Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake

I didn't realize this, but I only seem to make this cheesecake when Mum comes for a visit.  So who came for a visit yesterday?  That's right, Mum did.

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 cups graham cracker crumbs

Cheesecake

2 - 8 oz packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream

Orange Creamsicle Layer

1 - 3 oz box orange flavored gelatin
1 1/2 cup boiling water
1 - 8 oz container of whipped topping such as Cool Whip

Stuff you will need

Spring Pan
Mixer
Mixing bowl
Mixing spoon or fork
Spoon to flatten the graham cracker layer
Spatula to get every last bit from the mixing bowl

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325°.

In a mixing bowl combine the melted butter, sugar, and graham cracker crumbs. Stir until combined. Pat into a 9" springform pan. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl whip the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time then beat in sour cream. 

Pour the filling into the crust.

Bake for 40 minutes. Turn of the oven and crack the oven door for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

Once cooled mix the creamsicle layer by stirring the gelatin with the boiling water until it dissolves. Then gently whisk in the whipped topping until it's completely combined. Pour over the cheesecake. Set on a plate or dish in case of dripping and place in the freezer for an hour. 

Remove from the freezer and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. I suggest chilling it over night.

When ready to serve use a sharp knife and run it around the pan to separate the gelatin layer from the side. Unhinge the pan and gently lift from the cheesecake.

This cheesecake is best made the day before but can be made the day of as long as you plan accordingly and chill it for at least 2 hours.

Here is a video of me making the cheese cake and then Mum took over as my camera person for the last segment.  Don't be shy and take a small piece.  It is so worth having a big piece.

Comments and suggestions ALWAYS welcome.

Nutella Cheesecake

Nutella Cheesecake

This is a variation on my regular chocolate cheesecake

I can't imagine trying to crush oreo cookies.  You would have to take the stuffing out first.

Anyways, you mix it with sugar and melted butter

Other stuff goes in the mixer

Oh it's so nice not having to do this by hand

Mix mix mix

More mixing and mixing

No secret ingredient here

Into the mixing bowl it goes

Gotta mix that stuff up

I think it's all mixed up

Into the spring pan it goes

Make sure to get it all

Make sure to spread it out

After it came out of the oven, it has to chill for a few hours

Ingredients 

10 oz graham crackers
5 tablespoons soft unsalted butter
1 x 13 oz jar nutella (at room temperature)
¾ cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
1 lb cream cheese (at room temperature)
½ cup confectioners' sugar (sifted)

Directions

Break the digestives into the bowl of a processor, add the butter and a 15ml tablespoon of Nutella, and blitz until it starts to clump. Add 25g/3 tablespoons of the hazelnuts and continue to pulse until you have a damp, sandy mixture.

Tip into a 23cm/9inch round springform and press into the base either using your hands or the back of a spoon. Place in the fridge to chill.

Beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar until smooth and then add the remaining Nutella to the cream cheese mixture, and continue beating until combined.

Take the springform out of the fridge and carefully smooth the Nutella mixture over the base. Scatter the remaining chopped hazelnuts on top to cover and place the tin in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight. Serve straight from the fridge for best results.

Comments and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

 

Yet another cheesecake recipe

I've only run into a couple people that don't like cheesecake

I thought most of them were burnt in Salem

(Small joke there, there are lots of nice witches out there)

You need to make up the cookie dough

Put them on a cookie sheet lined with my favorite parchment paper and into the freezer they go

My spring pan comes to the rescue again

Tonya said that this looked like pavement, it was so smooth

Making up the cheesecake

Mixing mixing mixing

After the cookie dough was added to the mixer, into the spring pan it goes

Always put about a liter of water in the oven when you are cooking your cheesecake

Note: this cheesecake, like any good, baked cheesecake, tastes best after being refrigerated overnight.

INGREDIENTS

Crust:

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup white sugar

2 1/2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs 

Filling:

4 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened to room temperature

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup sour cream

Cookie Dough:

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup sugar

½ cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoon milk

2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup mini chocolate chips

An additional 1 cup mini chocolate chips to fold into the batter with the cookie dough balls

DIRECTIONS

For the cookie dough:

In a medium bowl, combine the butter and sugars for the cookie dough. Add the water milk, vanilla and blend. Mix in the flour, salt and the chocolate chips. The dough will be fairly soft. Gently roll the dough into small balls (about a teaspoon size, maybe a bit larger) and place them on a wax paper lined plate or baking sheet. Place them in the freezer to harden while making the rest of the cheesecake.

For the crust:

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan. In a medium bowl, combine the butter with the chocolate cookie crumbs.  Press onto the bottom and about halfway up the sides of the prepared pan.

For the cheesecake:

Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and flour until smooth. Add the vanilla and sour cream and mix just until blended. Be careful not to overmix – incorporating too much air into the batter can contribute to a cheesecake cracking on top during baking.

Pour half the batter into the prepared crust. Gently stir in the cookie dough balls and the additional 1 cup mini chocolate chips into the remaining batter.

Pour into the pan, spreading the batter to the sides of the pan and evening it out across the top (it is ok to see bumps of cookie dough here and there, smooth it the best you can). Bake the cheesecake at 325 degrees for one hour. Turn off the oven and prop the door open several inches. Let the cake sit in the oven for an additional 30 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate until chilled (ideally, overnight). To serve, cut into slices and top with whipped cream and mini chocolate chips.

Comments and Suggestions are ALWAYS welcome.

Chocolate Cheesecake

Chocolate Cheesecake

Crust:

1 1/4 Cups Oreo cookie crumbs
1/4 Cup white sugar
1/4 Cup melted butter

Mix crust ingredients and pat into a 9 or 10 inch spring-form pan. Bake 10 minutes at 350°F.

Filling:

24 oz. cream cheese (3 bricks)
1 1/2 Cups white sugar
3 eggs
1 Cup sour cream
12 oz. melted chocolate (Milk Chocolate the best)
1 Teaspoon vanilla

Mix cream cheese and sugar together, blending well. Add eggs one at a time. Add sour cream, vanilla, then add melted chocolate.

Heat oven and add 8 Cups boiling water to a pan and place on bottom oven shelf. This will provide moisture.

Bake at 400°F. for 15 minutes, turn oven down to 225°F. and bake another 50 minutes, or until set in the center. Turn oven off and let cheesecake set with oven door cracked 1 hour. Chill

Did you ever need to make a cheese cake and then need to take it somewhere else.  Like a party or a bake sale at work?

I have saved those cheese trays that you buy from Sobey's, Safeway, or at Superstore.  Then I can re-purpose them.  If I don't get the tray back, I really don't mind.

OK, at this point the Chocolate Cheesecake is done.  I have washed and dried the tray.

I have opened the spring pan and carefully lift the side

I am not a professional, so I am pretty happy with what I am seeing here.

OK, the bottom still has to be removed

This is MY spring pan, and I will not use a metal knife to lift the cheese cake

Go all the way around, breaking the seal from the cheese cake to the pan bottom

Then slide it in place.  TA DA!

This recipe got me a marriage proposal from a straight guy.  He said that I would only have to cook and bake stuff.  He would take "care" of me.  

As a side note, I am still with Tonya.

As usual, comments and suggestion are ALWAYS welcome

No Bake Cherry Cheese Cake

No Bake Cherry Cheese Cake

Graham Crust:
1 1/2 Cups Graham Crumbs
1/3 Cup Sugar
½ Cup Butter, melted

Filling:
2 - 8oz packages of Cream Cheese
1 Cup of Whipping Cream, or One pkg of Dream Whip
1 small pkg of Mini-marshmallows
1 tbsp. Lemon Juice (optional)
1 tsp. Vanilla

This is a really easy recipe – takes about 20 minutes to make.

Step 1: Mix the Graham Crumbs and Sugar together. Melt Butter in the Microwave – about 1 minute on High. Stir all together, then press into Spring Pan, or any other available baking dish!

Step 2: In a big bowl, cut the Cream Cheese into squares – nothing fancy, just make smaller ‘units’. Let that ‘warm up’ while you Whip the Whipping Cream. I often just put the Cut pieces of Cream cheese into the microwave for 45 seconds to soften it.

Quick Tip: Remember to use a cold bowl and Whisks – pop them in the Freezer for a few minutes while you’re getting your ingredients together.

Step 3: In a separate large plastic bowl, pour in the mini-marshmallows. Put the Marshmallows into the Microwave for one minute to melt it. Quickly give the melted marshmallows a good stir to make it nice and smooth.

Step 4: Use your Beater on Low to soften the Cream Cheese. Pour in the melted marshmallows and blend until smooth. Blend in the Vanilla and the Lemon Juice.

Step 5: Fold in the Whipped Cream, then pour onto the Graham Crust. Pop in the Refrigerator for a few hours, or until you can’t wait anymore!

Step 6: Top with Fresh Berries or your favorite Pie Filling.

My favorite Topping is One Tin of Cherry Pie Filling. 

I usually Double the Recipe, so the Cheesecake is really huge! Just Double the Filling part. 

As usual, comments and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome.

White Chocolate Cheesecake

White Chocolate Cheesecake

Tonya and I have been married for a year now.  

But we have been common-law for 21 years.

When I cooked this cheesecake, she was still "Bennett".

Start with your graham cracker crumbs.  Make sure they haven't spoiled on you.  That's another story to be told over a glass of wine.

Add your sugar to the graham cracker crumbs and melt the butter.

Add the melted butter.

Stir up everything.

Dump into the spring pan and start flattening it out

Flatten, flatten, flatten

Using a spoon to continue flattening

Happy with the flattening

Break out the Philadelphia Creme Cheese 

In a microwave safe bowl, nuke it to get it soft

Into the mixer

Another brick of creme cheese

Into the nuker

Watch out, it can get HOT on the sides of the bowl

45 seconds and click "Start"

Nuking, nuking, nuking

Into the mixer it goes

Mixing mixing mixing

Do up a double boiler.  Pan on the bottom with water and put the other pan on top.

Not done mixing yet.  Pretty sure I added vanilla around this spot.

Double boiler is boiling

Breaking out the white chocolate

Into the pot it goes

Tedious work open each little piece of chocolate

Gotta have the sour creme

The whole container into the mixer

Mixing and MORE mixing

Chocolate is melting

I am sure there is some movie quote out there about melting, just can't think of it

Scramble up the eggs

Into the mixer

Stiring around the white melted chocolate

Put the chocolate into the mixer

Make sure it's all mixed

Are you ready to have the cheesecake to be poured into the spring pan?

SIR!  YES SIR!

Filled it up rather nicely

Into the oven with the oven safe container of water.

This keeps the cheesecake top from drying out while cooking.

Crust:

1 1/4 C. chocolate wafer cookie crumbs

1/4 C. sugar

1/4 C. melted butter

Mix crust ingredients and pat into a 9 or 10 inch spring-form pan. Bake 10 minutes at 350°F.

Filling:

24 oz. cream cheese

1 1/2 C. sugar

3 eggs

1 C. sour cream

12 oz. melted chocolate

1 t. vanilla

Mix cream cheese and sugar together, blending well. Add eggs one at a time. Add sour cream, vanilla, then add melted chocolate.

Heat oven and add 8 C. boiling water to a pan and place on bottom oven shelf. This will provide moisture.

Bake at 400°F. for 15 minutes, turn oven down to 225°F. and bake another 50 minutes. or until set in the center. Turn oven off and let cheesecake set with oven door cracked 1 hour. Chill

As always, comments and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome.