Oreo cheesecake topped with cookies and cream mousse and chocolate ganache

After a rough sunday in Miami, I am making a plea to the football gods for my Bills for week 11 and am doing so with this request from my husband and a copycat of the cheesecake factory oreo dream extreme cheesecake.

This does take some time, but is worth it.  I used neufactel cheese, which is lower fat and lower calorie, so I added some cornstarch to help firm up the cheesecake layer.

  • Flourless Cake  ingredients
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 8 tbs butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened baking cocoa

Directions – preheat oven to 375 degrees.  in a microwave safe bowl, heat chocolate chips and butter in 45 second increments until you can stir smooth.  Add sugar, salt, and vanilla.  Blend in eggs well.  Line a 9″ round pan with parchment paper.  Evenly spread batter into pan.   Bake 18 to 22 minutes.  Cool completely

  • Ganache ingredients list
  • 2 cups chocolate chips
  • 2 cups heavy whipping cream

Directions – in a microwave safe bowl, heat cream for 3 minutes.  Add chips.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Stir smooth.   Place in fridge.

  • Cheesecake ingredients
  • 24 oz cream cheese (I used neufactel,  which is softer and lower calorie and lower fat)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tbs flour
  • 6 tbs cornstarch (if you are using neufactel or low fat cream cheese)
  • 3/4 cup greek yogurt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 yolk
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 12 to 16 Oreo cookies

Directions – preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a 9 inch springform pan with tin foil and spray with baking spray.  In a bowl, cream cream cheese, sugar and flour (and cornstarch if you are using a lower fat cheese).  Blend in Greek yogurt and vanilla.  Fold in eggs and yolk.  Pour 1/3 into prepared pan.  Top with 6 to 8 oreos and press down gently.  Top with a other third of batter and gently press 6 to 8 oreos on top.  Top with remaining third of batter.  Bake 55 to 60 minutes (middle jiggles a little and edges are set).  Turn off oven.   Crack oven and leave cheesecake in for an hour.  Transfer to fridge for a few hours.

  • Cookies and cream mousse
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • Crushed oreos (8 to 10)

Directions – in a bowl, whip cream amd powdered sugar to stiff peaks.  Blend in crushed oreos.    Put in fridge.

When ready to assemble – beat chilled ganache for a few minutes so it is spreadable.   Place flourless cake on a plate.  Spread a thin layer of ganache on top.  Gently place cheesecake on top of ganache layer.   Smooth oreo mousse on top of cheesecake layer.  Use rest of ganache on top and sides.  Store in fridge.

  • Layer list
  • Flourless cake
  • Thin ganache layer
  • Cheesecake
  • Cookies and cream layer
  • Frost entire thing with rest of ganache

Thanks for stopping by today!

M&M Oatmeal cookies, topped with melted milk chocolate

We had one last bag of leftover candy from Halloween – a bag of plain m&ms.   so I thought “why not bake with them?” 

Note the colors in the middle – red and blue!  Go Bills!

Instead of the usual chocolate chip cookie recipe, I went with oatmeal, for something different.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  Chill the individual  doughs for a few hours.  And preheat your oven before baking

  • Ingredients list
  • 8 tbs butter, softened
  • 2 1/2 tbs crisco
  • 1 cup plus 2 tbs plus 2 tsp brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbs honey
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 1 1/3 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2  cups oats (I used quick pats)
  • 1 cup m&ms

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, crisco and brown sugar.  Add egg, honey and vanilla.  Blend in flour, salt and oats.   Mix in m&ms.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough.  Chill a few hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet.  flatten cookies to desired thickness.

Bake 10 minutes, no longer. Cool completely.

Top with melted milk chocolate.

Store in covered container

Cookie dough topped, frosted brown sugar cookies

Another treat for my non chocolate loving friends at work.  A brown sugar cookie, with a brownie sugar cookie dough frosting and topped with pieces of edible cookie dough.

Remember to spoon your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount, chill the individual mounds of dough for a few hours, and preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Directions – In a bowl, cream butter and brown sugar.  Add egg, oil and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough and form tall mounds.  Chill at least a few hours in the fridge.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, no longer.   Cookies may be gushy.  You can pop them in the fridge to help firm them up.  Make sure they are completely cooled.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1,/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup flour (heated in a microwave safe container for 30 seconds)
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tbs heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter and brown sugar.   Add flour and powdered sugar. Mix in vanilla and cream. 

  • Edible cookie dough ingredients
  • 4 tbs butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbs heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1,/2 cup flour (heated in a microwave safe container for 30 seconds)
  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter and brown sugar.  Add cream, vanilla and salt.  Blend in flour.  Mix in chips.  Scoop out tsp of dough and roll into balls.

Frost cooled cookies and topped with pieces of cookie dough. 

Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Frosted Churro Cookies

One of today’s treats are frosted Churro cookies.  Basically a sugar cookie sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and topped with buttercream frosting.  I actually have an electric, plug in churro maker – similar to a foreman grill.  Yet I have never used it!  one of several kitchen gadgets i bought but rarely use, or have ever used

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right eight amount.   chilled them smushed doughs overnight to keep them thick.  Preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 2 1/2 -2 3/4 cups flour
  • Water (might need a tbs or 2 if dough seems too dry)
  • Cinnamon sugar mixture

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, oil, powdered sugar, egg and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.  Add a tbs or 2 of water if dough seems too dry.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough.   Spray the bottom of a drinking glass with pam.  Dip bottom of glass in sugar.  Slightly flatten.  Sprinkle top of cookie with cinnamon sugar.   Chill a few hours. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350.   Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies.  Bake 9 to 11 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 to 4 tbs milk

Combine ingredients in a bowl.  Frost cookies. 

Store in covered container. 

Week nine victory Monday treats – chocolate football sandwich cookies

Chiefs- Bills, Mahomes-Allen round 10!   Stressful as always, josh played great and Mahomes worked his impossible magic, as usual.  I stood the last 5 minutes of the game and am pretty sure I did not breathe.   Anyways, to celebrate i made football theme chocolate cutout cookie sandwiches – a football, a helmet and a jersey.  And i used a vanilla buttercream for the filling.

Remember to scoop your flour and cocoa from their containers into your measuring  up so you get the correct amount. Also, preheat your oven to 350 before baking.

  • Cookie ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.  In a bowl, cream butter and sugar.  Add egg and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.   Sprinkle some flour on a clean, flat surface.  Roll dough to desired thickness and cut (i prefer mine on the thick side).   Place on prepared cookie sheet.  They don’t spread a ton, but don’t crowd them on the sheet.  Bake 9 to 11 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.

  • Filling ingredients
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Milk

In a bowl, combine butter and vanilla. Mix in powdered sugar.  Add milk, a tbs at a time, until you get the consistency you want.   Place a spoonfuls between two cookies. 

Store in covered container.

Go Bills!

Halloween brown sugar cut out cookies

One last cutout cookies recipe, using my Halloween cookies cutters.  This is a brown sugar cookie recipe, no granulated sugar required.

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  And preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 3/4 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 1/4 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Directions – preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Set aside.   in a bowl, cream butter and brown sugar. Add egg and vanilla.  Fold in dry ingredients.   Form dough into large ball and divide in half.   Sprinkle flour on a clean flat surface.   Roll out dough to desired thickness.  Cut out your cookies.  Place on prepared cookie sheet.  Bake 8 to 10 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups powdered sugar (scooped from your container into your measuring cup)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • Milk

Directions – in a bowl, combine butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar.  Add milk, 1 tbs at a time, until you get the consistency you want.  Frost cookies.  I sprinkled the frosting tops with Halloween sprinkles. 

Store in covered container.

Victory Monday week 8 treats – Dark chocolate mini m&m milk chocolate chip cookies

That is a mouthful of a title, I know.  But these are a seriously chocolate cookie – melted dark chocolate chips in the dough and filled with mini m&ms and milk chocolate chips.

To melt the chips – place them in a microwave safe bowl and melt them in 45 second increments until you can stir smooth.  

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag so you get the right amount.  Also, chill the individual doughs for a few hours before baking, and preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 10 tbs butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • 2 2/3 cups dark chocolate chips (melted)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup baking cocoa
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Mini m&ms
  • Milk chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, brown sugar and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend in melted chocolate chips.  Fold in dry ingredients.   Mix in m&ms and milk chocolate chips.  Scoop out 1/4 cups dough.  Chill a few hours.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet like below.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes, no longer.  Right after removing from oven, gently press more milk chocolate chips on top of cookies.

These will likely be gushy.  Pop them in the fridge to firm them up.  Store in covered container.

Snowball triple chip cookies

I wanted to do a different kind of chocolate chip cookie.  These use granulated sugar and  powdered sugar instead of brown sugar.  I used 3 kinds of chips – semisweet, white and milk chocolate.

Remember to scoop your flour and powdered sugar from their containers into your measuring cups so you get the right amount.  Also I recommend chilling the individual doughs for several hours before baking.   And preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 5 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup white chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup milk chocolate chips

Directions – in a bowl, cream butter, oil, sugar and powdered sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.   Fold in chips.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough.  Chill doughs several hours.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Stagger cookies on sheet, like below.

Gently press extra chips on top.

Bake 8 to 11 minutes.  Bottoms will be golden brown.  Tops will be a little gushy,  but will firm up as they cool. 

Sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

Cool completely.   Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Cookie dough filled black cocoa  brownie whoopie pies

For our MLB postseason Doubleheader- NLCS Game 3 and ALCS Game 4, I present black cocoa brownie whoopie pies with cookie dough filling.

Remember to scoop your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the correct amount and preheat your oven before baking. 

  • Brownie whoopie pie ingredients
  • 1 cup butter, melted
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed into measuring cup
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup black cocoa
  • 1 ts
  • 1 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Directions – in a bowl,  combine melted butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Blend in dry ingredients.   Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough and form tall mounds.   Chill a few hours.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   On a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, stagger cookies doughs.  Bake 9 to 11 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely. 

  • Cookie dough filling ingredients
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tbs brown sugar, firmly packed
  • 2 tbs sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup plus 2 tbs flour
  • 2 tbs milk
  • 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (opt)

Directions – in a bowl, combine butter, sugar and brown sugar.  Add flour and salt.  Add enough milk to get consistency you want.  Mix in chips.

For assembly –

Cut cookies in half, place flat side up.

Top one half with a spoonfuls of cookie dough.

Top with other half of cookie and smush down lightly.

Store in covered container.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Chocolate frosted peanut butter sugar cookies

Another variation of a sugar cookie,  this time with peanut butter.  And chocolate frosting instead of melted milk chocolate.  These are nice and thick and sweet!

Remember to scoop your flour from your flour bag into your measuring cup so you get the right amount.  I also recommend chilling the individual doughs for a few hours so they spread less.  And preheat your oven before baking.

  • Ingredients list
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 2 tbs vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2  cup plus 2 tbs sugar
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs powdered sugar
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbs greek yogurt
  • 2 3/4 cups flour
  • Extra sugar

Direction – in a bowl, cream butter, peanut butter, sugar, vegetable oil, and powdered sugar.  Mix in cream of tartar, salt and baking soda.  Add egg, vanilla and Greek yogurt.   Blend in flour.  Scoop out 1/4 cups of dough.  Roll into a ball.  Spray the bottom of a drinking glass with cooking spray and slightly flatten dough ball.  Sprinkle with extra sugar.  Chill a few hours.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Stagger cookies on sheet.  Bake 10 minutes, no longer.  Cool completely.

  • Frosting ingredients list
  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 tbs greek yogurt
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tbs unsweetened baking cocoa
  • 2 tbs heavy cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Directions – in a bowl, mix butter, Greek yogurt, powdered sugar and cocoa.   Add heavy cream and vanilla.   Frost cookies.  Store in covered container in fridge to firm up. 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!