Tuesday, February 4, 2025

PEANUT BUTTER CHEESECAKE ON A BROWNIE CRUST

I got this recipe from a cousin. Haven't tried it yet but it sure does look good!

Brownie Crust:
6 Tablespoons Butter, melted plus 1 T. butter to grease pan
1-¼ cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
2 Eggs
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Flour
⅓ cups Unsweetened Cocoa
½ teaspoons Baking Powder
½ teaspoons Salt
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
1 cup Peanut Butter Chips
6 whole Peanut Butter Cups, Cut Into Quarters

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Butter a 9-inch springform pan, line with a parchment round and butter the parchment.
Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in a bowl.
Add eggs.
Stir in flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
Spread in prepared pan. Bake about 25 minutes.
Remove from oven and sprinkle on choc chips, peanut butter chips and the peanut butter cups. Lower oven to 325!!!!! Pour the cheesecake batter right on top (directions below)
Cheesecake Batter:
2 pounds Cream Cheese, Soft
5 eggs
1 ½ cups Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
1 cup creamy Peanut Butter
½ cups Heavy Cream
1 Tablespoon Vanilla

Beat cream cheese in bowl of mixer until smooth.
Add eggs, one at a time.
Add sugar, peanut butter and cream until smooth.
Add vanilla.
Pour filling into pan. Make sure you lowered oven to 325 at this point
Wrap foil around springform sides and set in large roasting pan. Add hot water to roasting pan so it comes up 1 inch the sides of the pan. (You are making a water bath) Place entire roasting pan in the oven.
Bake at 325 for 90 minutes.
Let cool 1 hour.
Run knife around edge and chill at least 4 hours.
Topping:

1/4 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
7 Peanut Butter Cups, Cut In Half

Microwave cream till hot. Add chips and let sit a minute. Whisk chips until melted and smooth. Drizzle all over the top reserving some. Use the reserved chocolate to dip the peanut butter cup halves into and stick them on the cake. Keep chilled.


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Monday, February 3, 2025

DELICIOUS CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

1/2 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
6 tbsp butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla extract
Unsweetened cocoa powder
powdered sugar
finely chopped pecans

In a small saucepan bring the cream, sugar, and butter just to a boil while stirring constantly.  Remove from the heat.

Stir in the chocolate chips until completely melted; stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour the mixture into a glass bowl and allow to cool while stirring constantly.

When cooled, cover and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours or overnight.

Shape the chilled mixture into 1/2-inch balls, handling as little as possible; place on a waxed paper covered cookie sheet.  Chill, covered loosely, for several hours.

Roll balls in the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and/or chopped pecans.

Note: If you prefer, you can make a chocolate coating to dip the balls in by melting 2 cups of semisweet chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons of shortening in a double boiler.  Cook chocolate to 85 degrees on a candy thermometer while stirring constantly then dip balls into the chocolate.

Yield: 2 1/2 dozen truffles
Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.
file photo

Sunday, February 2, 2025

BLACK CHERRY JUBILEE PARFAIT

1 cup boiling water
1 pkg (4-serving) black cherry gelatin (or your favorite flavor)
1 cup cold water
1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

Pour the dry gelatin mix into a medium mixing bowl.  Stir the boiling water into the gelatin stirring for a couple of minutes until the gelatin is completely dissolved.  Stir in the cold water.

Pour the mixture into a 9-inch square baking dish and refrigerate at least 4 hours or until firm.

Cut the set gelatin into small cubes.  Set aside half the whipped topping.  Into 4 dessert dishes or glasses, place a layer of gelatin cubes, a layer of whipped topping, and another layer of gelatin cubes.  Top each with a dollop of the remaining whipped topping to serve.

Yield: 4 servings
Jell-O Photo

Saturday, February 1, 2025

CHOCOLATE-MINT FUDGIES

12-oz semisweet chocolate (not chips), chopped
6 tbsp unsalted butter, cut up
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla
1 pkg (12-oz) white baking chips
1 pkg (10-oz) mint baking chips

Melt chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over medium to medium-low heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Cool to lukewarm.

Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.

In large mixer bowl, at medium speed, beat eggs, brown sugar and vanilla for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. At low speed, beat in chocolate mixture until blended. Beat in flour mixture just until combined.  Stir in both types of chips. Cover dough and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours or overnight, until firm enough to shape.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Drop 1/4 cup of dough per cookie onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets and gently form into balls. Freeze 10 minutes or until firm.

Bake at 350 degrees 10 to 12 minutes or until tops are dry when slightly touched but still very soft.

Cool on baking sheets on wire racks for 3 minutes then remove cookies to the racks to cool completely.

Yield: About 2 1/2 dozen
file photo

Friday, January 31, 2025

GUM DROP COOKIES

This is an old recipe that was served at club meetings in Southern Indiana where I was born and raised. Back in the day when ladies attended "club" meetings for everything from sewing to playing bridge, they took refreshments. These were popular cookies at those meetings.

2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1 cup broken nut meats
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup butter or shortening
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1 cup gum drops, diced

Cream together the sugar and butter or shortening, add beaten eggs. Sift flour, soda, cream of tartar together and add to creamed mixture. Add the diced gum drop candies and vanilla and nut meats. Drop batter from teaspoon onto lightly greased baking sheet and bake about 10 minutes in a 375-degree oven.

Note: The spiced gum drops are really good in these cookies. Do not use the licorice ones.

Thursday, January 30, 2025

RASPBERRY CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup butter, room temperature

2 cups packed dark brown sugar

5 eggs

1 tsp raspberry extract

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy cream

Fresh raspberries for garnish, optional

Heat oven to 350-degrees. Coat a 13-cup Bundt pan with baking spray with flour.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk mixture together until blended and no lumps remain. Reserve.

In medium-high speed of electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. On low speed, beat in the eggs, then raspberry extract until smooth. In 3 additions, alternately beat in reserved flour mixture and buttermilk just until combined, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Transfer batter to the prepared Bundt pan. Bake at 350-degrees 50 to 60 minutes until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 30 minutes. Remove cake from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Place cake on a serving platter or cake stand. In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave chocolate chips and heavy cream in 15 second intervals, stirring until completely melted and smooth. Let cool slightly. Gently spoon chocolate ganache over the cake, letting some drip down cake side. Garnish with fresh raspberries, if desired.

Yield: 16 servings

file photo for reference



MILK CHOCOLATE MUFFINS

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

2/3 cup milk, divided

2 large eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

In a bowl, stir flour, baking powder and salt together.

In a microwave-safe bowl, mix the chocolate chips with 1/3 cup of the milk. Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until smooth.

In another bowl, combine eggs, brown sugar, and butter. Stir into the chocolate mixture with the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture and the remaining milk until combined.

Divide batter evenly among paper-lined muffin tins and bake at 350-degrees approximately 18 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before eating.

Suggestion: Top muffins with strawberry or other ice cream of your choice when eating.

recipe and photo from Woman's World 7/2023


MAHOGANY CAKE

This recipe is over 100 years old. As far as I can tell, it is from New Mexico where I lived in the 1960s. It has been updated over the years to add modern ingredients ie instant coffee and modern appliances such as the electric mixer.

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons instant coffee granules
1 2/3 cups water
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon each of baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
powdered sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease and flour an oblong (9 x 13-inches) baking pan.

In a small pan put the cocoa powder, coffee, and water. Stir with a whisk while bringing just to a boil. Whisk until smooth. Let cool. 

Beat the butter, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and vanilla together in a large bowl with mixer on high speed until well blended. Add the eggs and beat until fluffy. On low speed, beat in cocoa mixture, then the flour just until blended. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack; cool completely.

Dust top with powdered sugar to decorate.

file photo

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

LEMON MERINGUE MUFFINS

6 tbsp butter, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp grated lemon peel
1/4 tsp lemon extract
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 egg whites

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease or paper-line 12 muffin cups; set aside.

In large bowl, beat butter and 2/3 cup of the sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the yogurt, peel, juice, and extract.

In another bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder; add to the creamed mixture just until moistened. Fill prepared muffin cups 3/4 full.

Bake at 350 degrees 17 to 19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove muffins from oven and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees.

Meanwhile, beat egg whites in a small bowl on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add remaining 1/3 cup of sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Pipe meringue onto tops of muffins, return to oven and bake until meringue is golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes.

Cool in pan 5 minutes then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Refrigerate leftovers.

Note: This recipe and photo are from TOH Cookbook, 2008.

 

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

WEIGHT WATCHER'S COUNTRY BLUEBERRY PIE

 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

4 cups blueberries (about 2 pints)

1 tbsp grated lemon zest (about 2 lemons)

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Pastry dough for a double crust pie

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1 tsp water

Preheat oven to 425-degrees.

Combine the 3/4 cup of sugar with the cornstarch, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Add blueberries and lemon zest and juice, toss together to mix well.

Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan with pastry dough, pressing onto bottom and sides. Spoon the berry mixture into the pie pan. Cover mixture with the top crust, cutting vents or poking with a fork to vent. Crimp the dough edges together to seal and make a decorative rim. Brush top with the egg white that has been beaten with the water. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Place pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake 20 minutes at 425-degrees. Reduce oven temperature to 375-degrees. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 25 minutes. Allow pie to cool on a wire rack approximately 1 hour before cutting.

Per serving of 1/12 of the pie: 248 calories, 9g (2g sat) fat, 5mg chol, 227 mg Sod, 40g carbs, 2g fiber, 3g protein, 10mg calc Points value 5

file photo for reference only