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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!



Friday, December 30, 2011

Rolls, Sticks, & Crunch



Mock Cinnamon Rolls.

That's not what they are really called, just my personal name for them :)


Peppermint Marshmallow Sticks



Toffee Crunch
{Must of not gotten a "final" picture; anyway, this was not high on my list!}

More to come!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Pinterest {Better than Twix Bars}

Tonight we have a college & career get together and I decided to try making these "Better than Twix Bars" off my recipes board on Pinterest.

Better than Twix Bars

Shortbread layer:

2 sticks salted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour


FOR THE CRUST:

1) Preheat your oven to 300°F. Line 9" x 13" pan with nonstick foil.
2) In a bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and vanilla. Add the flour. Mix till it comes together.
3) Press it evenly into the pan.
4) Prick the crust all over with a fork {I found that the dough was too soft, so I baked it for 10 minutes before pricking and it was fine.}
5) Bake 35-45 minuets until the crust is lightly golden brown on top and the edges are deeper golden brown. {This step fluctuates with different ovens so watch carefully; remember you want to go with the lower time adding as needed. Also, convection ovens bake/cook foods in less time.}
 Remove from the oven and immediately run a knife around the edges to loosen the crust. Set it aside to cool completely. 
 

Caramel layer
20 ounces Kraft Caramels, unwrapped of course! (I bought some from our local Bulk Barn--MUCH cheaper!)
3 tablespoons heavy cream (I used Neilson's fresh Whipping Cream 35% M.F.}

FOR THE CARAMEL LAYER:

Melt the caramel and cream over low heat in a small saucepan {I sat a metal bowl onto a pot for use as a "double boiler"}. Pour the caramel over the cooled crust and set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill and firm up.

Chocolate layer:
18 ounces milk chocolate, melted (I used 2 bags of chocolate chips)
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening (if chocolate is too thick for pouring--I used sunflower oil)





Now, you have two options for the placement of the chocolate.

EASIEST OPTION:

Melt the chocolate slowly in a double boiler or over very low heat. If it seems very thick, add a tablespoon of shortening to thin it. Pour evenly over the chilled caramel layer and spread to cover all of the caramel. Return to the fridge until the chocolate is well set. Cut into bars or squares. It's best to store these bars in the refrigerator but take out a few minutes before serving.


Yummiest OPTION:
Cut into bars once the caramel has chilled and dip each bar individually into the melted chocolate. Lay on wax paper in fridge until set.


Enjoy!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Toddlers' Laws

Toddler Property Laws

1. If I like it, it's mine.

2. If it's in my hand, it's mine.

3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.

4. If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.

5. If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.

6. If I am doing or building something,all the pieces are mine.

7. If it looks like mine, it is mine.

8. If I saw it first, it's mine.

9. If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.

10. If it's broken, it's yours.