CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CHEESECAKE

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CHEESECAKE 

Scott wanted this for Christmas (2012).  His Mom use to make this when he was growing up.  She gave really good directions because it turned out really yummy.  I did the Oreo crust but would like to try the flour.  I think also next time I might try not adding chocolate to the 2nd half of the cheese cake and instead of the sour cream mixture do a genache topping (see Candace folder).  9" pan worked perfect.  See notes below if wanting to do a bigger one.  Saw in a another recipe you could use 28 Lorna Doone Shortbread cookies for crust.  Add 1/4 cup butter and 1 T sugar.  Press on bottom and cook for 10 min.

UPDATE: Have made this for Abagail's birthday twice now.  She really likes it.  Next time I want to try 8" pan with 16 oz cream cheese.  The nutella crust (see strawberry cheesecake recipe) and 1/2 the recipe for genache.

CRUST:
1 bag Oreos - grind in food processor then add:
2-4 T melted butter
Pat on bottom of springfoam pan.
OR
2 cups Flour
1/3 to 1/2 cup Sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
not quite 1 cube of butter 
1/3 Peanut Butter
an egg, water or milk to make it like a pie crust consistency
few chocolate chips, chopped - optional
OR (got his from Mel's Kitchen) - next time I would not bake it.
http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/10/decadent-chocolate-cheesecake.html

• 9-ounce package of chocolate cookies (such as chocolate wafers, graham crackers or teddy grahams)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• For crust: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan with 3-inch-high sides (or use a 10-inch springform pan with 2-inch sides). Process the chocolate cookies in a food processor (or the old-fashioned way with a bag and a rolling pin) until they are finely ground. Transfer them to a small bowl and mix in the sugar. Add the melted butter and mix until well combined. Press the crumbs evenly onto the bottom only of the prepared pan. Bake just until set, about 5 minutes. Cool while preparing filling. Keep the oven heated at 350 degrees.

Use a pastry blender and do like for a pie.   Pat out and up the sides of a spring form or whatever you bake a cheese cake in. You want that crust whatever you use, to pat into the pan....not joined together very good like a regular pie crust.  Kind of crumbly and yet together enough to pat into the pan and sides and stay there....just trial and error is how I work it.   

MIDDLE:
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla  

Beat above ingredients together for a long time (5 min or more).  Split the mixture into two bowls (for peanut butter keep in Bosch and add peanut butter).  Add 1/2-3/4 cup creamy peanut butter.  For the other mixture add 1/2 cup chocolate chips that have been melted with a little canned milk or sour cream.  (That chocolate mixture needs to be a bit thinner than just melting chocolate chips or it will chunk up.)  I put the chocolate mixture on the bottom if I used like a pie crust, then the peanut butter.  If I did Oreos, I did the peanut butter first, then the chocolate.  I sometimes would swirl things a bit too.

Bake at 325 for at least 20 to 25 minutes or until kind of jiggle the pan the cheesecake is in, if it gently moves slightly (you don't want it soupy at all) kind of set up jiggle...then it is done.  Also it will usually just barely split.  Add topping when cheesecake is out of the oven (doesn't need to cool)

TOPPING: (do this on the stove)
1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted 
add:
1 - 1 1/2 cups of sour cream 
3 TBLS sugar

Candace always had me make it like I created it with the pie crust type of bottom...she said it sold good.  If your pie pan is so the cheesecake isn't very deep, it will be done in approximately the above time, otherwise it will take longer...I can't remember the exact times for a deeper one....just watch.

Here is the email:
On the recipe: It is one I created while I worked at The Cottage and can be made with crushed oreos for the crust.  At home I used to take the frosting out so I could crush them easier if I used them...but I saw a thing where they are just crushing them...so it must work to leave the frosting it.  I also made a regular pie-type of crust for the bottom...I will write it out.  On the Oreos, crush them and add a bit of melted butter to make join together for the crust.  I didn't write that down, so I would just guess and drizzle butter and stir until it is good to stick together for the bottom crust.

Here is how I made it originally: Crust ...  2 cups of flour, 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar, pinch of salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, not quite 1 cube of butter and 1/3 peanut butter.  Use a pastry blender and do like for a pie.  Last I would attempt to chop a few choco chips and add them.  I wrote that I mixed an egg and any water or milk necessary to make like a pie dough.  Pat out and up the sides of a spring form or whatever you bake a cheese cake in.

16 oz. cream cheese,  1/2 cup sugar, 2 eggs and a teaspoon vanilla.  If you want a larger cheesecake, you could use 24 oz. cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, 3 eggs and vanilla.  (That proportion is the basic cheesecake Candace taught me - also beat and beat the cream cheese mixture well...I found it made a better cheesecake.)  Split the cream cheese and stir in 1/2 to 3/4 cup of peanut butter.  For the chocolate, I melted 1/2 cup chocochips with a little canned milk or just milk or sour cream...any of them work and then stir in the choco chip mixture into the other half of the cream cheese mixture.  (That chocolate mixture needs to be a bit thinner than just melting chocolate chips or it will chunk up.)  I put the chocolate mixture on the bottom if I used like a pie crust, then the peanut butter.  If I did Oreos, I did the peanut butter first, then the chocolate.  I sometimes would swirl things a bit too.

Bake at 325 for at least 20 to 25 minutes.  Candace that owned The Cottage showed me to test for a cheesecake, kind of jiggle the pan the cheesecake is in, if it gently moves slightly (you don't want it soupy at all) kind of set up jiggle...then it is done.  To use a toothpick....doesn't work for me.  Also it will usually just barely split.  For a topping, again Candace taught me this, use 1/2 cup choco chips melted added in with 1 to 1/2 cups of sour cream and about 3 TBLS sugar.  Any cheesecake I made was topped with sour cream mixed with sugar on top of it.  Even the cherry cheesecake I made for out there.

Candace always had me make it like I created it with the pie crust type of bottom...she said it sold good.  If your pie pan is so the cheesecake isn't very deep, it will be done in approximately the above time, otherwise it will take longer...I can't remember the exact times for a deeper one....just watch.

You want that crust whatever you use, to pat into the pan....not joined together very good like a regular pie crust.  Kind of crumbly and yet together enough to pat into the pan and sides and stay there....just trial and error is how I work it.   Judi

WHOLE WHEAT DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MINT COOKIES

Santa cookies Christmas 2012.  Yum!  Yum!  Use Nestle mint/dark chocolate chips and semi sweet.  It was a lot of chocolate chips.  Could do 2 cups if wanted.  Next time would like to try replacing some of the butter with greek yogurt.

100% Whole Wheat, Double Chocolate Mint Chip Cookies

 

Print

Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: Heidi @ Food Doodles

Yield: 3 dozen

Ingredients

• ¾ C softened salted butter
• 1½ C sucanat or palm sugar(or brown sugar)
• ½ tsp peppermint extract
• 1½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• ⅔ C unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 C white whole wheat flour(or whole wheat pastry flour)
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 3 C mint chocolate chips

 

See Italian Dinner Recipes!

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the extracts and eggs and beat well.
3. In a separate bowl mix the cocoa powder with the flour, cornstarch, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and mix until combined.
5. Scoop rounded tablespoonfuls 2″ apart onto the prepared baking sheets. Place baking sheets in the fridge and chill 45 minutes – 1 hour until the dough is completely chilled.
6. Place chilled dough in the oven and bake for 9-11 minutes or until the bottoms look slightly darker. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a baking sheet to cool completely.

Notes

I used semisweet mint chocolate chips, but feel free to sub in all semisweet chips of a mix of semisweet chocolate chips and mint chips or whatever you’d like!   

MELT IN YOUR MOUTH BUTTERMILK COOKIES

MELT IN YOUR MOUTH BUTTERMILK CHOCOLATE COOKIES
http://bigflavors.blogspot.com/2010/08/melt-in-your-mouth-buttermilk-chocolate.html
These are very good!  I think they would be good with 1/2 peanut butter or vanilla chips too.  Or chocolate chunks.  Yum! Yum!

The 2nd batch I put the dough in the fridge while the other were cooking.  They turned out softer (saw where someone put on facebook if you put dough in fridge first they would turn out softer).

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
Melt the butter in a small, microwave safe bowl.
In a large bowl, combine the melted butter (still warm) with cocoa powder and whisk until very smooth. Whisk in sugar, vanilla extract and buttermilk. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until no streaks of flour remain. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop dough in 1-inch balls into prepared baking sheet, leaving about two inches between cookies to allow for spread.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are set around the edges.
Cool for 2-3 minutes on a baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack with a spatula to cool completely.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

A BETTER OATMEAL COOKIE

A BETTER OATMEAL COOKIE
These tasted good - especially for a healthier version.  This came from the Family Fun Magazine.

These cookies taste wonderful, really they do! They are also a much healthier cookie, with only half the sugar and butter than most recipes I found. To help keep the cookies moist, soak the raisins in water just before adding them into the dough, along with the reserved raisin water.

A Better Oatmeal Cookie

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup sifted flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 cups quick oats

Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place the raisins in a small bowl, cover them with water, and let them soak for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir them until they’re evenly blended.

Set aside 3 Tbsp of water from the bowl of raisins, then drain the raisins, discarding the remaining water.

Whisk the egg in a medium bowl. Stir in the vanilla extract, melted butter, and reserved raisin water.

Make a well in the flour mixture, then pour in the egg mixture and blend well. Use a spatula to stir in the oats and the raisins.

With a tablespoon or cookie scoop (1 1/2 Tbsp size), place the portions of the dough on the cookie sheets, then use a spatula to flatten them slightly.

Bake the cookies one sheet at a time, rotating the pan halfway through, until they are golden brown, about 16 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 3 to 4 minutes, then use a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 24 cookies.

Source: Family Fun, March 2012

MAPLE-OATMEAL COOKIES

MAPLE OATMEAL COOKIES
We really liked these.  They are thin, crispy and addicting.  Not very sweet.
http://www.marthastewart.com/891975/maple-oatmeal-cookies

Ingredients

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. In a medium bowl, stir together oats, flour, salt, and baking soda. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars on high until pale and fluffy, 3 minutes. Beat in maple syrup, egg, vanilla, and 1/4 cup water, scraping down bowl as needed. With mixer on low, beat in oat mixture in 2 additions until just combined.
2. Drop dough in rounded teaspoons, 2 inches apart, onto parchment-lined (A MUST!) baking sheets. Bake until edges are golden, about 11 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cookies cool on sheets until set, about 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

Cook's Note

Store cookies in an airtight container, up to 1 week.

THAI PEANUT CHICKEN STIR-FRY SALAD

2	small carrots, peeled
8	cups (2 L) chopped romaine lettuce
1 1/4	lbs (625 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2	tsp (2 mL) salt
1/2	tsp (2 mL) coarsely ground black pepper
1	tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
1/4	cup (50 mL) dry-roasted peanuts
1	can (15 oz/398 mL) baby corn, drained
1	medium red bell pepper
1	medium red onion
4	garlic cloves, peeled
1/3	cup (75 mL) Thai Peanut Sauce
1/4	cup (50 mL) chopped fresh cilantro (optional) (didn't add)

Directions:

1. Julienne carrots using Julienne Peeler; cut into 2-in. (5-cm) pieces using Utility Knife. Arrange lettuce on serving platter; top with carrots and set aside.
2. On Cutting Board, dice chicken into 1-in. (2.5-cm) pieces using Santoku Knife. Combine chicken, salt and black pepper in Classic Batter Bowl; mix well. Heat oil in(12-in./30-cm) Skillet over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Add chicken; cook undisturbed 4-5 minutes or until browned on one side. Stir chicken usingBamboo Spatula. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, chop peanuts on clean Cutting Board using Food Chopper; set aside. Cut baby corn in half crosswise. Slice bell pepper into strips; cut strips in half. Slice onion into 1/2-inch-thick (1-cm) wedges. Slice garlic using Garlic Slicer.
4. Add vegetables to chicken in Skillet; cook 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove Skillet from heat; stir in peanut sauce. Spoon stir-fry over salad; sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings

Nutrients per serving: Calories 250, Total Fat 11 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 80 mg, Carbohydrate 15 g, Protein 23 g, Sodium 510 mg, Fiber 3 g

http://www.pamperedchef.com/recipe_search/recipe.jsp?id=89702

This is a good summer dinner.  Used House of Tsang Bangkok Padang - it was spicy.

CHOCOLATE CAKE

BLACK MAGIC CAKE (BEST CHOCOLATE CAKE EVER!)
Added by Lisa Glass [Sqrlmama] on Apr 7, 2011

Lisa from Englewood, OH (pop. 13,465) says:
When my mother passed away, a close family friend made us two wonderful cakes. One was the Kentucky Apple cake, which was a hit with the big guys, and the other was this moist, dense chocolate cake, which was a hit with my three sons and their friends. My twin boys requested this for their birthday with one stipulation - they each wanted their own cake, just for them! Oh, and don't be thrown off by the inclusion of coffee in the recipe. You would never know it's there. Matter of fact, if my boys knew it was in there, they would freak out since they hate coffee!

http://www.justapinch.com/recipe/lisa-glass/black-magic-cake-best-chocolate-cake-ever/cake?source=fork_FB_black_magic_cake

UPDATE: cut into individual pieces, wrapped in saran wrap and put in freezer ziploc.  Yum!  Not as good as the frozen cherry one Lisa makes, but good frozen.

Cook time:	40 Min		Difficulty:
Prep time:	15 Min		Serves:

INGREDIENTS

- 1 3/4 c all purpose flour - 2 c sugar - 3/4 c cocoa powder - 2 tsp baking soda - 1 tsp baking powder - 1 tsp salt - 2 eggs - 1 c strong black coffee or hot chocolate, cooled - 1 c buttermilk

- 1/2 c vegetable oil - 1 tsp real vanilla extract CHOCOLATE FROSTING - 1/2 c margarine, softened - 2 oz melted unsweetened chocolate, cooled (not too long) - 3 c powdered sugar - 3 Tbsp milk - 2 tsp real vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1.   Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer.

2.   Add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Beat at medium speed for two minutes. Batter will be thin.

3.   Pour batter into a greased and floured 9x13 pan or two 9 inch cake pans.

4.   Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes for a 9x13, or 30-35 minutes for layer pans.

5.   Combine frosting ingredients and mix with a hand or stand mixer. Spread frosting on cooled cakes.

EASY MADE FROM SCRATCH YOU CAN'T STOP EATING IT CHOCOLATE CAKE
https://fabulesslyfrugal.com/recipes/easy-made-from-scratch-you-cant-stop-eating-it-chocolate-cake/

This sure was a big hit!  Everyone loved it.  Super easy to make.  Made in a 9x13.

• 2 cups white sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water (we did hot chocolate - extra chocolate!!!)

BUTTER CREAM FROSTING: (we already had some made that we needed to use up)

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans (I just made mine in 9x13 baking pan and increased bake time to 42 minutes)
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 3 minutes with an electric mixer.
3. Stir in the boiling water by hand (make sure you mix it in well... the batter will look runny, but have faith... it'll turn out!)
4. Pour evenly into the greased pan(s).
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. (For the 9x13 cake pan I baked it for about 42 minutes... do the toothpick test, it should come out fairly clean).
6. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely. (I just leave mine in the pan)
7. Delicious by itself, either slightly warm or even chilled! Try it with cool whip, or chilled pie cherries and cool whip

FROSTING:

1. Cream butter until light and fluffy.
2. Stir in the cocoa and confectioners' sugar alternately with the milk and vanilla (I preferred a little less cocoa).
3. Beat to a spreading consistency.