Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Bars - 2 Ways

If you have a lover of cookies and cream ice cream in your house.

If you open a package of Oreos, then turn around and they are gone.

If cheesecake a one of the main food groups on your household.

Then this is a recipe for you!

I got this recipe from Recipe Girl.  I have made it several times and it is always a hit.  Once, I converted it from squares into a cheesecake.  That rocked also.  And now, I have taken it a step further. 

Old Fashioned Apple Crisp

Serve still warm with some creamy vanilla ice cream...  oh my. 

Note:  For best flavor, use a variety of apples.  Crisp textures work best. The tartness of Granny Smith apples combined with the wonderful flavor of the Honeycrisp is always a winning combination!

2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
1/2 cup soft butter
6/7 med apples, peeled, cored and sliced 
1  tbsp sugar
1  tsp cinnamon

Homemade Oreo Cookies

 
Homemade Oreos  
(recipe from Smitten Kitchen)
Adapted from Retro Desserts, Wayne Brachman

Let’s talk about the sugar for a minute, shall we? This is a sweet cookie. A good, sweet cookie. Yet, if you think of an actual Oreos, the wafers are fairly un-sweet and actually on the slightly salty side, which contrasts with the super-sweetness of the filling bringing harmony, happiness, yada yada. If you want your cookie closer to that original, you can take out a full half-cup of the sugar. If you want to make the cookie by itself  go ahead and use the full amount.

Makes 25 to 30 sandwich cookies

Crater Cake

This is a slight twist on the classic southern cola cake. It's moist and cakey with a brownie flavor. It has just a hint of a caramelized sugar flavor from the mini marshmallows that float to the top of the batter and caramelize on top. MMMMMMMMMMM!!! 

 

Yeasty Blessings

I love to bless my family, using my God given gifts.  Seeming as how my girls already have plenty of crocheted items, and Darin refuses to wear anything crocheted, I like to bless them with food from my kitchen.  Today it's cinnamon rolls and homemade pizza.

Cinnamon buns with maple icing.

Today I divided my cinnamon roll dough into two batches.  Batch one, cinnamon rolls with maple icing.  Batch two, chocolate chip cookie rolls with cream cheese icing.  They are both divine and are best enjoyed with a steaming hot cup of coffee.  I will post more about these tomorrow.

Today, I bake!

Because today is Friday, which, at our house, translates as pizza night, which means I don't have to prepare dinner, instead I have a long list of items to bake.  I have a request from each member of the family for what they want for me to make.  Plus, I have my own plan to make Pumpkin Spice Caramel Cheesecake, a recipe I got from over at Lauren's blog.  You should definitely check out her blog sometime.  Great recipes with a warm friendly approach to blogging. 

Speaking of Lauren's blog, did I tell you that I won a giveaway from her?  Well, I did!  Lauren had a giveaway featuring products made locally in her small Oregon town, and my name was selected. YAY!!!  I received these products on Wednesday.

There are Mini Lemon Shortbread Cookies (seriously yummy) and Pecan Mini Shortbread Cookies (melt in your mouth goodness) from McTavish Shortbread.  The mixed nuts are from the Fruit Company.  I have not broken them open yet, but they look really good!  And let me tell you about the Vanilla Pear Butter from Oregon Growers and Shippers....    soooooooooo yummy!!!  It really tastes like freshly picked pears with a wonderful vanilla note that kind of lingers on your tongue.  Oh yeah! 

Thank you Lauren!  These products are a hit with the entire family.

Again, please stop by Lauren's blog, "Lauren's Latest" and check out what she has to offer.

So, off I go to bake now.  Cheesecake. Cupcakes.  Pecan Pie.  Peppermint Cookies.  Oh My!

Today, In My Kitchen

Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

(from Cookie Madness)

Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling:
12 oz cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons brown sugar (dark or light)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 large egg plus 2 tablespoons beaten egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 tablespoons flour



Brownies Batter:
2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon plus a tiny pinch of salt
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
9 oz bittersweet chocolate chips (1 ½ cups), melted and cooled
1 cup (4.5 oz) Flour



Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 inch square pan with foil and spray foil with cooking spray.

Make the filling first. Beat the cream cheese and both sugars together with a mixer, then reduce speed and beat in the pumpkin, egg, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in the flour. Set aside.

In a second bowl, beat the butter, salt and sugar until creamy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the melted chocolate chips then stir in the flour. Pour all but about 3/4 cup of the chocolate mixture into the pan.

Spoon the pumpkin mixture evenly over the brownies layer.

Drop reserved brownie batter over pumpkin to give the brownies a splotched, marbled look.

Bake on center rack at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until brownies test done. That is, when a skewer inserted comes out clean. Let cool for about two hours at room temperature and then chill for a few hours or overnight (the longer the chill, the better). Lift from pan and cut into 16 large squares.

ACK!

Yesterday, I prepared the dough to make these Chocolate Chip Cookie Sweet Rolls. 

Yes, click the link and go see what they are supposed to look like.

I'll wait.

They look awesome right?  Amazing even.

Today I took my dough and made my rolls. 

Awesome?   Not so much.

Amazing?  Not really close. 

ACK!  Help me PW!

At least they should taste good.  I.hope.

I'll let you know once I bake them.

Hmph!




I remember now why.I.hate.baking.

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