apple pie cheesecake bars [and holiday nights with old friends]

Cranberry-cinnamon tea. 

I arrived home yesterday evening to an empty house, parents both out and about and Yusra off with friends. I didn't expect anything different, really, and so took my suitcase and backpack upstairs to a room that's been vacant for weeks, freshly cleaned for my arrival. After gracelessly dropping my things haphazardly in the space next to my bedside table, I put my hands on my hips and looked around, letting the breeze wafting in through the half-open window chill my bare arms, still adjusting to the new house. A deep sigh, closing my eyes for just a moment to let everything sink in, breathing out the stresses from a semester of constant work, and then back downstairs for a glass of water and, perhaps, a piece of fruit.

And it was then that I noticed that almost every inch of counter space was covered in gift baskets and fruit bowls, obligatory gifts from drug reps and secretaries at my father's office. [It's Christmas season, after all.]

And then I grinned.


As mundane and predictable as most of them are, full to the brim with boxes of stale pretzels and commercially-cloned milk chocolate truffles, the odd basket or two is full of delightful surprises. A small bottle of olive oil, caramels wrapped in colorful foil [the ones that only seem to make an appearance this time of year and virtually disappear from existence for the remaining eleven months], a wheel of chevre, a tin of cranberry-cinnamon tea.

I horde all of these for myself, naturally, as the rest of my family is content with the chocolate and crackers [which, admittedly, I enjoy quite a lot as well] and have little interest in odd teas and cheeses. It's bizarre, but it's the little things from gift baskets that really solidify this time of year. The end of a semester. A break from academics. A time to spend the day away in pajamas and a sweatshirt, lounged upon the sofa with a book, iPod plugged into Aine Minogue and Dean Martin, perhaps a mug of cranberry-cinnamon tea at hand.

And occasionally, a Christmas party or two.

Matt's parents graciously invited me to their home this evening for a small party, which was in and of itself one of the most delicious events I have ever attended. There is never a shortage of incredible food whenever Matt's family is involved, particularly when smoked brisket, turkey and cranberry, and the most diverse selection of homemade cookies are at one's fingertips.

When I was first told of the party, I immediately jumped at the opportunity to bake something as a thank-you, to which Matt's parents happily accepted. And so, for days I pondered about what would be worthy enough for individuals which such impeccable taste, and eventually decided on these: apple pie cheesecake bars, which I dedicate utterly and unconditionally to Matt's incredible family.

Apple Pie Cheesecake Bars
Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything.
Makes 24-32 bars.

For the crust, you'll need:

• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 sticks butter, softened and cut into cubes

For the cheesecake layer, you'll need:

• 3 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla

For the apple layer, you'll need:

• 3 large apples, peeled, cored, and cut into small cubes [Grannysmith, Gala, and Golden Delicious are ideal, or any combination of the three]
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg, or a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg

For the streusel topping, you'll need:

• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 stick butter, softened

For the caramel, you'll need:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

To prepare the bars:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a 9x13-inch pan with aluminum foil. Grease the bottom and sides of the foil. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and brown sugar. Add in butter and pulse until dough has the consistency of bread crumbs. Pour dough onto bottom of the pan and press evenly. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown. Do not turn off the oven.

While the crust is baking, prepare the cheesecake layer by beating cream cheese and 1 cup sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add vanilla. Pour the cheesecake filling onto the baked crust, spreading evenly with a spatula.

Toss the apples, 2 tbsp sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a bowl. Spoon the apples evenly over top of the cheesecake filling.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and oats and mix until well-blended. Using a pastry cutter or your hand, mix the butter into the flour mixture until crumbly. Sprinkle the streusel evenly on top of the apples. Bake the bars for 40-45 minutes, until cheesecake is set. Let bars cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.


To prepare the caramel: 
In a medium saucepan over medium flame, whisk together sugar and water. Allow syrup to come to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer until the syrup reaches an amber color, 7-12 minutes. Watch the syrup closely as it will quickly burn after it has started to color. Once syrup reaches the correct color, slowly pour in the heavy cream, whisking constantly while doing so. The syrup will sizzle and foam up spectacularly, but will calm down soon after. Remove saucepan from the heat and continue whisking until mixture has reached the consistency of smooth caramel. Let caramel cool 15-20 minutes before using on the bars.


Once dessert has refrigerated for at least 2 hours, slice them into bars and arrange on a serving tray. Right before serving, drizzle a generous amount of caramel on top of the bars.

There's really nothing pie-like about these, save that I made them with apples and it's currently autumn, but the name has a rather nice ring to it. Plus, with his face muffled in my shoulder in an enormous, snuggly hug, Matt mumbled that they tasted like apple pie wrapped in a cheesecake. The contented grin on his face when he pulled away and dove into his second bite was inspiration enough for the title.

Matt's mother was thrilled, Matt's father thought they were delicious, the other guests loved them, and my heart soared. More than anything, I wanted to give back a small bit of the kindness Matt and his family have shown me for over a decade.

Hopefully this was a little victory, but above all, a big thank you.

"Dining with one’s friends and beloved family is certainly one of life’s primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal"
Julia Child

sour cream cheesecake

I have a confession.

I may be a little bit obsessed with finding the perfect cheesecake recipe. A little bit.

I'm not sure what it is. My perfectionist tendencies? Perhaps. An obsession with cream cheese? Definitely. The desire to know for certain that it is possible to eat a delicious cheesecake outside of the realm of the Cheesecake Factory?

Let's be real: I don't have $7 to spend on a slice of cheesecake whenever the craving strikes. So, yeah, that's probably it.

Not that the Cheesecake Factory isn't delicious; I one day hope to make a cheesecake even half as beautiful and exquisite. One so decadent that you won't be able to finish an entire slice. The possibilities are endless.

Unfortunately, my free time is not. So rather than being able to bake a devil's food cake layered with marbled cheesecake slices topped with a bittersweet chocolate ganache, I settled for a simple sour cream cheesecake.

My last attempt at cheesecake, I tried ricotta. And it was divine. This one's pretty delightful as well, though I'm thinking I'm more of a ricotta fan than a sour cream fan, when it comes to cheesecakes. The recipe comes from Alton Brown, and I topped it off with a simple sour cream layer [mainly for the aesthetic effect]. Also served it with some pureed strawberries that I needed to get rid of, with a hint of balsamic vinegar whisked in. Both the sour cream topping and the strawberry compote are totally optional, and can be substituted [sour cream bourbon topping? blueberry compote? chocolate glaze?] or omitted.

Sour Cream Cheesecake
Adapted from Alton Brown

For the crust, you'll need:

• 9-inch graham cracker, shortbread, or Oreo crust, prebaked 10 minutes

For the filling, you'll need:

• 20 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sour cream, at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3 yolks
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

For the topping, you'll need:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla

If fresh out of the oven, allow cheesecake crust to cool while preparing the filling. Lower [or preheat] oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

To prepare the filling, beat sour cream for 30 seconds on medium speed with the paddle attachment. Add in cream cheese and beat until smooth. Add in sugar and vanilla and cream for 3 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, yolks, and heavy cream. Slowly pour egg mixture into cheesecake batter and mix until fully incorporated.

Pour cheesecake filling into cooled crust. Bake for 60 minutes, or until the cheesecake is pulling away from the sides of the pan slightly. The center should still be jiggly. Turn off oven and open door for one minute. Close and let cheesecake cool in the oven for another 60 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare sour cream topping by thoroughly mixing sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and blended. Pour sour cream topping on top of cooled cheesecake, leveling with a spatula. Without removing the sides of the pan, cover the top of the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Serve with berry or chocolate sauce, or enjoy plain.

It is a pretty cake, not gonna lie. And it sets very well. I made it low-carb by using an almond flour/walnut/pecan crust and substituting the sugar with equal quantities of erythritol and baking Splenda. As always, can't tell it's low-carb. At all. The natural sugars in the strawberries work alongside the low-carb cake really well.

So much baking lately. I'm not sure what's gotten into me.

Probably a complete lack of motivation to do anything legitimately productive. Though I suppose it's better to exhaust my desire to bake before finals start, right?

ricotta cheesecake with strawberry coulis

The sudden influx of ricotta and/or cheesecake-based dessert is pure coincidence. I just happen to have had some ricotta sitting in the fridge that I needed to use up. And I'm utterly obsessed with cream cheese. It was a dessert waiting to happen, really.

Plus, I've been kickin it in Cville on my own over break, so amidst work and studying I've had some down time to do frivolous things like this.

Ricotta Cheesecake
Adapted from foodnetwork.com

For the cheesecake filling, you'll need:

• 3 8-oz packages of cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 3 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper and grease the bottom and sides.

Beat cream cheese, ricotta, sour cream, and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk heavy cream, vanilla, eggs and egg yolks until blended. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Beat until just blended. Pour filling into the prepared pan.

Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 275 degrees, and continue baking for 1 1/2 hours, or until top is golden brown and cake is pulling away from the sides of the pan. The center will still be slightly jiggly. Turn off the oven when done, and leave cake in the oven with the door ajar to cool for 3 hours. Remove cake from the oven and refrigerate for at least 4 hours [preferably overnight], before removing from the pan and cutting. Serve chilled.

You can use any sort of crust you'd like for this cheesecake. A classic graham cracker crust always works well, but a shortbread crust would also be delicious. I made a low-carb version of this particular cheesecake, so I used the crust from my LC mocha cheesecake, and a combination of baking Splenda and erythritol [3/4 cup of each] in place of the granulated sugar. Also, instead of one 8-inch cheesecake, I made two 4-inch cheesecakes and one 6-inch cheesecake, and adjusted the bake times accordingly [30-25 mins at 375 degrees Fahrenheit]. What can I say, I just like mini desserts. [Except cupcakes]

The low-carb version turned out beautifully, without the slightest inkling that it's actually low-carb, but I'm sure the full-carb version is just divine. In fact, this may be the best LC cheesecake I've ever had. Is this the magical cheesecake recipe I've been searching for? If it's not, it's getting pretty damn close.

I also topped mine off with a really easy, homemade strawberry coulis, because no real cheesecake is complete without a berry sauce.

Strawberry Coulis
Adapted from smitten kitchen

You'll need:

• 1 cup strawberries, quartered and hulled
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Puree all the above ingredients in a blender. Run coulis through a strainer to get rid of seeds. Store in fridge for up to 1 week, in freezer for up to 3 months.

Recipe makes about 3/4 cup of coulis.

In other news, I am officially giving up sugar [again]. Honey, agave, sugar added to coffee, BBQ sauce and sugary Asian sauces, baked goods. Yep, baked goods. I'm not cutting out the artificial sweetener, but it'll definitely be a once-in-a-while sort of thing. Mainly to satisfy any unbearable cravings and experiment with more low-carb baking.

How long? Only very strictly until Spain. Which is only, what, 80 days? 2 and a half months? Definitely doable. I hope. And I'll still be baking full-carb, of course, so no worries there. I'll just have to will myself not to lick the spoon.

...merda.

dulce de leche cheesecake bars [take two]

Midterms, baking. Baking, midterms. It's a tough life when you have to somehow alwayschoosebakingoverstudying decide between one or the other. On Wednesday evening I broke up the monotony of studying Spanish lit by baking.

This is my second attempt at dulce de leche cheesecake bars. Not the first wasn't good, but I didn't realize until I looked over the recipe that it calls for gelatin. And I'm just so damn tired of gelatin. So I figured I'd make up a new recipe. This one has a graham cracker crust [because, what can I say, I'm obsessed], a cheesecake filling infused with dulce de leche, and a salted dulce de leche swirl topping. Believe it or not, it's not too sweet. It's actually almost not sweet enough, based on what you would expect. In the best way possible.

Why dulce de leche? Well, I officially got into the Valencia study abroad program on Sunday, las fallas are happening this month, I went to a Spanish poetry reading on Monday night, watched Biutiful on Tuesday night, and had two Spanish midterms this week. I've been in a rather culturally Hispanic mood.

Mostly, though, it's because these were baked for two individuals:

1. Rudhdi as a congratulations for making SR: I'm so proud of you, Roods, and never doubted you for one second. You truly deserve it, dear; you'll be a phenomenal SR next year :)
2. My darling Hannah, because I've promised to send you baked goods for months now and miss you terribly. I will be shipping these off as soon as I'm back in Cville next week, so you should have them delivered within the next 7 days or so. Love you and hope everything's going well!

artificial lighting is the bane of my existence. can't wait for sunny days.

Dulce de leche, for all you folk who have heard the name and know it's delicious but don't have any clue as to what the heck it is, is more or less sweetened condensed milk that has been heated until it caramelizes. Yes. Liquid caramel. Addicting too, might I add.

[ALSO, can I just say that if I walk into one more grocery store, ask someone where I can find dulce de leche, and have them give me a look of utter blankness and ask me to repeat myself, I'm going to snap. It can be found in the Hispanic/International food aisle, just by the way.

Though, I suppose you could bypass the irritation of having grocery store clerks completely misunderstand you and direct you to the evaporated milk section by heating up your own dulce de leche from scratch. But I'm not patient skilled enough for that.]

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars
Adapted from my brain. And components of old recipes.


For the crust, you'll need:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs [about 12 full wafers, crushed]
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 8 tbsp butter, melted

For the cream cheese filling, you'll need:

• 3 8-oz packages of cream cheese
• 5 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 generous tbsp of dulce de leche
• 1 tbsp vanilla 
• 2 eggs

For the salted dulce de leche swirl, you'll need:

• 1/2 cup dulce de leche
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp reserved cream cheese filling

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line and grease a 13x9-inch pan with aluminum foil.

To prepare crust, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a bowl. Pour in melted butter and mix well. Pour crumbs into the prepared pan and press evenly across the base. Bake for 10 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Allow crust to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare cream cheese filling. Beat cream cheese on medium speed until smooth. Add in sugar, dulce de leche, and vanilla. Mix until blended. Add in eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Reserve two tbsp of the filling, and pour the remainder on top of cooled crust and spread evenly with a spatula.

To prepare dulce de leche swirl, mix dulce de leche and salt. Add in reserved cream cheese filling and mix well until filling is smooth. Drop dollops of filling evenly on top of cream cheese filling, leaving generous amounts of space in between. Using a knife, cut swirls through the dollops, being careful not to draw up any of the crust. Bake for about 30 minutes, until bars are soft and springy to the touch. Let cool completely on a cooling rack, and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours [preferably overnight] before cutting.

Bars, covered, will keep well in the fridge for up to a week, in the freezer for up to 3 months. To freeze bars, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, then once more with aluminum foil. To defrost, move bars to the refrigerator and let dethaw overnight.

My swirls never turn out as well as I wish they would. It's something I need to work on. Also should have thought of some way to dilute the caramel further. I thought about microwaving, but that seemed counter-intuitive. 

Anyway, I am finally done with midterms, for the week. Now I get a supposed week off, which translates into me going home for the weekend before coming back to Cville to study for upcoming midterms, outline upcoming papers, and work for 20 hours.

I can't deny that the thought of me being unable to actually sleep in is depressing. In fact, it cuts me a little inside. But I need the money. Baking doesn't come cheap, ya know.

...sometimes I don't think it's worth it.

And then I bake something like this and that thought melts away.

Edit:

Also, I'd love to thank Tastespotting for featuring me! I've always loved the site, and find many of my best recipes from bloggers who have contributed, so I'm very honored to be a part of it! So for all of you have stumbled upon my blog via Tastespotting, welcome! It's lovely to have you, and I hope you'll be back for more! :)

{low-carb} chocolate mocha cheesecake

A weekend spent in DC is quite a weekend indeed. I was at Chelsea's for the past few days, along with Matt. DC itself was tons of fun [Courage the Cowardly Dog marathons, Slug Wars, seeing Liz and Olivia, delicious food], but life itself has been a littttttle hectic these days. Car troubles, class scheduling, job and internship hunting, and study abroad planning have got me a bit stressed, to say the least.

Luckily, being in DC was not only good to calm down a bit, but stress therapy via baking with Chelsea was one of the best things I could have done this weekend. Specifically, low carb chocolate mocha cheesecake. The biggest downside about this was that I didn't have my DSLR with me, so photos are courtesy of my phone camera.

LC Chocolate Mocha Cheesecake
Recipe adapted from Your Lighter Side

For the crust, you'll need:

• 1/2 cup crushed pecans
• 1/2 cup crushed walnuts
• 1/2 cup crushed almonds
• 2 tbsp erythritol
• 4 tbsp butter, melted

For the ganache layer, you'll need:

• 2 oz Lindt 85% dark chocolate [approximately half the bar, or 4.5 squares]
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tbsp erythritol

For the filling, you'll need:

• 4 8-oz packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• scant 1/2 cup erythritol
• 3/4 cup xylitol or baking Splenda
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 3.5 oz Lindt 85% dark chocolate [standard bar size]
• 4 tbsp cream
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp coffee extract
• 2 tbsp brewed coffee

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.

To prepare crust, combine crushed nuts in a bowl. Mix in erythritol. Pour melted butter over nuts and mix until incorporated. Pour nuts into the bottom of the springform pan and spread evenly. Set aside.

To prepare ganache layer, in a medium saucepan melt butter and chocolate. Once smooth, slowly pour in heavy cream and mix until there are no lumps yet. Sprinkle erythritol and cocoa powder over top and stir until smooth. Remove pan from heat and let chocolate cool, about 5 minutes. Once cooled, pour ganache on top of crust and spread evenly.

To prepare filling, beat cream cheese with erythritol and xylitol/Splenda on medium speed until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Add in sour cream and vanilla and beat until just combined. Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, melt butter and chocolate. Slowly pour in heavy cream, coffee extract, and brewed coffee. Mix until smooth. Let cool, 3-4 minutes, before slowly pouring chocolate mixture into the cream cheese mixture, while beating on medium-low speed. Beat until chocolate is fully incorporated into the batter. Pour cheesecake filling into saucepan slowly, as not to disturb the ganache layer. Bake for 75-90 minutes. Let cheesecake cool to room temperature, then, while still in the springform pan, refrigerate for at least 4 hours before unhinging sides and serving.

Total carbs per slice [1/8 of cheesecake]: approximately 6 net carbs.

The original crust recipe calls for macadamia nuts,which we didn't have on hand. So we kind of arbitrarily picked a combination of nuts we felt would taste good. Really, it's up to you what kind of nuts you'd like for the crust, as long as the ratios stay the same. Also, I'm sure the crust would be just as delicious with real sugar in place of the artificial, if LC isn't your thing. Just pour whatever favorite cheesecake filling you want on top, and voila.

The ganache layer is totally optional in this cheesecake; Chelsea and I added it on a whim, more or less. Plus, it was adding hardly any more carbs to the overall cake. [And it was damn good]. Not to mention the dark little 'fudge' ribbon on top of the crust looked very pretty when the cake was cut.

The filling itself is exquisite. It hardly tastes low carb at all, since the artificial sugar leaves virtually no aftertaste. That was always the problem I had with low carb desserts; the absolutely terrible Splenda aftertaste. I think the answer is the erythritol, which is much milder on the palate than Splenda alone. Or maybe it's the combination of the two? Either way, this works. Another note on the filling: eliminating the chocolate addition [so, filling recipe minus heavy cream, butter, chocolate, and coffee] is the perfect low-carb, traditional cheesecake filling. I think Mrs. Sparta actually preferred the filling pre-mocha flavor.

I was afraid this dessert would fail in comparison to Mrs. Sparta's fantastic LC baking, but it was actually extremely delicious. To all of our surprises, I think. What's even better is that none of us missed the sugar.

I would take a slice of full-carb cheesecake over LC any day, mind you, but for the time being, this is more than acceptable.

hannah's triple chocolate cheesecake

I have to say, Harry Potter land did not deter me from my everyday routine of (1) playing the piano for hours on end, and (2) baking. It helps that the last of the three December birthdays was on the 26th, and so I knew that the first thing I would have to do as soon as I got home would be to bake Hannah a belated birthday cake.

Cheesecake, this time. Chocolate cheesecake. Really, really rich, triple chocolate cheesecake. Oreo crust, dark, milk, and white chocolate layers, chocolate sauce topping, and crushed walnuts. I feel a sugar headache coming on just thinking about it.

We spent all of yesterday driving home from Orlando. It ended up being a 15-hour car drive [we got delayed for an hour in traffic, and had some minor car issues in the morning that resulted in us needing to replace the rear two tires], and we snacked on fast food, granola bars, and apples. It was very strange ordering 6-piece nuggets from McDonalds, knowing full well that they're made out of more corn product than actual chicken, and my tummy is still suffering the after effects.

In all honesty, though, they were...really good. In that "I'm seriously going to regret this later" kind of way. But I can't lie and tell you that I did not thoroughly enjoy those deep-fried, extremely sketchy, "chicken" nuggets. Our diet starts tomorrow, though, right? Right.

Anyway, we got home by 9:30, regaled our parentals with extensive details of our trip for a good hour, and then crashed. I was woken up far too early for comfort though, and realized that I must have not turned off my cell's alarm for 5 am from the day before.

Not so. It went off at 9, which is when I intentionally set it, so that I'd have enough time to bake. I don't think many people would set an alarm to wake up to bake a friggin cake. 

As much as I wanted to bury myself in my comforters and keep sleeping for an additional 10 hours, I dragged myself out of bed, brushed my teeth, softened some cream cheese, and got to work.

To be fair, I make this all sound as though it was a chore. On the contrary, having to wake up 'early' in order to bake a cake is totally fine by me. Plus, I wasn't even sure this was going to work out well. Cheesecake is typically a two-day affair, because it has to chill so that the filling sets appropriately. But Hannah loves cheesecake, so I knew from the start that this is what I was going to bake. And although I was originally planning on having more than 4 hours to bake it, it turned out fine in the end.

But this isn't something I recommend. In fact, I'd suggest you bake this the day before you plan on serving it, just so you aren't rushing or stressing. Stress is the worst way to go about making a cheesecake. It will just fall apart. [I have a theory that baking is highly responsive to whatever emotional state you're in when you go about it. Don't ask.]

This particular cheesecake has 4 components: (1) an Oreo crust, (2) a dark chocolate layer, (3) a white chocolate layer, and (4) a milk chocolate layer. The chocolate ganache topping I used is totally optional, but a nice touch.

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

For the Oreo crust, you'll need:

• about 24 Oreo cookies, fillings discarded [meaning approximately 48 individual wafer discs]
• 4 tbsp butter, melted

For the filling, you'll need:

• 3 8-oz packages of cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 3 eggs
• 8 oz [about 1 cup] sour cream
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 4 oz white chocolat
• 4 oz dark [60%] chocolate

For the chocolate ganache, you'll need:

• 4 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp light corn syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan. Use a food processor to grind Oreo cookies into fine crumbs. Pour melted butter into crumbs and mix with a fork. Pour crumbs onto the bottom of the pan. Use your fingers to spread the crust evenly across the pan. Set aside.

To prepare filling, beat cream cheese on medium speed until creamy. Add sugar and cornstarch and blend. Add eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix until well-blended. Set aside.

Separately, melt chocolates and pour into three large bowls. Divide filling evenly among the three bowls. Stir filling into the melted chocolate mixture until uniform. Pour dark chocolate filling over the Oreo crust. Use a spatula to even it out. Gently pour the white chocolate filling over the dark chocolate and spread evenly. Repeat with the bittersweet chocolate.

Bake cheesecake for 50-60 minutes, until center has set. Check doneness by poking center with a toothpick. Let cool completely, until cake is at room temperature. Cover the top of the cake [which should still be in the pan] with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, before removing cake from the pan. Decorate as desired, or serve as is.

If desired, drizzle chocolate sauce over top of the cheesecake. To prepare sauce, melt chocolate with heavy cream and corn syrup. Stir until well combined. Let cool slightly, 4-5 minutes, before using on cheesecake. Drizzle right before serving.  

Okay, so, I have some confessions to make regarding this recipe. First of all, the recipe I used was to make triple chocolate cheesecake bars. Meaning, it was to be baked in an 8-inch square pan. But, I could not locate our square pan, so I went with the 9-inch springform and decided to just make a cake. However, if you prefer, you can absolutely turn this into a bar dessert recipe; just bake it in an 8-inch square pan and cut it into rectangles once it has set.

Secondly, when I poured the bittersweet chocolate batter on top of the white chocolate batter, it basically sank into the white chocolate filling. Did not make for three distinct layers. Initially, I was distraught. Really distraught. Then I realized I had some white chocolate batter left in the bowl, so I just did a white chocolate swirl on top. Perfect. The initial intent was completely masked by the epic fail that was the bittersweet chocolate sinking into the white chocolate, but whatever. It turned out alright.

Thirdly, I did not use a water bath. Now, you should always use a water bath when baking a cheesecake, as this prevents cracks from forming. [The way to go about baking cheesecake in a water bath is using a pan that is large enough for the springform to fit inside, filling it halfway (in regards to halfway up the sides of the springform pan) with warm water, and baking it in that. This makes sure the cheesecake bakes evenly throughout, and greatly decreases the likelihood of cracks forming.] Anyway, the reason I didn't use the waterbath was because I had already decided I was going to do chocolate sauce and crushed walnuts on top. [Also, I'm really lazy.]

Oh man. This was sweet. Like, ridiculously sweet. We cut pretty tiny slices [I'd say about 1/16 of the cake], and upon finishing I was feeling a sugar headache coming on. It was really good, though. But, I'd have to say, I'd only recommend it if you're a big fan of cheesecake and a huge fan of chocolate. It is the chocoholic's dream cheesecake. But for someone without much of a sweet tooth...I foresee it going badly.

Luckily, Hannah is both a cheesecake-lover and a chocoholic. And she really enjoyed it. Cake #3: Success!

Hm. This was the first cheesecake I've made in a long while. As much as I adore cheesecake, I still haven't discovered a recipe that I'm in love with. This one was pretty damn good, not gonna lie, but a bit too rich for me to fully enjoy it. Maybe mascarpone cheese is the answer? Or ricotta? I haven't done much with ricotta or mascarpone in the ways of cheesecake, so that's something to look into...

In other news, apparently Tom Felton [i.e. Draco Malfoy] visited Harry Potter World today.

Really? Today? One day after we leave? 

When I heard, I almost cried. I kid you not. Imagine, I could have been kickin' it with Draco, Ravenclaw scarf and all, drinking Butterbeer and riding roller coasters.

The incredulity and utter irony of the situation blows my mind.

Though, I suppose, I was lucky enough for the opportunity to go at all. And it was magical. And that's more than enough.

[But, I mean, really?]

pumpkin cheesecake brownie fusion

The "fusion" bit comes from Noosh. She insisted they weren't "brownie" enough to be called such.

Tommy came over earlier today for a bake date, our first one since the pumpkin macarons back in October. I had decided on this recipe a while ago, and was really excited to be baking with him [because, come on, he's pretty much the best dessert sous chef ever].

These were actually made for my dear friend Olivia, who turns 19 tomorrow. Of course, we did try some for ourselves, to make sure all our hard work had paid off. And also because I cannot resist anything made out of cream cheese.

left: brownie base; right: pumpkin cheesecake topping

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

For the brownie base, you'll need:

• 4 oz chocolate
• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup flour

For the pumpkin cheesecake topping, you'll need:

• 2 8-oz packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 14-oz can pumpkin [NOT pumpkin pie filling]
• 1 tsp grated ginger [or 1/2 tsp powdered ginger]
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

For brownie base: melt butter and chocolate in a microwave or stovetop. While chocolate mixture is cooling, beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla in an electric mixer on medium speed until well-mixed. Slowly pour in chocolate mixture and mix until blended. Slowly fold in flour. Spread brownie batter evenly on the bottom of the 9x13-inch pan. Set aside while preparing cheesecake topping.

For pumpkin cheesecake topping: beat cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Slowly pour in heavy cream and beat until incorporated. Add in sugar and beat until smooth. Add in eggs, one at a time, beating until well incorporated. Add in vanilla and beat until smooth. Measure out 3/4 cup of cheesecake topping and set aside to use for swirling. In remaining cheesecake topping, add in pumpkin, ginger, and spices and mix until well-blended. Pour pumpkin cheesecake topping on top of brownie base and spread evenly. Use a spoon to dollop the leftover cheesecake topping over the pumpkin cheesecake layer. With a knife, swirl the white cheesecake topping. Bake for 60 minutes. Let pan cool completely, and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before cutting and serving.

These were much less brownie-like and much more souffle-like when I cut them. I was pretty surprised. But they are absolutely delicious. Noosh and Tommy both approved. Hopefully Olivia will as well!

I did toss in about 1/4 cup of chocolate chips into the brownie batter after it was done. I always like a chocolate chip brownie, personally. I actually wasn't sure how the pumpkin and chocolate would taste together [it didn't seem like a very compatible pair to me before], but it was really good. I guess the sentiment is similar to chocolate chip banana bread [which, by the way, is divine].

Mom is both highly amused and frustrated with my recent baking binge. But I mean, there are only 2 class days until break, so there's not much else I could be doing with my time at the moment. Right?

the only thing i want on black friday is a better lens.

Speaking of break, I heard some terrible news earlier this evening: Thanksgiving dinner will not be happening this year. :( Believe me when I say that I am devastated.

Well, not devastated. But pretty sad. I mean, my entire menu, all planned out, for naught! There's just a lot going on at home at the moment, and we recently found out there will be more people over than originally anticipated, so we're just going to be going out instead. And the turkey mom had bought for my use will be saved for sometime during winter break.

Though, I can't say I'm too disappointed at the thought of having a Thanksgiving meal later in the year. It'll be a pleasant surprise. And my original menu can wait till then!

Besides, I'm not one to pass up a dinner at Texas de Brazil. Ever.

dulce de leche cheesecake bars

I haven't updated in a while. I also haven't baked in a while. And I didn't actually bake these.

I mean, I did, once upon a time [about a month ago], but I rediscovered the decent photos I took [using Yusra's phone's camera] of these delicious treats. So I figured I'd give you guys something delectable to tide you over until I actually bake something.

Also, I'm sitting at the Toyota dealership while my car is getting his state vehicle inspection done, and I got bored of studying economics. Oh, the beauty of wireless internet. 

Oh, yes. Dulce de leche cheesecake bars.

I love cream cheese. I mean, I am obsessed with cream cheese. Like, my mom is bringing me 6 packages of cream cheese tomorrow when she comes up to Cville [according to her, I go a little 'baking crazy' in the fall and she wants me well-stocked so I don't spend money on expensive baking ingredients. I just love parents]. Anyway, this recipe was a delight to bake because it has cream cheese and two of my other favorite things in the world: chocolate and a graham cracker crust. Ugh. You just know it's going to be pants-splittingly delicious.

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars
For the crust, you’ll need:

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp butter, melted

For the filling, you’ll need:

• 1 tsp unflavored gelatin
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 8-oz packet of cream cheese [always use full-fat]
• 2 eggs
• a pinch of salt
• 1 cup dulce de leche

For the topping, you’ll need:

• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 1/2 stick butter, cut into pieces
• 2 tsp light corn syrup

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line and grease an 8x8-inch square pan. To make the crust, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar until well-blended and slowly pour in the melted butter. Combine and pour onto the pan. Press the crumbs down and spread them evenly across the pan. Bake for 10 minutes and let cool on a rack for 5 minutes.

To make the filling, sprinkle gelatin over the milk and let soften, about 2 minutes. Mix the cream cheese, eggs, salt, and milk in an electric mixer using the paddle attachment until creamy. Slowly add in the dulce de leche and mix until fully incorporated.

Pour the filling onto the cooled crust and spread it evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let cool on the rack for at least 2 hours, then chill for at least 6 hours.

I really wish I had had my DSLR when I made these. I'm sure the photos would have been excellent.
Still, for a cell phone camera, I feel like they're pretty passable.

I'm so hungry right now. I hope this inspection is almost done. I'm feeling Thai tonight. And maybe a side of cheesecake for dessert.

Like, an entire cheesecake.

Do Thai restaurants sell cheesecake?