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.