Peppermint Bark Cheesecake

I love trying new cheesecake ideas and with the beginning of the Christmas season I was inspired by Ghirardelli peppermint bark candy bars.  If you have never had one, it is a dark chocolate candy, layered with white chocolate and peppermint candy bits.

I made this recipe for both my husband's military Christmas party and my coworkers.  There were no leftovers!   I layered dark chocolate cheesecake, peppermint cheesecake, and white chocolate cheesecake with peppermint pieces, all topped-off with cool whip and pieces of Ghirardelli peppermint bark candy bars.

Peppermint Bark Cheesecake

Crust
2 c. graham cracker crumbs (you can use honey or chocolate)
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted

Filling
32 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 c. sugar
3 tbls. flour
5 eggs, at room temperature
1/3 c. cream
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Add-ins
4 oz. dark chocolate, melted (I used Ghirardelli)
4 oz. white chocolate (I used Ghirardelli)
2 peppermint candy canes, crushed*
peppermint extract - to taste (about 2 tbls.)
red food color - to desired color
1 tbls. cream

Topping
Cool whip
Ghirardelli peppermint bark candy bar, broken into pieces


1.  Combine crust ingredients and press into the bottom of a greased 9" spring-form pan.
2.  Cream together the sugar and softened cream cheese until smooth.
3.  Beat in eggs, on at a time, until well incorporated.
4.  Mix in cream, flour, salt, and vanilla.
5.  Divide batter into thirds.
6.  Add melted chocolate into first third of batter.  Pour on top of crust.  Tap pan firmly on counter to remove air bubbles.
7.  Add peppermint extract and food color to second third of batter.  If batter appears a little thin, add 1-2 tbls. of flour to thicken it up a bit.  Pour on top of chocolate batter.  Tap pan firmly on counter to remove air bubbles.
8.  Combine 1 tbls. cream and white chocolate in microwave-safe container.  Heat until melted and smooth.  Add to remaining batter.  Pour on top of peppermint batter.  Tap pan firmly on counter to remove air bubbles.
*You may add the crushed candy canes in either the middle or top layer.  If you add it to the top layer, be prepared for your batter to turn light pink.  I did not appreciate the aesthetics of this little accident, so I'd put them in the middle layer.
9.  Bake in a water bath at 350F for 45-55 min or until firm, but the very center is still a little wobbly.
10.  Run a knife around edge of cheesecake to loosen it from the pan.  This will help to prevent cracking.
11.  Turn off the oven and crack open door; allow cheesecake to cool in oven for 1 hour.

12.  Just before serving, top with cool whip and Ghirardelli peppermint bark candy bar pieces.

Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies

A few days ago a friend of mine was talking about a recipe she found on Pinterest for Carrot Cake Cookie Sandwiches. They looked amazing, so I attempted to make the recipe yesterday. I decided to cheat a little and use pre-shredded carrots. Unfortunately, the shred was not fine enough, the recipe incorporated oatmeal, and I did not have pumpkin pie spice, so I was not pleased with the outcome.

As I perused through the original post for the recipe, I came across a new post from the same author for Irish Cream Whoopie Pies. I've only ever had one Whoopie pie, which was made for me by a dear friend from Maine, and it was the traditional chocolate with vanilla cream. The recipe gave me the idea to try making a carrot cake Whoopie pie (since I had carrots on hand). I decided to refine the shred on the carrots in my food processor. I also added a little bit of red and yellow color to the icing because it is spring, and light orange looked pretty with the cookie. I hope you get a chance to try this recipe, which I modified from the original found here.

Carrot Cake Whoopie Pies

2 1/3 c flour
1 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 c oil
1 c finely shredded carrot
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c milk
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger

Cream Cheese Icing

8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz butter, softened
3 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Red and Yellow food color

For cookie, combine dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients (including carrots and sugars) in a separate bowl. Combine wet with dry with a minimum of mixing (or cookie will be tough). Drop by tablespoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 or until firm. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely.

For icing, cream butter and cream cheese in mixer. Add vanilla and food color. Slowly add in powdered sugar. Place in plastic bag and chill for at least 30 minutes. Place icing on one cookie and top with another.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I consider myself a damn good cook. I have yet to be told other wise. Now, that being said, I've always had a hard time getting the simplest of deserts right; the chocolate chip cookie. It could be because my idea of a tasty chocolate chip cookie is made by Keebler elves in a magical land far far away. They are the perfect chewy consistency, with just the right amount of chocolate-y-ness.

I have followed the recipe on the back of the Hershey's and Nestle's bags. I have tried Girardelli chips with the Better Homes and Gardens Recipe. Still no luck. A few weeks ago I opened a Pinterest account and stumbled onto a yummy looking picture of marbled chocolate chip cookies. The author had slightly modified the New York Times recipe. I took the idea, modified it slightly for my needs, and ended up with a damn fine cookie!

Try them and let me know what you think. This recipe yields three dozen medium-sized cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 2/3 c flour
1 1/3 c sugar
1 1/3 c brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp sea salt
2 eggs
2 sticks butter, room temperature
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla

Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, one at a time, mixing well between additions. Add in the vanilla and stir well. Add flour, salt, soda, and powder. Stir until well combined. With a wooden spoon, stir in cocoa and chocolate chips. Yes this method makes the dough look marbled instead of a uniform chocolate color. For a medium-sized cookie, roll 1 tbls dough into a ball, then place in a gallon-sized baggy or a bowl. Refrigerate dough for 24 hours. (The recipe that I used did not make this suggestion, but it was very difficult to portion the cold dough onto the cookie sheet). Place dough 2" apart on parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes, or until the bottoms are slightly browned and the dough is just set. Remove from oven and allow to rest for three minutes then cool on a wire rack. Be sure pan is cooled off before baking the next batch.

The recipe that I used suggested sprinkling sea salt on top of the cookies before baking. This was a yummy idea, but I don't feel like it added much to the over-all flavor of the cookie. I might suggest adding some chopped roasted pecans instead.

Mint Chocolate Chip Brioche

While I was in college I worked for a patisserie in Rochester, NY that served a wonderful Mint Chocolate Chip Brioche on Sundays. I have made brioche before, but could never find a good enough recipe to duplicate the heavenly taste of those from Jean-Claude's Patisserie.

At 8 1/2 months pregnant, when a craving sets in, I'm bound to try to find a way to fulfill it. So, I got online and looked for a brioche recipe that I felt might be close to the one used by that fantastic french bakery. I found one by Ina Garten from the Food Network. I tweaked her recipe ever so slightly and I think it turned out fantastic.

Some of the comments that I read on the Food Network complain about the difficulty of the recipe and the overnight refrigeration. This is by far the easiest, hands-off approach to brioche that I have seen and the refrigeration allows the dough to mature overnight and improve in flavor. I do not recommend skipping this step, though it is not necessary.

You can omit the mint chocolate chips and leave the brioche plain or add fruit (such as blueberries, apples, etc).

Mint Chocolate Chip Brioche
1/2 c warm milk
1 package active dry yeast
6 tbls sugar
6 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
4 1/2 c flour
2 1/2 tsp salt
12 tbls unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 bag mint chocolate chips
1 egg mixed w/1 tbls milk, for egg wash

Combine the milk, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast and sugar dissolve. Add the eggs and beat on medium speed for 1 minute, until well mixed. With the mixer on low speed, add 2 cups of the flour and the salt and mix for 5 minutes. With the mixer still on low, add 2 1/4 more cups of flour and mix for 5 more minutes. Scrape the dough into a large buttered bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.

The next day, allow the dough to sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Meanwhile, grease 24 mini brioche tins or two muffin tins. Set aside.

Place the dough in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the softened butter in chunks, and mix for 2 minutes, adding additional flour as needed to make a ball. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and divide the dough into 1/4 and 3/4 portions. Further divide the 3/4 portion into 24 balls and place them in the tins. Using your index finger place an indent in the center of each ball. Roll the remaining dough into 24 tiny balls and place one in each indentation. Cover the tins with a damp towel and set aside to rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 2 hours. Alternately, place the tins, uncovered, in the oven with a hot water bath for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the top of each roll with the egg wash and bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops spring back and it sounds slightly hollow when tapped. Turn the rolls out onto a wire rack to cool.

Coconut Cake

I saw a recipe for coconut cake using fresh coconut in the April 2010 issue of BHG and it looked so yummy that I decided to make it (albeit over one year later). Most of my cooking escapades are issue free, but this one did not go so well!

Let's start with the coconut. According to the recipe and author, cracking a coconut doesn't have to be difficult. I beg to differ. You are supposed to put holes in two of the eyes using an ice pick, which I do not own, so I used a screw driver and hammer. Drain all of the water from the coconut and set that aside. Then tap the coconut forcefully all over in order to loosen the shell. After several minutes the shell should crack. Then break the shell open completely using a few more forceful taps of the hammer. Next, using a thin, flexible knife, separate the shell from the flesh. A thin skin will remain, but can be removed with a vegetable peeler. Finally, shred the coconut finely using a box grater. Hopefully your experience is better than mine. I did get the water drained but was never able to crack the coconut open, so my husband smashed it for me. I then used the thinnest knife that I had, but was not able to separate the shell from the flesh. When I managed to get a small amount of flesh cleaned and grated, I tried a bite and found it highly unappealing. I couldn't imagine how the mostly tasteless chewy flesh was going to taste good on a cake.

The recipe for the cake batter is pretty straight forward and quite tasty. I would recommend it for making any yellow cake. I don't understand why it is called coconut cake since there is no coconut flavor in the batter. It seems to me that it should be a yellow cake with coconut frosting. If you make a yellow cake with chocolate icing, it is not called chocolate cake.

I made the batter and placed it into two prepared pans. One was an individual round cake pan. The other was an extra deep Wilton round cake pan. Once the cake was cooled, I planned on cutting it in half to make two separate layers. Here is where my second problem occurred. The individual layer cooked nicely in about 20 minutes as expected, but the double layer was still not cooked after 1 1/2 hours (normally this pan requires a 50-60 min cook time). After several failed attempts to get things going I learned that my oven had stopped working. Flash forward a few days: The oven had come mostly unplugged, my husband remedied the situation and the oven works fine. Back to the cake: It never completely cooked through. So, I took it out of the pan, placed it on a microwave safe plate, and nuked it for 10 minutes. Obviously this dried the cake out to the point that it could not be used as a layered cake. It turned into the cake used for a tiramisu, though a yummy treat, I do not recommend the recipe that I used for the cheese filling, so I won't post it. But I digress. :)

I never got to make the icing, so I cannot give you any tips or tricks for that part.

After some thought I have decided to post the recipe that I will use next time I attempt to make a coconut cake. I will give you the original recipe with my suggested changes in parenthesis. I intend to use coconut milk to give the cake a light coconut flavor and packaged sweetened coconut because it is easy and guaranteed to taste good. May you have better luck than I!

Coconut Cake

Batter:
5 eggs
1 c butter
1 c whole milk (coconut milk or coconut water)
3 c cake flour (all-purpose)
1 tbls baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 c sugar
1 tbls vanilla

Frosting:
3-4 c fresh grated coconut (packaged sweetened coconut)
3 egg whites
2 c sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 c water
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla

Cake:
Let the eggs, butter, and milk come up to room temperature. Meanwhile, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt onto a piece of parchment (or waxed) paper. In a large mixing bowl beat butter until smooth, add sugar and vanilla and mix until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl periodically. Alternate adding flower and milk (1/3 each at a time) until batter is well mixed and smooth. Evenly divide batter among three round or square pans that have been greased, lined with parchment (or waxed) paper, greased again, and floured. Bake for 20-25 min at 350 F or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake in pans for ten minutes then invert on wire rack and cool completely.

Icing:
Let the egg whites come up to room temperature. In a medium saucepan combine sugar, cream of tartar, and water. Cook and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Cover and bring to boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove cover and cook until candy thermometer reaches 240 F. DO NOT STIR! Beat egg whites until frothy, add salt and beat until stiff peaks form. While beating on low speed, slowly drizzle in hot syrup. Add vanilla. Beat on medium-high for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluffy.

Ice cake being sure to sprinkle coconut between layers and on outside of cake. If the icing begins to thicken up, place frosting bowl over bowl of hot water and mix periodically. For a slightly different flavor you can use toasted coconut.

BBQ Beef (Crockpot)

I have never made BBQ beef before, but thought it would be a yummy way to celebrate 4th of July this year. I know the easiest method is to place beef and BBQ in a crock pot, but then the beef doesn't seem to get as much flavor, lots of BBQ is wasted, and the crock pot is a mess to clean up! So, I decided to try my own recipe, it is currently cooking, so I'll have to post later to tell you how it turned out. Good luck to me :)

BBQ Beef (Crock pot)

1 c water
1/2 large onion (diced)
1/4 c ketchup
1 tbls prepared mustard
1 tbls onion powder
1 tbls garlic powder (I didn't have any so I used Mrs. Dash Garlic & herb)
2 beef bouillon cubes
2-4 lb beef chuck roast
Salt
Pepper
8 oz beer (I used Woodchuck Hard Cider instead)
BBQ sauce
Buns

Combine the onion, ketchup, mustard, onion and garlic powders, bouillon cubes, water, and beer in a large crock pot. Place beef in mixture and thoroughly season both sides with salt and pepper. Cook on the lowest setting that time allows. I started late so it will be 6 hours. Once the meat is done, pour off liquid, shred beef and mix with your favorite BBQ sauce. I like Gates original (a local BBQ). I will put the BBQ in the crock pot because I don't want to waste the onions that have cooked all day and I want to heat the sauce up a little. Enjoy!

Red, White, and Blue Ice Cream Dessert

Many of the foods that I make were once inspired by a recipe that I read somewhere, but failed to write down. This tasty festive treat is one of those recipes. It is very simple, very pretty, and most importantly delicious. The sweetness of the ice cream is contrasted with a slight tanginess from the blueberry muffin mix. The strawberries add an excellent contrast. Enjoy!

Red, White, and Blue Ice Cream Dessert

1 box Bakery Style Blueberry Muffin Mix (shoud include muffin mix, blueberries, and crumble topping)
1 qt Vanilla ice cream, softened
1 pint strawberries, sliced
2 tbls butter, melted

Grease an 8x8 square baking dish. Combine melted butter with 2/3 of muffin mix. Press into bottom of dish to form a crust. Bake in oven at 350 F for 10 min or until set but not browned. Cool completely. Combine ice cream with remaining muffin mix. Spread evenly on top of crust. Sprinkle top with packet of crumble topping. Place in freezer until ice cream has re-frozen. Just before serving, remove dish from freezer and place in hot water for 30 sec to 1 min to loosen up the edges. Strain and rinse blueberries. Arrange blueberries and strawberries in pattern of choice.