Chocolate cheesecake with an oreo crust

I asked Rob what he wanted for Thanksgiving dinner this year, and he said lasagna. He despises turkey and the rest of the Thanksgiving fixings, so the last few Thanksgivings I have worked and we have had lasagna for our dinner on 🦃day. And when it came to dessert, Rob requested chocolate cheesecake. I think I do pretty well, even though I am new to making cheesecakes. (Cheesecake factory has nothing to worry about though) 😉

I pre-baked the oreo crust for 10 minutes because that is what I see people recommending online for cheesecake crusts. Something about keeping the crust from getting soggy.

Here is a peek at the oreo crust
  • Crust ingredients
  • 24 oreos, finely crushed
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line the inside of a 10 inch springform pan with tin foil on the bottom and halfway up the sides. In a bowl, combine crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes. While crust is in the oven, prepare cheesecake.

  • Cheesecake ingredients
  • 24 ounces cream cheese, softened (I used neufchatel, which is softer, less calories, and lower fat)
  • 14 ounce can condensed milk
  • 12 ounce semisweet chocolate chips, melted
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla

In a bowl, beat cream cheese smooth. Add condensed milk. Blend in melted chocolate. Beat in one egg at a time. Stir in vanilla. Pour over crust. Bake 70 minutes at 300 degrees. Remove from oven. Cool completely. Store covered in fridge.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Wishing you peace and happiness. And please, remember to be kind.

Very puffy triple chip cookies

As we enjoy another night of Stanley Cup playoff hockey, I decided to make some chocolate chip cookies. These are made with browned butter and 2 oz of cream cheese. The cream cheese helped them stay thick and they did not spread out at all. You can not taste the cream cheese at all! They stayed nice and puffy and are loaded with 3 kinds of chocolate chips.

A few notes – browned butter is super easy. Place the butter in a sauce pan, cook over low heat . A few minutes after it completely melts, brown specks will appear. Turn off the pan and pour butter in bowl. Let it cool for 30 minutes. Spoon your flour from your flour bag into your container so you get the right amount. And preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking so your oven cycles to the right temp.

1/2 cup butter

2 oz cream cheese (I used low fat)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 yolk

2 tsp vanilla

2 1/4 cup flour (scooped from your flour bag into your measuring cup)

1 tbs cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

2/3 cup white chocolate chips

2/3 cup milk chocolate chips

2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

3 kinds of chips!

Directions – place butter in a pan, cook over low-medium heat until there are small brown specks. Cool in a bowl for a half hour. (Otherwise, the chips may melt and you will have marble cookies). Preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. In a bowl, combine cooled butter, cream cheese, brown sugar and sugar. Add egg, yolk and vanilla. Blend in dry ingredients (you may need to use your hands and mix them like meatballs). Mix in chips. Scoop our 1/4 cups dough. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. Stagger cookies on the sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes (no longer). Cool completely.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!!

Red velvet whoopie pies

Red velvet whoopie pies

This whoopie pie recipe is super easy. I chose red velvet, but you can use any flavor. I opted for a cream cheese filling. And I even used my whoopie pie pans. (One of many baking items I have that really don’t have more than one use, along with my churro maker -looks like a foreman grill used for burgers, and a twinkie pan.

Remember to preheat your oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. You can use a cookie sheet, just line it with a nonstick baking liners or parchment paper. Also, I let the butter and cream cheese soften in a bowl on my countertop while I baked the pies, to speed up the process.

  • Whoopie pie ingredients
  • 1 red velvet cake mix
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil

Directions- preheat oven to 350 degrees for 20 minutes before baking. Line a cookie sheet with nonstick baking liners. In a bowl, mix cake mix, eggs and oil. Scoop out 1 1/2 tbs of dough and roll into balls. Stagger on prepared sheet. Bake 8 to 9 minutes (no longer). Cool completely.

  • Filling ingredients
  • 4 tbs butter, softened
  • 4 tbs cream cheese, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions – cream butter and cream cheese. Blend in vanilla. Slowly, mix in powdered sugar. Spoon a generous amount between 2 whoopie pies. Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. I wish you a day filled with love, joy and peace. Remember to be kind!!!