Spiced Apple Cheesecake Coffee Cake

This is the thickest coffee cake I have ever made.  And honestly, it is one of the best ever.

I first made this at the beginning of last year, after my Dad bought me this Williams Sonoma Baking Book for Christmas.

Since my Dad is a no-chocolate-all cinnamon-sugar-kind-a guy (with the occasional Snickers bar thrown in ... I know, how could you like Snickers and not like brownies?  I don't understand.  But I don't try to either)

Anyways, since my Dad is one of *those* people, this was the first recipe I tried out of the cookbook.

Oh my goodness, was it good.

And I remember it vividly. Guys, I even mentioned it in this blog post about crazy cookies.  I cannot even believe how old that post is!  December of 2012.  Crazy.

But I remember it.

It is incredibly thick.  Like, these slices are not for the faint of heart.  They're like the burgers that are so tall there is no way you could ever get your mouth around it in one bite.  But you'll try as hard as you can anyways.

This the apple coffee cake version of that.

Thanks to the butter and cream cheese combination, the cake is super moist.  The apples make it even better, but despite being so soft inside, these hold up easily to two fisted eaters.  Oh, and people's who eyes are bigger than their mouths, literally.  ^ the macho burger types

How on earth did I get on the subject of burgers? 

Welcome to my brain.  I know you are looking for the exit sign.

So, we've got our tender and moist cake base.  Now we're going to talk apples.  Do you like apples?  I really like apples.  And they shine in this recipe.  They are tossed in cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar before being folded into the batter, so the apples and spices meld together while baking.

And finally, look at that crust!  This reminds me a little bit of pound cake.  You know, the crackly crust that reveals a dense and buttery inside? 

This was so good I remember how good it tasted more than a year later.

Ok, enough food talk.  It is a good thing I remember how it tasted because I didn't get to eat any this time around.  I'm *officially* dairy free.  There.  I said it.  I am not a huge fan of allergies and all the hype around them.  I personally think they get too much attention.  I really didn't want to admit I had an allergy to some food.  In fact, I'm having a mini panic attack as I type this.  But after several episodes of me unable to walk from stomach pain, I decided something needed to be done (because I really like being able to walk ... and jump ... and play volleyball.  That is the real reason! :)  I tried full off dairy, full on dairy, and repeat for a couple weeks.  It hasn't solved all of my stomach problems, but when I'm off dairy, I feel much, much better.  It does run in our family, so it gives me more confidence in doing this.  Frankly, I worry that I'm wrong.  I don't want people to make a big deal out of it or treat me differently and earlier, I especially didn't want that to happen if I was wrong about being allergic to dairy.  For some reason (again, welcome to my brain) I feel so self conscious about it.  But I figured you all needed an explanation for all the dairy free recipes.  And I couldn't publish this, describing how amazing it was, without letting you know I really didn't eat it.  But my family did and they gave it two thumbs up!

Spiced Apple Cheesecake Coffee Cake

Recipe Source: Williams - Sonoma Baking Book

Yield: 16 servings

2 medium tart baking apples (I used Granny Smith) peeled, cored, and chopped

3 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

  

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 Tablespoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350.

Lightly grease a 9x9 glass baking pan.

Prepare your apples.  Toss in brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.

Beat butter, cream cheese, and sugar together until fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Stir in vanilla.

Add flour, baking soda, and salt and stir until combined.

Fold in apples.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 40-50* minutes or until crust is browned and toothpick inserted comes out clean.

*The original recipe called for 60-70 minutes but my oven runs hot.  I also had to lower the coffeecake to the lower rack at the 35 minute mark because it was browning too quickly.

Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls with Cinnamon Cheesecake Frosting

Moral of the day: good yeast is key to having good cinnamon rolls.

Unless you want your cinnamon rolls to feel like rubbery hockey pucks, use.good.yeast.

Let us just say, between you and me, that my Dad has not been so impressed with my recent batches of cinnamon rolls.  Cinnamon rolls are kind of his thing.  He loves a bakery here in town that makes really good ones and he is the one who made the first batch of real yeasted cinnamon rolls here at our house.  He has a high standard and I, his lovely daughter, have been falling a bit short.  So, earlier this week, I decided I was going to make cinnamon rolls without whole wheat, without honey, without anything that would make them taste less than traditional bakery style.  I was going to rock Dad's socks off with these, I mean, they were going to blow him away.

They blew him away alright.

I couldn't have done worse, really guys, the cinnamon rolls were horrible.  (I'm laughing as I write this, they were so bad.)  I can safely say there was no way I could ever share the recipe with you.  I was somewhat amused with the whole situation - I mean, here I tried to make the biggest, sweetest, bestest cinnamon rolls -  and I got hockey pucks.  Rubbery hockey pucks!  Elizabeth ate the ones I stuffed with chocolate chips ... and covered with icing ... lots and lots of icing.  But she was the only one.

Note:  Need to get rid of a bad batch of cinnamon rolls?  Make a double batch of icing.  Seriously, it works wonders. 

So, I decided to turn to one of the most trustworthy bakers out there: Sally.

Sally, I thank you for helping me meet my Dad's standards. 

I think the other recipe would've been fine had I had good yeast (did I mention this already?  Use.good.yeast.)

*yes, Mary Frances, we've got this.*

Good.  I used Red Star active dry yeast the second time - they never let me down.  When I say use good yeast, I really mean use Red Star.

Anyways, it probably would've been fine, but these?  These rocked our socks off.  And blew us away.

These cinnamon rolls are everything a good cinnamon roll is supposed to be.  Thick, with a slightly crusty edge, that melts into soft and fluffy roll full of buttery cinnamon and sugar.  I think heaven is going to full of carbs.  I really do.

 

They are so easy to mix together.  I even did these in a regular Pyrex bowl!  And they only require one rise.  The dough was so soft and stretchy, it felt amazing to knead. 

And then we have frosting.  My Dad's favorite frosting is cream cheese frosting, so I decided to skip the powdered sugar and milk icing and go all our with cinnamon cheesecake frosting.

It is creamy and thick and compliments these lovely rolls beautifully.  And as overloaded with adjectives as that previous sentence was, these cinnamon rolls are overloaded with cinnamon.  They are called cinnamon rolls, you know.  I dialed it back for my family, who is not so into cinnamon (I can't help them) but feel free to adjust to your preference.  I like a lot of cinnamon, so if I were to make a batch for myself (which probably would the biggest exercise in self control ever) I would add more cinnamon to the filling and the frosting.  As it was, I really enjoyed the lacing of cinnamon throughout every fluffy, chewy bite.

Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls with Cinnamon Cheesecake Frosting

Recipe Source:  Rolls from Sally's Baking Addiction

Yield: 9 rolls

Rolls:

2 and 3/4 cupsall-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 package Red Star active dry yeast (1 packet = 2 and 1/4 teaspoons)  (instant works, too)
1/2 cup  water
1/4 cup milk (make sure it is cow's milk)
2 -1/2 tablespoons butter
1 large egg

Filling:
1/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup cinnamon and sugar mixture

Cinnamon Cheesecake Frosting:
4 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

For rolls: Set aside 1/2 cup flour. 

Mix 2-1/4 cups flour, sugar, salt and yeast in a large mixing bowl.

Heat the water, milk, and butter together in the microwave until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot to touch.

Stir the butter mixture into the flour mixture.

Add the egg and only enough of the reserved flour to make a soft dough. I used a 1/3 cup.  Dough will be ready when it gently pulls away from the side of the bowl and has an elastic consistency.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for about 3-4 minutes.
Place in a lightly greased bowl (I used non-stick spray) and let rest for about 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, roll the dough out in a rectangle.
For filling: Spread the softened butter on top.
Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar all over dough. (add more if you want)
Roll up the dough from long side.
Cut into 9 even pieces and place in a lightly greased 9-inch round pan.
I used a pie dish, lightly sprayed with nonstick spray.
Allow rolls to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 45 minutes. Here is what I do: heat the oven to 200F degrees. Turn oven off. Place rolls inside oven and allow to rise.
After the rolls have doubled in size, (mine only took 45 minutes, but yours may take 60-90 minutes) remove rolls from oven and preheat to 375F.
Put rolls back in oven once preheated and bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned.
For frosting: Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, and cinnamon together. 
Spread over rolls.
Store rolls in an airtight container or tightly cover pan with foil or saran wrap.

The Easiest and Best Sopapilla Cheesecake

This sopapilla cheesecake has become a McNellis right of passage.  Thanks to packaged crescent rolls and the simplest cheesecake filling, these are a cinch to make.  I think most of us could make this in our sleep. 

 

We as a family have done some crazy things in our sleep!  After age eight, none of us have had any issues sleep walking, but when some of us were younger, well, let's just say we were good at it.

 

~One of us walked out of the house and began down the driveway at about 10:30 one night.  He didn't remember a thing in the morning.  Believe me, my parents sure did!

 

~Another person (all will go unnamed to protect pride) walked around the house and slept on the couch or the stairs or the floor for a couple hours at a time before finding a new place - all while asleep.  The night owls in our family never knew where we would find her next.  That thankfully only lasted two years. 

 

~That same person ended up right next to my bed one night and I was jolted awake by this shuffling noise right underneath me.  I was absolutely terrified.  I didn't know who it was, or even what it was, and I didn't want to find out.  It is amazing how scary my imagination can be early in the morning.  I finally worked up the courage to look over the edge of my bed.  I was so grateful when that two year period was over - I slept much better once she stayed in her bed!

 

~I don't think we have ever had someone get up and shower in their sleep, but I've heard stories like that! 

 

~And, I guess if I am going to share those stories, I need to share one of my own.  I don't think I ever sleep walked (slept walked? slept walk?) but I vividly remember waking up at, like, 2 in the morning, craving wedding cake of all things.  I had to settle for hot chocolate instead.  I remember heating up the water in the microwave and thinking, the buttons are so loud!  Trust me, an empty kitchen at 2 in the morning will make every sound loud enough to wake the dead.  After my adventure trying to muffle the microwave and drink my hot cocoa as fast I could AND get down the stairs and through the dark and scary basement without the hot cocoa monsters grabbing me, I was still craving wedding cake.  I think it would've been better had I been sleep walking.  At least when you are dreaming, you think you are eating.  Or is that just me ....

 

 

Don't you want to add your own story to this list? :)  Why not make these - sleep walking while baking is optional.

 

The Easiest and Best Sopapilla Cheesecake

Recipe Source: All Recipes

Yield: 16-24 servings

 

2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese (I used low fat)

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup cinnamon and sugar

 

Preheat oven to 350.

Press one package of crescent rolls into a 9x13 pan, making sure it is evenly pressed over the entire pan.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together.

Spread over crescent rolls.

Take second package of crescent rolls and separate the crescent rolls.  You are going to press them over the cheesecake layer to create a layer that completely covers the filling.  We press them together and out on a cutting board before placing over filling, but do whatever works.

Melt butter and pour over second crescent roll layer.

Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over the butter.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Eat warm (it will be a hot mess!) or let cool and chill for several hours before serving.  I prefer the chilled version so I store mine in the fridge, but the boys like it room temp.  Once again, personal preference.

 

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Gooey Bars

Can we talk about how much is going on in these bars?  There is a layer of snickerdoodle gooey cake, then a layer of snickerdoodle cheesecake, then cinnamon chips, then more gooey cake, and finally, caramel sauce drizzled all over.  Can I just say "yum?!"

This was created because Stephen and I tied for last in our bowl sheet competition.  The winner gets to pick the meal, the loser gets to pick the dessert.  Well, Stephen and I tied for last (yes, I'm very proud of it) and we all chuckled/groaned, because there couldn't be more two opposite sets of tastebuds than ours.

I like chocolate. 
I like veggies.
I like pumpkin.
I like lots of spreads and dips and condiments. 
I really like food in general.

Stephen ... doesn't. 

But, he does like snickerdooodles.  And he does like helping in the kitchen.  (Generally, when you get someone to help you, they will be a lot more open to eating whatever you make.  It works, I've tried it many times)  So, Stephen and I had a brainstorm session where I sketched this out, asking for his approval.  He gave it, we made it, the family loved it.  I was impressed this could be as rich and decadent as it was without chocolate!

So let's break this down; the first layer is simply cake mix, butter, and egg mixed together.  It is your standard gooey cake mix base.  Then I added a hefty teaspoon of cinnamon, to give it the snickerdoodle flavor.

Then, there is our cheesecake, adding the smooth and creamy middle layer.  Simply cream cheese, sugar, and cinnamon.  Just make sure your cream cheese is softened, which you can do by letting sit out for 30 minutes or (because I never plan that far ahead) you can cut into 4-6 equal cubes and just heat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds on half power.  Just spread it over the gooey cake layer. 

Finally, we sprinkle cinnamon chips (a new found love!) all over those two layers.  They melt into a river of smooth cinnamon heaven!  Add your reserved gooey cake mixture over that and drown it all in caramel sauce.  For all the layers, this is seriously easy peasy.  

I like rich. 

I like gooey. 

I like cheesecake. 

I like cinnamon chips. 

I like caramel. 

So does Stephen. And so will you. 

 

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Gooey Bars

Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life

Yield: 12 servings

 

Cake Layer:

1 box cake mix (butter or white)

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 egg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

 

Cheesecake Layer:

1 (8 oz.) box cream cheese (you can use low fat)

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Other layers:

1/2 cup cinnamon chips

1/4 cup caramel sauce

Preheat oven to 350. 

Stir cake layer ingredients together.  Spread into a 9x9 pan, reserving one cup  of cake mixture. 

Brag softened cream cheese with sugar and cinnamon. Spread over cake mix layer. 

Sprinkle cinnamon chips evenly over cheesecake. 

Press remaining cake mixture over cinnamon chips. 

Drizzle caramel sauce evenly over reserved cake mixture. 

Bake for 25 minutes. 

Cool. Refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight. 

Skinny Lemon Poppy Seed Cheesecake Bars

I've seen a lot of lemon recipes recently and ever time, I started craving it. There is something about the fresh tartness of lemon that is so good.  To me, lemon is creamy things; lemon bars, lemon cheesecake, lemon pudding, lemon whipped cream ...

Now, one of my favorite lemon recipes that isn't creamy is lemon poppy seed muffins. Those things are incredible. So I decided to take those flavors and textures and try them in cheesecake. I had also been wanting to try Sally's recipe for a while so it worked out perfectly.

 

 

These are cheesecake in bar form and have all the decadence of cheesecake without the guilt. (I'm just using that as an expression because I really don't believe in associating guilt with food. And I personally love cheesecake, no matter what:)

So here we go!  You start with the crust. I added some poppy seeds to the crust and they give it extra texture and crunch. 

Then, for the cheesecake, I used the combination of Greek yogurt and cream cheese and then stirred in the egg whites, flour, and sugar. There is two doses of lemon; the juice and zest. Next time you go to the store, go ahead and get a whole lemon. You'll get more than enough fresh juice and zest from one lemon for these. You could just double this and use the whole lemon. You'll be needing another pan, trust me.  

 

Tangy would be my word to describe these (after mouthwatering!)  The Greek yogurt and lemon add all the sour tanginess and the sugar cuts that and adds sweetness (and there is only a half cup used; not bad for lemon cheesecake) 

The poppy seeds add a little texture and pop of color.  I wasn't sure they would be good in cheesecake, but they fit right in with the lemon. Lemon and poppy seeds work so well together, no matter where they are. These bars are proof. 

Oh, one thing about these: you have to let them sit for at least four hours in the fridge.  That is the only downside to this recipe.  Patience, oh patience!

If I had to pick an all time favorite ingredient, Greek yogurt would be up there.  It is protein packed, doesn't leave me bloated or stomach achy, is smooth, creamy, and oh so versatile.  Give it to me for breakfast, snack - now dessert. And now it is deliciously disguised in one of my all time favorite desserts. My lemon cravings are satisfied and I can have these as a post volleyball snack.  Well, maybe that's pushing it ...

 

Side note: I seriously ate a slice of this cheesecake after a volleyball practice - no joke. It was absolutely amazing and I didn't get sick. I adore cheesecake. 

Skinny Lemon Poppy Seed Cheesecake Bars 

Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life. Adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction 

Crust:

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs 

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

1 Tablespoon milk 

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

Filling: 

8 oz low fat cream cheese, softened 

3/4 cup Greek yogurt, nonfat plain 

2 egg whites

1/2 cup sugar 

2 Tablespoons whole wheat flour 

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons lemon zest 

2 teaspoons poppy seeds 

 

For the crust:

Preheat the oven to 350. 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. 

Stir until it pulls together. 

Press into a lightly greased 9x9 pan and bake for 8 minutes.

 

For the filling:

While the crust is baking, beat cream cheese, yogurt and egg whites together.

Add sugar and flour and stir.

Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and poppy seeds until combined.  Pour into crust (I didn't let mine cool all the way because I was running out of time) and bake for 20-25 minutes.  Let cool before refrigerating for at least four hours.

 

 

Candied Pecan Cheesecake Tart

A creamy alternative to pecan pie!  We usually don't have pecan pie for thanksgiving, but I really enjoy it when we do. So rich and nutty and sweet. My Mimi is here for Rebekah and in honor of Mimi's birthday, I took one of her favorites, candied pecans, and incorporated it into a creamy cheesecake tart. There is an extra step of making candied pecans and you can skip that by buying candied pecans, but homemade is extra yummy. The filling is very simple and no bake, always a plus, and the crust is nutty and crunchy. 

I do enjoy having grandparents stay with us.  Any news is exciting, they love playing with the little kids, and they always volunteer to do our chores:)  It's so special to have grandparents who want to be involved and genuinely love us. 

I will always prefer to be the host given the option. It's kind of a first child, control  thing, I think.  For many years, my room became the guest room (because it had the biggest bed) and I always struggled with not having my own space during guests.  There is something about going into your room when you have company and being able to shut that door, knowing no one can follow you. It's like your castle, yes?  You'd think I'd get used to not having any of my own space with nine other people or not mind since I'm extroverted, but we all need some "me time."  Why I always tend to need it more when we have certain company, I have no idea, but I do. It's not that I didn't like the people, I think it was the comfort of routine and knowing where everything was and having access to all my stuff.  When that was taken away, then life suddenly got emotional.  Ah, but that was several years ago. Its interesting how important that has always been. Something I'm not very good at is choosing to be gracious and choosing to be flexible. Both of those things are imprtant when you live with people ... in general. But I've gotten better!  This weekend has been great, other than having a fever and cold ... fevers always leave me flat.  

But!  Candied pecans are great pick me ups!  I have several candied nut recipes Iove and to be honest, I had to stop making them because I would eat myself sick on them. These, since they're part of a dessert, are a different story. Grandmothers always love what you make them, but my dad (who came home after dinner) after eating his piece, came downstairs, found me, and held up his hand for a high five, saying, "man, that is the best dessert you've made Mary Frances!"

What more do you need? :)

It's more nutty than it is sweet, so if your a sugar person, feel free to add more to the filling. I really liked it, despite having a pretty major sweet tooth. The creamy filling is just sweet enough and contrasts the nutty crust and candied pecans.  The filling stays firm (ie; doesn't serve like pudding) and the crust slices nicely and doesn't fall apart like some tarts. It's short on ingredients and long on stunning!  

Candied Pecan Cheesecake Tart

Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life 

Yield: 8 servings 

Crust: 

1/2 cup pecans 

3/4 cup flour 

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/4 cup brown sugar 

1/4 cup cold butter, cubed 

For filling: 

1 (8 oz) package low fat cream cheese 

1/3 cup sugar 

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream 

1 batch candied pecans (recipe below) 

For crust: 

Preheat ice to 350. 

In a food processor, pulse nuts until chopped. Add flour, cinnamon, and sugar and chip until nuts are finely chopped. Add butter and pulse until mixture is crumbly and pulls into a ball. Press into a 9 or 10 inch tart pan.  Freeze for 10 minutes. Then, bake for 15 minutes. Let cool completely. 

For filling:

Beat cream cheese, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Set aside. Beat whipping cream until soft peaks form, about three minutes. Fold into cream cheese mixture. Spread into cooled crust. 

Arrange candied pecans over filling as desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

For candied pecans: 

1 cup pecans, whole 

3 tablespoons sugar 

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/8 teaspoon each, cloves, allspice, and salt

1 egg white (you won't use all of it) 

1-1/2 teaspoons water 

1/4 teaspoon vanilla 

For candied pecans: 

Preheat oven to 250. 

Combine cinnamon, sugar, spices, and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk egg white, water, and vanilla until frothy. Toss pecans in egg white mixture (you won't use all the egg white; you'll have to drain some off the pecans)  Then, toss the pecans in the cinnamon mixture. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15.  Let cool. 

Toffee Caramel Cheesecake

I really wanted to get good photos of these, really I did.  I made this one day, let it sit overnight, and tried to take photos Saturday morning.  I didn't plan super well and only had, like, 5 minutes before we had to leave for the volleyball tournament.  But I knew I had to take them then or there would've be any left after my family got done with it.

 

There's nine of us, so one cheesecake doesn't last very long.  Two days max.

 

 

So by the time I wanted to take good ones, there was no longer a subject for my pictures.  Soooooo you're left with these, which I know are blurry, and way overexposed.  I'm sorry.

 

Don't let my pictures scare you from making this!  It was a huge hit at our house and I also couldn't get enough of it.  Thanks to the caramel topping and the sweetened condensed milk, this cheesecake is super creamy.  That's what I think of first when I think of this; creamy.  It's not overly sweet and the caramel flavor isn't dominating.  Its just enough and the toffee bits add that crunch and mix up the creaminess. 

 

 

Volleyball is more than halfway through!  (You all will be glad that I'll have a new subject line when the season ends! :)  That means there is less than a month until the new baby gets here.  I am so excited about this new sibling.  As sad as it will be when volleyball ends, I'm grateful it ends when it does because I will be able to be at home and enjoy this new baby.  There's a part of me that REALLY hopes my brothers do basketball simply so while they are at games or at practice, I get to hold the baby and not have to share.  Because I love holding newborns.  It could probably count as a hobby.  Unfortunately, my mom is one of those moms that doesn't carry the baby around everywhere, but lets it learn to sit in its car seat and lay on its blanket on the floor (aka, not become best friends with its older sister reliant on us holding it)  I do get it, however, sharing this baby with six other children wanting to hold it as much as I will be hard.

 

 

This new baby will also be different because I will only have a couple years with it.  I won't get to grow up with it the same way I grew up with Luke or Abigail.  That's another reason I would like to spend as much time with him/her as I can.  I don't have a lot of it left. 

I've been asked whether I want a boy or a girl.  This is the first time I really have not cared (maybe because I have enough of each gender already? :)  If its a boy, it will be a great buddy for John Caleb, and I'll be happy.  If its a girl, then I am going to have the time of my life dressing her in adorable clothes and headbands and flowers.  And I'll be happy.  I used to think I wanted twins when I was litte, a girl and a boy, but then I became wise got older and realized that is a TON of work. 

All in all, I'm super excited and can't wait for the beginning of November, even if it means volleyball is over.  (I'll miss it so much though!)

Toffee Caramel Cheesecake

Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life

Yield: 16 servings

Crust:

1-1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

6 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon brown sugar

3/4 cup toffee baking bits

Cheesecake:

3 (8 oz.) cream cheese (I used low fat), softened

1 (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

3 eggs

1 cup caramel ice cream topping

 

Toffee bits for garnish (about 1/2 cup)

 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a 9 inch springform pan with parchment paper.  Set aside.

 

Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and brown sugar; stir until combined.  Press into prepared pan.  Bake for 12 minutes.  Let cool.  Once crust is cooled, sprinkle toffee bits evenly over crust.  Set aside.

 

While crust is cooling, beat cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk together for several minutes, until smooth.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition.  Beat in caramel ice cream topping.  Pour over crust. 

 

Prepare a water bath by filling a 15x10x2 inch jelly roll pan with 1/2-1 inch water.  Place cheesecake in it and bake for 75-80 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack for at least an hour before chilling for six hours or overnight. 

 

Sprinkle with toffee bits before serving.  Enjoy!

 

I've got you covered when it comes to cheesecake!

 

Snickers Cheesecake

 

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

 

 

 

 

Peanut Butter Snickers Smores Cheesecake Bars {Gluten Free}

 

 

Sopapilla Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars

 

Oreo Coconut Cheesecake Bars

After the crazy long post yesterday, I'm going to rest your eyes by making this short and sweet.

Just kidding, I'm going to show your eyes pictures of this cheesecake.  You can give your eyes a break on Saturday. (Woot woot for the weekend!) 

Okay, guys, this cheesecake. It has a thick crust made of Oreo crumbs and coconut which is texture party and then I used coconut oil instead of butter to go with the coconut theme.  And there are supposed to be health benefits with coconut oil and I'm all about putting health into cheesecake. 

Right.  Who am I kidding?

Anyways, and then we have out thick, ultra creamy cheesecake with shreds of coconut all throughout it. Plus, the cheesecake layer only requires four ingredients.  Compared to the most recent recipe (everything was long in the last post!) this ingredient list is so easy. But it sure does taste amazing. 

My favorite part of this was the crust. Crunchy, yet a little chewy from the coconut, and full of chocolate and coconut flavor. I could've eaten the crust by itself! 

When I put this in the oven, I thought, what if my coconut burns?  Thankfully, it didn't, so if you're worried about that, you don't have to anymore. :)  My coconut survived its half hour in the oven and turned out so nice and toasty, the perfect topping to the cheesecake. 

I'm looking forward to the weekend, anyone else with me?  I don't have big plans ... We have practically an all day volleyball tournament which I'm pumped about.  I love my Saturdays and me time (we extroverts do actually like alone time, albeit brief!) but I am loving this years team and season, so its not a sacrifice at all to give up my Saturday. This year has been a blast and we get to play some tougher this teams on Saturday. Our team plays with the competition; we play up when it's tough and we play down when it's easy. Not preferable but it sure makes tough games fun!

 

Oreo Coconut Cheesecake Bars

Recipe Source:  The Sweet {Tooth} Life

Yield: 12-16 servings 

For the crust:

1-1/2 cup Oreo crumbs

3/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes

1/3 cup coconut oil, melted 

For the filling:

2 (8 oz.) low fat cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs 

1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes 

Garnish:

1/3 cup Oreo crumbs

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

For the crust: stir Oreo crumbs and cockpit together. Stir in melted coconut oil and press into a lightly greased 9x9 pan. 

For the filling: beat cream cheese and sugar together until smooth, about a minute.  Add eggs and beat well. Stir in coconut. Pour filling over crust. 

For garnish: sprinkle Oreo crumbs over filling and then sprinkle the coconut over the Oreo crumbs. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Let cool. Refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Related Recipes:

Oreo Cheesecake Reeses Brownies

Oreo Layer Cake



Coconut Cheesecake Stuffed Chocolate Snickerdoodles
 

Chocolate Peanut Butter {Birthday} Cheesecake

 What is a birthday without cake?

If you have been reading for a while, you know, I don't really like cake.

So I have birthday cheesecake. 

#bestcakeever

  

This was for my birthday party and was icing chocolate chips on the cake cheesecake to the day.  Smooth, creamy, sweet, chocolatey decadence.  So crazy good.

There is a great story behind this cutting board. My friend Abby asked me what I wanted and I listed some stuff. But then, I said, if you want to get something really specific, I would love a wooden cutting board.

Yeah. 

So while she is shopping for me, she gets a text from a friend asking what she was doing. She replied back that she was shopping for birthday presents. The other friend who and what and Abby replied, "Mary Frances; makeup and ... a wooden cutting board."

Yeah. 

Isn't she the sweetest?  If someone had asked me for a wooden cutting board, I'm not sure what I would do. 

Laugh?

I sure did when I saw she had gotten me it. Like I said, true friends get you the crazy stuff you want. Like wooden cutting boards. 

I just had to use it in these pictures. I received so many amazing gifts from friends, many of them food blogging related, so be prepared, they will be talked about in upcoming posts!

I was going to do a totally different cheesecake, but I was pressed for time and so I used the same base for Nathan's Snickers Cheesecake, but added peanut butter and chocolate chips. If it ain't broke, don't change it. This is a softer cheesecake, thanks to the peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk and when I made it, I only used a 1/3 cup peanut butter and the flavor was hardly there. So for real peanut butter flavor, I would add another 1/3 cup. It is extremely delicious and decadent either way!

Chocolate Peanut Butter {Birthday} Cheesecake
Recipe Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life.  Adapted from Taste of Home.
Yield: 16 servings

Crust:

1-3/4 cups Oreos (about 28 wafers)

1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling:

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened (I used low fat)

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup chocolate syrup

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup peanut butter (add another 1/3 cup for peanut butter flavor)

1 cup chocolate chips

In a small bowl, combine wafer crumbs and butter. Press onto the bottom and 1-1/2 in. up the sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Place pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square); securely wrap foil around pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, milk, chocolate syrup and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs; beat just until combined.  Stir in salt and peanut butter.  Pour into crust. Sprinkle chocolate chips over top.  Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.

Bake at 325° for 75-80 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

Coconut Cheesecake Stuffed Chocolate Snickerdoodles

Humidity is bad.

Humility is good. 

There is a difference, although my spell check doesn't seem to think so!  More on that later.

These are my dream cookie. Here's why. The chocolate cookie itself is soft and fudgy, yet firm enough to picked up and held (except in 80% humidity weather). Then, once you bit into the cookie, there is a creamy cheesecake filled with coconut shreds. Can we talk flavor and texture heaven?  Finally, I dusted them with cinnamon and sugar. They looked amazing, they tasted amazing, you must make these.  My dream cookie.

However, you would be better off taking these Rice Krispy Treats or these peanut butter no bake bars when going to a potluck dinner outside when it's 80 degrees with almost unbearable humidity levels. When you do that, these cookies turn into squishy desserts strongly resembling their form before they were baked.  Delicious yes, as appealing?  Not really. We did bring home an empty box (downside of sharing:) but save these for your air conditioner, okay? 

Then, once you've got yourself in your air conditioned house, you can take your batch of cookies and think, you know, in the name of humility, I'm going to keep these all here that way I won't have any chance of being prideful about them. I'm not being selfish, I'm being humble!  

Them you can stick one of these in your mouth and savor your air conditioned glory.

Ok. Hope you all realize I was joking.

Humility is something you have to have a heart change to even truly desire.  The hardest part about humility is not being humble, but willing to be humble.  As our first volleyball tournament is this next weekend, I've been reminded part of teamwork is humility. If I'm not willing to make choices that will help the team and not just me, then I am not a good team member. Every role is important even though some  don't get any glory. Needing that glory, that attention, is a red flag. If I have to have affirmation based on my playing to have a good attitude, then Houston, we have a problem!  On a team, you win together and you lose together. And teamwork isn't isolated to sports. My family is a team. One that will last way longer than sports. As much time as I invest in volleyball, something that only lasts a couple years, how much more should be invested in relationships that will last my whole life?

Humility, putting others needs first. 

Humidity, melting incredible cookies into dough. 

Avoid the latter. The humidity part, I mean. 

 Coconut Cheesecake Stuffed Chocolate Snickerdoodles

Recipes Source: The Sweet {Tooth} Life.  Cookie base slightly adapted from Craving Chronicles

Coconut Cheesecake Filling:

4 oz. cream cheese

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut

Cookie:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 ounces cream cheese (I used low fat)
6 tablespoons butter, melted and still warm
1/3 cup applesauce
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon brewed coffee

Cinnamon and sugar for dusting

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Combine sugar, cream cheese and melted butter in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Whisk in applesauce. Add egg, milk, coffee, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture. Fold in with a rubber spatula until all flour is incorporated and a soft dough forms.

Refrigerate dough overnight or up to four days. 

For filling: Beat softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Stir in coconut shreds. Using this method, spoon small balls of cream chess filling onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and freeze for an hour. 

After dough has chilled and cheesecake filling has frozen, remove dough from refrigerator.  Lightly grease two cookie sheets and preheat oven to 350. 

Roll dough into 15-20 uniform sized balls. If dough becomes too sticky, return to refrigerator. Place one ball of frozen cheesecake in the center of the cookie dough and wrap the dough around it. Place on prepared cookie sheet and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. 

Bake 1 sheet at time at 350°F for 11-13 minutes, until cookies are set and tops have cracked. (They might not look done, but don’t over bake!) Cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Snickers Cheesecake

It is amazing how much boys grow when they are 12, 13, 14. Amazing.

Up until last year, I used to be taller than Nathan. And stronger, and faster. Not anymore!  My little brother has shot right part me and doesn't seen to plan on stopping any time soon. He is truly a young man and I often forget to treat him as such. Kind of hard to believe considering he is way bigger than I.  Nathan and I are different in so many ways, but gosh do I love him.  He turned 14 last week!  He didn't want a party. Didn't last year, didn't this year. See one difference?  I rarely pass up the chance to have a party. But I guess we are just wired differently. He would rather spend an afternoon with friends and have nothing to do with candles, presents, or attention. Okay, totally a big sister thing to say, but I think it's sweet. Strange, but sweet. Since I couldn't coordinate a bunch of fun party foods for him, (no party) I did the next best thing and made cheesecake. Nathan's favorite candy bar is snickers and this has been his birthday "cake" for several years now. To be honest, it is worth not having a party. I would have to share at a party. Sharing snickers cheesecake?  Ain't happening in my world any time soon!

My favorite things about Nathan:

- he goes and plays with new people. Most times, he never finds out their name, just enjoys playing with them. Me, I gotta know their life story; are you safe?  Can you be trusted?  Etc, etc. Nathan accepts them as a playmate regardless. I admire that. 

- he and I used to have bedrooms across from each other and we would tap messages on the walls and play games in each others beds even when we weren't supposed to. It's sad it won't ever be like that again.  Now we like our sleep way too much!  #teenageproblem

- he's got a compassionate heart. 

- he will eat my baking experiments :)

- he works hard at mowing and football conditioning.  Recently, he's let me work out with him. This wouldn't be a big deal, except a couple months ago, I really wanted him to work out with me. I wanted motivation. However, he did not want to at all and would not do it with me, no mater how much I cajoled and pleaded.  I realized later it was born mainly from fear that I would be better. What?!  Did I mention he is way taller and stronger than me?  However, I (grudgingly) let it go and now that football has started he had been diligently working out. And he let me do it with him!  I came to the conclusion that I will never compare volleyball practices with football ones. I haven't yet but I will not now!  I only did his conditioning with him and I was soaked with sweat. I do not think I have sweat like that all year. Running down my face and forehead and chest - I did let him go first so he would finish first (I didn't want to ruin his generosity) and I think he realized we can push each other in positive ways. It was fun not because I was really challenged but because Nathan got to lead me. And he said I did really good!  

  

Happy birthday, buddy!

Snickers Cheesecake 

Recipe Source: Taste of Home 

Yield: 14-16 servings

Crust:

1-3/4 cups crushed chocolate wafers (about 28 wafers)

1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

Filling:

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

1 cup chocolate syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 eggs, lightly beaten

6 Snickers candy bars (2.07 ounces each), coarsely chopped, divided

Additional chocolate syrup

In a small bowl, combine wafer crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and 1-1/2 in. up the sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Place pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square); securely wrap foil around pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, milk, chocolate syrup and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs; beat just until combined. Stir in 2-1/2 cups chopped candy bars. Pour into crust. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan.

Bake at 325° for 75-80 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

Top with remaining chopped candy bars; drizzle with additional chocolate syrup.