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Saturday, January 28, 2012

Raspberry Swirl Cheese{Cup}cakes

I first made these for our Christmas banquet. They were so yummy! And pretty--I had one person ask me if I bought them. I love that they are small. I love the use of fresh raspberries--love, love raspberries! And, I love that everybody loved them :) One batch was just not enough.

So I decided to make more and give them as gifts :)

Try them--you won't be disappointed.




Process cookies in a food processor until you have fine crumbs.  In a small bowl, combine the biscuit crumbs with the melted butter. Stir together with a fork until well blended and the crumbs are moistened.  


Press 1 tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner.


{I used a drinking glass that narrowed at the bottom  to easily and evenly press the crumbs down.}


Next, you want to beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed in a bowl until fluffy. Blend in the sugar until smooth. Mix in the salt and vanilla.


Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.


 

Once your filling is nice and creamy, spoon 3 tablespoons of the cheesecake batter over the crust in each cupcake liner. Dot a ½ teaspoon of the raspberry puree in a few dots over the cheesecake filling. Use a toothpick to lightly swirl and create a marbled effect.

To make the raspberry puree, combine the raspberries and sugar in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth, then pour through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds.



Bake until the filling is set; I used the convection setting on my oven and they were done in about 18 minutes. {Every oven is different, though, so I would definitely keep an eye  on them.} When you take them out of the oven, they look quite puffed--don't worry, they will return to normal quickly. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to the refrigerator and let chill for at least 4 hours before serving.


These are SO good! Hope you try them!

Raspberry Swirl Cheese{Cup}cake

Ingredients

Crust:

1½ cups biscuit crumbs

4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Raspberry Swirl:

6 oz. fresh raspberries

2 tbsp. sugar



Cheesecake:

4 packages {8oz each} cream cheese, at room temperature

1½ cups sugar

Pinch of salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 large eggs, at room temperature



Directions

Preheat the oven to 325˚ F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

Process cookies in a food processor until you have fine crumbs.  In a small bowl, combine the biscuit crumbs with the melted butter. Stir together with a fork until well blended and the crumbs are moistened. Press 1 tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner. {I used a drinking glass that narrowed at the bottom  to easily and evenly press the crumbs down.}

To make the raspberry puree, combine the raspberries and sugar in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth, then pour through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds.
Once your filling is nice and creamy, spoon 3 tablespoons of the cheesecake batter over the crust in each cupcake liner. Dot a ½ teaspoon of the raspberry puree in a few dots over the cheesecake filling. Use a toothpick to lightly swirl and create a marbled effect.
Bake until the filling is set; I used the convection setting on my oven and they were done in about 18 minutes. {Every oven is different, though, so I would definitely keep an eye on them.} When you take them out of the oven, they look quite puffed--don't worry, they will return to normal quickly. Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to the refrigerator and let chill for at least 4 hours before serving.
 
Found on Pinterest; adapted from Annie's Eats.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Coffee Bean Cookies

Today was Mrs. Fountain's birthday and since she loves coffee, I wanted to make these for her.

The extras were also a hit with the other teachers and students.

I got the original recipe from here after finding it on pinterest


Coffee Bean Cookies


1 cup butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2/3 cup dark-chocolate covered coffee beans 

2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips



1. Beat butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until creamy; add sugars and beat well. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.





2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture. Stir in chocolate covered coffee beans and semisweet chips.





3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drop dough by the heaping teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until golden. 


Enjoy with a tall glass of milk or a hot cup of coffee!