peanut butter cheesecake - i love everyone's birthday!

This is my fourth year living with my roommate M, which means we have celebrated four of her birthdays together (all of which I have no recollection of). You see, last night we (me, her, our other roommate A, and a few other select close friends) spent the night wandering incoherently all throughout Manhattan. Luckily this morning we were able to piece together the night (seeing as how all of us had different memories and different blackouts) to conclude that we indeed did have an excellent time for her 21st birthday.


The following morning was a different story though. All of us woke up groggy, tired, and extremely thirsty. Somehow I managed to crawl downstairs and rummage through the kitchen for birthday-baking-ideas (while at the same time chugging copious amounts of water).


M is a pretty picky eater (and by picky, I mean she really only eats a few things- pasta, pasta, and pasta). One thing that I know for sure that she likes is cheesecake. But I've already made a ton of basic cheesecakes - Brown Sugar, Blackberry, Strawberry, Lime. And to be quite honest- I don't even know if she likes crazy flavored cheesecakes.


Ah but alas- my memory has saved the day. Every time she goes to TGIF, she comes home with a doggy bag of her unfinished Peanut Butter Cheesecake. I know this because she always ends up asking me to her her finish (which of course I gladly do).


Coincidentally, I happen to be the ultimate peanut butter lover. Perhaps this idea was just as much for me as for her; but nonetheless, I knew that she would enjoy a peanut butter flavored cheesecake.


Hungover and all, I made my other roommate A help me in the creation of this delicious cheesecake.


Of course the cheesecake cracked in the center (in the shape of a T nonetheless) just like every cheesecake I have ever made. I attempted to distract the attention from the deep gorges by decorating the top with big white blobs of royal icing (like she'd care anyways).


So after the birthday girl blew out the candles and opened up her presents (a pasta cook book and a 30-pack of Bud Light- yeah, we're really classy here), it was time to eat! Being the nazi that I am, I was given the knife to cut everyone their slice.


The cheesecake was smooth and creamy, how I personally prefer it. Unfortunately the peanut butter flavor was lacking and could have been much stronger. I wouldn't call this recipe a fail by any means, but I'd definitely like to try fiddling with it in the future.


Typical to my roommate, she ate one whole slice of cheesecake before the entire thing was gone. You see, she's not much of a sweets person, which contrasts greatly with the other two people in the house. What I'm basically getting at is that me and my other roommate happily helped the birthday girl finish her cheesecake. Happy birthday M!

---RECIPE---
Taken from Taste of Home.

ingredients:
1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup crushed cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
6 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, divided
6 peanut butter cups, cut into small wedges

directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, sugar, cookie crumbs and butter. Press onto the bottom and 1 in. up the sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Place on a baking sheet.
2. Bake at 350° for 7-9 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat peanut butter on high for 30 seconds or until softened. Spread over crust to within 1 in. of edges.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour 1 cup into a bowl; set aside. Pour remaining filling over peanut butter layer.
3. In a microwave, heat 1/4 cup fudge topping on high for 30 seconds or until thin; fold into reserved cream cheese mixture. Carefully pour over filling; cut through with a knife to swirl.
4. Return pan to baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 55-65 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer.
5. Microwave remaining fudge topping for 30 seconds or until warmed; spread over cheesecake. Garnish with peanut butter cups. Refrigerate overnight. Refrigerate leftovers.

mini cinnamon brown sugar cheesecake - wrong season, but equally yummy

While waiting for my mini blackberry cheesecake to bake, my mind began to wander. What if, for some unknown reason, the jam separates in the cream cheese mixture and floods the entire cheesecake? Or, what if, for some other unknown reason, I got the timing wrong for these damn mini springform pans and happened to be severely overcooking them? Whatever the case may be for these strange exaggerations running through my mind, I was just not content with the cheesecake (and yes, this was while the cheesecake was still in the oven). I scrambled for another recipe to make; there was no way this Friday's baking activities were going to end unsatisfactory.


I figured- what the hell, I'd try to conjure up yet another mini cheesecake. (You see, technically, two mini cheesecakes equal half of a regular size cheesecake. Mathematically, I think these cheesecakes are still aligned with my diet plan, hehe.)


As for flavoring, I chose to go in a complete opposite direction from the blackberry cheesecake. Perhaps something seasonal and warm? I found a lot of recipes online for a cinnamon brown sugar cheesecake and it just spoke to me. (I guess I was confused and thought the current season was Fall.)


"You call me a bitch like it's a bad thing?" Believe it or not, shot glasses are useful for more than just measuring vodka shots when you've had a bad baking day. I used the shot glass to press down the graham cracker crumbs and push them up against the walls. Oh, and did I mention I flavored the crust with more cinnamon and brown sugar? (Delicious!)


So unlike the blackberry cheesecake, this little monster decided to collapse upon itself while baking. This is an everyday occurrence for my 9-inch spring form pan, but I'm truly appalled that this is the first time my mini pan caused breakage.


Besides the disgusting depression in the center, the tiny brown cylinder of deliciousness really pleased me. Mini cheesecakes just might be my new favorite thing.


These little slices were just the right size to nibble on (that is, if you were in the nibbling mood).


My boyfriend and I, on the other hand, probably found the entire 4.5 inch diameter cheesecake the perfect size to share between just the two of us.


For the record, both my cheesecakes I made today were equally delicious. I have no idea why I freaked out about the blackberry one, but at the same time I'm glad I decided to venture out and make this little baby. So I guess I've found my ultimate go-to basic cheesecake recipe.

---RECIPE---
Adapted from All Recipes.
I one-fourthed the recipe to fit my 4.5 inch springform pan.

crust ingredients:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (omitted)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
5 tablespoons butter, melted

cheesecake ingredients:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
A few good shakes of cinnamon and a little bit of nutmeg
A few heaping tablespoons of brown sugar

directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, chopped walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and melted butter. Mix well and press into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan (4.5 inch in my case). Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Beat in sour cream and heavy cream. Blend in the flour and vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add eggs one at a time. Pour batter over crust.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until center is almost set (filling will be soft). Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight before removing from pan. ()If using a 4.5 inch baking pan, I got these directions from Hub Pages: Bake at 300 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until center of cheesecake is almost set. I let them sit in the oven after I turned it off for another 10-15 minutes.)

mini blackberry cheesecake - purple and fruity, just like me

My weekends typically begin on Fridays. You see, I've perfectly arranged my schedule these past three years in college to avoid the dreaded Friday morning classes. The only way to celebrate (at least in my book) is to bake! What else is new? Although this is nothing out of the ordinary for me, as I typically already do bake my ass off every Friday, I wanted to do something a little different today. Perhaps I'd fiddle with some recipes and conjure up some baked goods of my own. Hold on- am I even capable of such a feat?


There are some baking recipes that are more forgiving than others- cheesecake, for example. Regardless if you're making a New York style cheesecake, a creamy smooth cheesecake, or even a flavored one for that matter, it all comes down to the basics. I generally stick to recipes with a smaller height and with the use of flour.


Luckily for me, I recently bought a mini cheesecake pan (4.5 inches). As seen in my mini lime cheesecake for St. Patrick's Day, I was able to one-fourth the recipe to create this little tin of creamy goodness. As for the flavoring for this cheesecake, well, let's just say I played around with it.


I found a delicious jar of blackberry jam in my fridge (I absolutely love blackberries). I separated about a quarter of the basic cheesecake batter into a little cup and mixed it with at least a heaping tablespoon of this delicious jam. After pouring the plain cheesecake batter in my little tin, I poured the jam version on top and did a little swirling. Gorgeous, is it not?


First off, purple is my ultimate favorite color, so this cheesecake is essentially me in a nutshell (creamy, fruity, and purple?)


But we all know that I can't eat an entire cheesecake, even a miniature one at that, all by myself. (Well, technically I could, but that probably wouldn't be suitable for my diet.) So the true test came when I had my picky-eater sample this concoction of mine.


The verdict? Creamy, smooth, and cheesecakey. Happily he did enjoy it (and ate most of it, thank goodness). But as for me, I was personally disappointed with the lack of flavor from the jam. Perhaps I didn't use enough jam (although the bright purple color of the cheesecake says otherwise). Anyways, my purple-colored plain cheesecake did entertain me for the day (oh, and did I mention I made another mini cheesecake that day too? Hehe).

---RECIPE---
Adapted from All Recipes.
I one-fourthed the recipe to fit my 4.5 inch springform pan.

crust ingredients:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (omitted)
3 tablespoons brown sugar (omitted)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (omitted)
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg (omitted)
5 tablespoons butter, melted

cheesecake ingredients:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese
1 cup white sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 heaping teaspoon or so of jam/preserves of your choice

directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, chopped walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and melted butter. Mix well and press into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan (4.5 inch in my case). Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Beat in sour cream and heavy cream. Blend in the flour and vanilla. With mixer on low speed, add eggs one at a time. Pour batter over crust.
3. If adding jam/preserves, reserve a fourth of the batter mixture into a small bowl and mix well with jam. Pour that on top of plain batter and swirl with a toothpick.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 to 70 minutes, or until center is almost set (filling will be soft). Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight before removing from pan. ()If using a 4.5 inch baking pan, I got these directions from Hub Pages: Bake at 300 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until center of cheesecake is almost set. I let them sit in the oven after I turned it off for another 10-15 minutes.)

green lime cheesecake - how st patty's day changed my life

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! Although I'm not Irish, nor do I celebrate Saint Patrick's Day (other than drinking I guess), it's a great excuse to bake! Green, green, green- What could I possibly great that is green and appetizing at the same time? I've grown up not particularly caring for lime flavored baked goods; most likely because I've never tasted any good ones. With that said, I chose to just go for it because I couldn't get away with a green colored chocolate cake or anything.


The verdict was a cheesecake- a mini cheesecake to be exact. You see, I still wasn't so sure if this lime thing would come out as tasty as I hoped, so I thought it'd be best to make a tiny version first. Also, I figured cheesecake would be the best choice for a dessert seeing as how it's already pale in color, so it'd be easier to tint it green.


I'm not sure what my dilemma with lime/lemon is. Key lime pie- ehh. Lemon meringue pie- ehh. Notice that up until now, I have not tried even one recipe which focuses on lime or lemon. Where is this hatred coming from?


Perhaps I was wrong. What if, for some odd reason, I did not know everything there was about food. Had I just never tasted a good lime dessert before?


Before the big tasting event was to ensue, I proudly placed my cute baby cheesecake in front of my boyfriend. He was in as much awe as I was; the cake was fucking adorable. Although at first the puke green tint may be off putting, after much examination, the entire package becomes so deliciously appealing. The sheen green top of the cake is encompassed by this rock hard brown gravel in all its majesty.


As the first slice of the cheesecake was removed, we astonishingly gazed into the center of the cake. It was almost as if I expected it to be not as green in the center. Well I was wrong; my hulk-green cake was indeed green throughout.


Okay- we get it- the cheesecake looked adorable, but how did it taste? Shocking! I didn't mind it at all; to be quite honest, I enjoyed it. Lime has this fresh bright zing which I didn't realize I liked. My favorite part was noticing the little specs of lime zest sparkled throughout the cake. And the cheesecake itself tasted creamy and smooth; making for a perfect little package.

---RECIPE---
Taken from All Recipes.
"Luscious Lemon Cheesecake" (I substituted the lemon for lime, obviously).

crust ingredients:
1+1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts (omitted)
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

filling ingredients:
4 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1+1/4 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice (lime)
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel (lime)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions:
1. In a bowl, combine crumbs, nuts and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom of a greased 10-in. springform pan; set aside. in a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, beating on low speed just until combined. Add lemon juice, peel and vanilla; beat just until blended. Pour into crust.
2. Bake at 350 degrees F for 55 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from the oven; let stand for 5 minutes. Combine topping ingredients; spread over filling. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
3. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before slicing.