Friday, April 15, 2022

Cherry Cheesecake Cupcakes

It's my Easter tradition to contribute cheesecake to our big family dinner. This year I couldn't decide which recipe to make, and then I remembered one year I made two different kinds of mini cheesecakes that were a big hit. I went back to the blog where I found the Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake Cupcakes recipe and found another - these Cherry Cheesecake Cupcakes. I made these today - two days before Easter - and will top them with some canned cherries on Easter before serving them. I don't mind canned cherries so I use them, but homemade would taste even better. I included the homemade cherry topping recipe below, as well as the fruit topping recipe found on the same blog if you want to use blueberries, raspberries or peaches instead of cherries.

These little cheesecakes are so simple to make and it's not as intimidating as making a whole cheesecake. It's hard to tell when a large cheesecake is done and it can easily be undercooked or overcooked. I used a shot glass to easily press the crumbs into the cupcake wrappers. These cheesecakes will sink in the middle when they are cooling off and that is completely normal, which also provides a great little spot for the fruit topping! I got 30 cheesecakes out of one recipe. These mini cheesecakes are very easy to make and taste delicious! I just might stick to making these in various flavors from now on instead of making big cheesecakes!


Cherry Cheesecake Cupcakes

Recipe Courtesy Every Day Annie Blog

CRUST:
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 Tablespoons sugar

FILLING:
2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature

CHERRY TOPPING:
1½ pounds fresh cherries, pitted and quartered
½ cup sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

ALTERNATE FRUIT TOPPING:
2 cups blueberries, raspberries, or chopped peaches (fresh or frozen)
¼ cup sugar
1½ teaspoons cornstarch
1 Tablespoon cold water
2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325°.

 

Line cupcake pans with paper liners. In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and sugar. Stir together with a fork until well blended and all the dry ingredients are moistened. Press 1 tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner. (I like to use a small drinking glass to press the crumbs down.) Bake until just set, 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack.

 

To make the cheesecake, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy. Blend in the sugar until smooth. Mix in the salt and vanilla. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

 

Divide the batter evenly between the liners, filling each about ¾ of the way full. Bake until the filling is set, about 22 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. (They will look quite puffed initially but will return to normal quickly.) Transfer to a wire cooling rack and let cool to room temperature. Transfer to the refrigerator and let chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

 

To make the cherry topping, combine the cherries and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Heat until the cherries begin to release their juices and soften, about 6-8 minutes. Mix the cornstarch and lemon juice until smooth, then stir into the cherry mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 minute until thickened. Remove from the heat. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill. Top each cheesecake with a small spoonful of the cherry topping before serving.

 

To make the alternate fruit topping, in a medium saucepan, combine the fruit and sugar. Heat until the fruit begins to release its juices. Mix the cornstarch with the cold water and lemon juice until lump free, then stir the slurry into the saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 minute until thickened. Remove from the heat. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill. Top each cheesecake with a small spoonful of the fruit topping before serving. Store extra topping in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

 

Yield: 30 cupcakes.




















Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies

Years ago I made a chocolate chip cream cheese bar recipe using the Ghirardelli chocolate chip cookie mix. In recent years I haven't been able to find the mix in stores, and I prefer to not use box mixes anyway so I haven't made them in a while. My sister Maria made these similar Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies a few weeks ago for a family gathering, and everyone said they were delicious. Unfortunately I missed the gathering so I decided to try these today to use up a block of cream cheese that I had no plans for. This recipe is very easy to make. The hardest part is waiting for them to cool off before being able to dig in! I baked them for 25 minutes and it was done on the outside but the inside was a little undercooked (but still delicious!), so next time I will bake the bottom crust a few minutes longer before adding the cream cheese and top crust. 

This is the perfect recipe to bring to someone else's house for dessert since you can make it the day before and just bring it in the 9x13 pan, or cut the squares and assemble on a plate or platter. Either way, this recipe is sure to please both kids and adults!


Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Brownies

Recipe courtesy The Recipe Critic website

 

COOKIE CRUST:

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

½ cup butter, softened

½ cup oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups flour

12-ounce package chocolate chips

 

CHEESECAKE:

1 8-ounce package Cream Cheese, room temperature

1 egg

¼ cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

 

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter, oil and sugars. Add eggs and beat until fluffy. Mix in the rest of the ingredients. Put half of the dough mix in the bottom of an ungreased 13x9 inch baking pan or casserole dish with half of the dough, forming a crust. Use your hands for this as if you were filling a pie plate with a homemade pie crust. Bake for 10 minutes.

 

While baking, beat the cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl until well blended. Take the crust out of the oven and spread the cream cheese mixture on the top, being sure to cover the entire top. It will be ooey and gooey and may blend with the crust and this is OK.

 

Take the other half of the cookie dough and crumble it on top of the cream cheese coating, being sure to cover it all. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

 

Let cool for 30 minutes, then cool in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving. Store in the fridge, due to the cream cheese.

 

NOTES:

Flour your fingers before patting down brownie mix on the bottom of the pan to keep it from sticking to you.

 

When making your cheesecake mixture make sure your cream cheese is room temperature. If it is too cold it will not mix properly. (To speed up the process you can microwave the cream cheese at 10 second increments until you achieve room temperature consistency.)

 

Avoid cracks in your cheesecake by not over mixing. Too much air will cause the cheesecake to rise too rapidly in the oven which is what creates the cracking. Instead, mix the cream cheese and sugar completely then switch to a low blend once you add the egg.

 

Let the bars cool for 30 minutes before storing them in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Placing them in the refrigerator too soon after cooking will cause condensation which will make the cheesecake texture gummier and more inconsistent.

 

You can also use other cookie dough flavors instead of chocolate chip. Peanut butter, M&M, etc. The original recipe used a package of chocolate chip mix, I used my recipe for the Best Chocolate Chip Cookies.