck of a cupcake.

I brought along these delicious cupcakes. It's a dense chocolate cake with creamy, fluffy Oreo whipped cream icing. They are amazing little creatures. I love a thick, rich buttercream icing... but sometimes its nice to enjoy a light, airy whipped cream instead.

Especially when ground Oreos are mixed in. They are my favorite, seriously. I love cookies and cream milkshakes, ice cream, Oreo blizzards... just keep it coming.

You will love these. Enjoy!

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Chocolate Cupcakes with Oreo Whipped Cream

Makes 24 cupcakes

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons whipping cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons Oreo cookie crumbs
24 Oreo cookie halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 cupcake pans with paper liners.

Mix flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl until combined. In a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Then add vanilla and eggs, one at a time and mixing well after each one is added.

With the mixer on low, gradually add in dry mixture and buttermilk alternately in 3 parts, starting and ending with the dry mixture. After the last addition, stir until just combined being careful not to overmix the batter. Divide batter into prepare cupcake pans and bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean with a few crumbs. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the whipped cream frosting, combine cream, sugar and vanilla in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-heat speed until stiff peaks form, then gently fold in Oreo crumbs with a rubber spatula. Pipe the whipped cream onto the cooled cupcakes with your favorite tip and garnish with 1/2 Oreo cookie on top.

Recipe from: Annie's Eats (Ingredients are the same, directions have been altered.)

dark chocolate shortbread cookies

I made these cookies for a movie night we had at our house this week. They were a huge hit with our friends, especially for dark chocolate fans like myself.

They are VERY chocolatey, and obviously not very sweet. They have such a rich flavor.

The dough was easy to make too. It's all done in a food processor and doesn't call for many ingredients. It will be crumbly, but just form it into a log and refrigerate it for at least an hour before baking... if you can wait that long.

I sprinkled the ones I served to our friends with powdered sugar because I didn't think they could take how dark the chocolate was. But this is optional! Feel free to just eat them plain.

Chocolate fans rejoice. Your new favorite cookie is here.

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Dark Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Makes 10 to 12, but this recipe doubles very well

1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, softened
1/4 cup confectioner's (powdered) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks or chips

In the bowl of a food processor, put the flour, sugar, and cocoa powder and pulse to combine well. Slice softened butter into about 1 inch slices, and drop into the food processor. Add vanilla and pulse until the mixture just comes together, you don't want to over mix it.

Put the mixture into a mixing bowl and add chocolate chunks. Stir until well incorporated, you will probably have to use your hands for this. Turn the dough out onto wax or parchment paper and form into an 8-inch log. Wrap it in the paper and twist both ends to secure. Refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight. If you are planning on baking these after a few weeks or something, freeze the dough until ready to use.

To bake, use a sharp knife to cut the cookies in 1/2 inch slices. Place the cookies on a silicone mat or parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the center of the oven at 325 degrees for 12 to15 minutes. They will feel slightly soft, but don't over bake them. Cool for a few minutes on the pan and then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Optional: sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Recipe adapted from: The View From Great Island

vanilla chai cupcakes

It's no secret that chai is my drug of choice. I will take a super-extra-large soy chai latte (extra spicy) any day, any time, all day, all the time...

When I saw a cupcake version of my favorite drink, I think I heard angels singing.

To make these cupcakes, you first make a spice mix of cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Half the spice mix goes in the batter and the other half goes in the icing. It gives the cupcakes so much flavor, and the cardamom really makes it taste like chai. If the price of cardamom scares you, I totally understand. But it will last you a long time! A little bit goes a long way.

 My kitchen was a hot mess trying to get all the spices together. I just needed to share that with you.

I have to be perfectly honest... I'm a bit of a cupcake snob. I hate it when they are over baked, dry, and way too sweet. But these little beauties are perfectly balanced. The cake is moist and the icing is creamy and spicy. It's like a dream.

Enjoy these!

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Vanilla Chai Cupcakes

Makes 12 Cupcakes

For the cake:
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 quantity chai spice mix (recipe to follow)
1 1/4 cups plain flour, sifted
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Chai Spice Mix
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the Vanilla Chai Buttercream:
2 stick (1 cup) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 quantity chai spice mix
1-2 tablespoons cold milk, if needed (I didn't)

For the cake:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place cupcake liners in muffin pan and set aside. Take a small mixing bowl and mix together the cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg.


In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for a few minutes. Add the vanilla and beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add half the quantity of your spice mix (this will be about 2 teaspoons) and stir until well combined. Add in the flour and buttermilk alternately (starting and ending with flour) being sure not to over mix the batter.

In a small bowl, mix together the baking soda and vinegar. It will bubble up and form a paste, then add it to the batter. Stir until just combined, then spoon into prepared cupcake pan until 3/4 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

For the buttercream:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until it is creamy. This will take a few minutes! While the mixer is on low, add the vanilla and remaining spice mix (about 2 teaspoons). Carefully add in the powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time, until you reach the desired sweetness and texture. If it is is too thick add 1-2 tablespoons of cold milk, but I did not have to do this. Pipe the buttercream onto cooled cupcakes and enjoy!

Recipe from The Novice Chef Blog... and I didn't change a thing!

caramel chocolate chip cookie bars

Now that my husband and I (ahh husband!) have settled down a bit since the big day, we have started a Movie Monday tradition in our new home. We invite friends over for a snack and a movie every Monday. It is a wonderful way to see everyone during the week and catch up from the weekend. Plus, no one really looks forward to Mondays and going back to work... so this gives all of us something to get through the day.

Last week, we watched the Adjustment Bureau and I made these caramel chocolate chip cookie bars. Let me tell you... they are so gooey and messy and delicious. The caramel in the center adds this amazing creamy texture.

I unwrapped 20 or so milk caramels and melted them in a pot on the stove with a few tablespoons of milk.

Spread half the cookie dough in a baking dish, then pour the creamy caramel sauce over the dough. The rest of the cookie dough goes on top, then its baked to ooey gooey perfection.

It is best to let these bars cool for at least an hour. I even stuck the pan in the fridge for 30 minutes or so, just to harden them up. They are SO gooey and almost hard to get out of the pan if you try to cut them too soon.

But trust me, it is worth every minute to wait for these bars. They are delicious. Enjoy!

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Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Yields: 14 bars

2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chocolate chips
10 ounces caramel candy squares (about 20), unwrapped
3 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart baking pan (which is an 11 X 7 pan-I used a glass Pyrex dish) with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the melted butter and sugars together until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix on low, just until combined. Gently stir in the chocolate chips.

In a large microwave safe bowl, combine the caramels and milk. Microwave caramels on High until caramels are melted, stirring every 20 seconds. This will take about 2 minutes, depending on your microwave. You can also do this step on the stove top in a small nonstick pan over medium heat, stirring almost constantly.

Divide the cookie dough in half. Press half of the cookie dough into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula. Pour hot caramel over the cookie dough. Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough over the caramel and spread dough with a spatula until the caramel is covered.

Bake cookie bars for 30 minutes or until the top of the bars are light golden brown and the edges start to pull away from the pan. Cool bars on a wire rack to room temperature. You may want to put the pan in the refrigerator until the bars are easier to cut. Then cut bars into squares and serve.

Recipe adapted from: Two Peas and Their Pod

low-fat chocolate chip banana muffins

I'm looking back on this title and trying to figure out why I hyphenated "low-fat" but not the rest of it. One of life's greatest mysteries.

Also, hello everyone! I am back from hibernation.

I could go on and on about why I haven't blogged in a few weeks, but you already know. I've been busy. Actually there are no words for just how busy I've been. There have been a few weekend trips to New Jersey for weddings, home renovation stuff, working, wedding planning, a grandmother in the hospital, making time for my sweet nephew, trying to remember I have a life...

And now here I am with a banner that still says "August" when it's October. And somehow I haven't lost any followers, which means you are all awesome. There are also no words for just how amazing you are.

Thanks for sticking with me. I keep telling Michael after we get married in January and the wedding planning is done, the honeymoon is over, and our home renovation is mostly done (in theory), we are going to be so bored. I can't wait.

These muffins are SO GOOD. I just started Weight Watchers last week. I was convinced by my sister who lost almost 40 pounds since her baby was born 2 months ago. Amazing!

I found this muffin recipe on a Weight Watchers friendly blog called Skinny Taste. They only have 5 points (or 170 calories) each. Instead of oil and a stick of butter, you use mashed bananas and applesauce. Beauitful for my tongue and my waistline.

They have a very strong banana flavor, but all you smell is chocolate while you're eating them. It's so divine.

Here is the recipe:

Low-Fat Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
3 1/2 ripe medium sized bananas, mashed
1/4 cup natural unsweetened apple sauce
2 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips (I used 70%)

Preheat oven to 325°. Line a muffin tin with 12 liners.

In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Add egg whites, bananas, apple sauce, vanilla, and beat at medium speed until thick. Scrape down sides of the bowl.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt with a wire whisk. Add flour mixture to bananas, then blend at low speed until combined; do not over mix. Fold in chocolate chips and pour batter into muffin tins.

Bake on the center rack for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with a few crumbs.

(recipe adapted from SkinnyTaste)

chocolate chunk cookie bars

Happy 4th of July everyone!

It's a lovely summer day here in Delaware. I have the day off work, so I've spent some time organizing my bills and other papers this morning. Then I made some of the most delicious, gooey cookie bars of all time.

I have plans tonight with the love of my life, my best friend and bridesmaid Sarah, her husband Steve and their darling daughter Summer. Last year, we all went to the beach loaded up with beach chairs and sparklers. It was a perfect night with the sun setting over the water and fireworks lighting up the sky. I can't wait to go again this year.

We are leaving in a few hours, but I wanted to share the snack I'm bringing along tonight to share with everyone.

These cookie bars are loaded with chunks of chocolate. They are practically falling apart... so ooey gooey and buttery.

You could use chocolate chips of course, but I love the rough chunks in here. It adds a nice texture.

I put 2 1/2 cups in the recipe... but really I wanted to say - big giant pile of chocolate goodness.

Enjoy these delicious little squares of love with a big glass of milk - you're going to need it.

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Chocolate Chunk Cookie Bars

print this recipe

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups roughly chopped semi-sweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray or grease a 13x9 baking dish and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the softened butter and sugars together until combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix on low, until just combined. Stir in chocolate chunks.

Pour cookie dough into prepared pan and spread out evenly. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, or until the top of the bars are just turning golden brown. Cool bars in pan, then cut and serve.

Serves: about 16 cookie bars

Recipe adapted from: Two Peas and Their Pod.

fresh strawberry pie

This strawberry pie is kind of beautiful, right?

It's the supermodel of pie world.

It's bright and fresh, very summery. Makes me want to run down a slip-n-slide and chase my friends around the yard with a hose. Does it make you want to do that too? No? Weird...

I baked this pie with my Mom about 2 weeks ago. I've been meaning to share it with you ever since, but life has gotten in the way. I didn't really need to tell you that though. I could have just let you believe I made this pie yesterday... but I like to keep it real.

We baked a shortbread-type pie crust for this. Bake any kind of pie crust you like for super sweet pies... or buy one from the store. I will not judge you at all.

Just a little trick: fill your pie shell with rice or beans to weigh it down while it bakes. That way, your crust won't bubble up and get air pockets in the oven. No one likes a bubbly pie crust.

The filling for this pie consists of fresh strawberries in a sugary sweet glaze. The glaze is very easy... made with jell-o powder, cornstarch, water and sugar. That's it! It's basically a strawberry simple syrup.

Once the glaze is completely cooled, mix in the diced strawberries and pour it into your pie crust of choice.

Then take lots of pictures... because it's just too beautiful not to have it's moment in the spotlight.

This pie is very sweet. I think it would be best topped off with fresh whipped cream that hardly has any sugar added. The tangy cream will off-set the sweetness of this pie perfectly.

Enjoy!

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Fresh Strawberry Pie Filling

print this recipe

3 tablespoons strawberry jell-o powder
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 quart fresh strawberries, cut into small pieces

Combine jell-o powder, cornstarch, water and sugar in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to boil, then let it boil for 1 minute. The glaze should be thick and the sugar dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool until cold. You may cover this and put it in the fridge for later use.

When ready to assemble the pie, add berries to jell-o mixture and stir. Then pour into cooled pie crust. Serve with fresh whipped cream!