shoebox » cream cheese

aunt deb’s cheesecake

jess — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 01:53:46 +0000

when i first tried my aunt’s cheesecake, it was love at first bite. my aunt and i share the same chocolaty sweet tooth, so it was not a huge surprise that this cheesecake is pure awesomeness. i cannot even begin to describe how perfect this cheesecake is. it has a very unique blend of light fluffiness, but is still very rich. you can top it off with fruit topping, chocolate/caramel syrup and/or whipped cream. or of course, you can eat it plain, because it can definitely hold it’s own!

i tried to make a lighter version of the recipe using neufchatel cheese and light sour cream. it doesn’t affect the texture too much. so if you want to feel a little less guilty about indulging in this dessert, i’d definitely recommend the substitutions. the instructions also call for a water bath. the few extra steps are well worth the small bit of effort. your cheesecake will come out crack-less every time!

on a side note, i was included in the bellingham herald this week for my spritz cookie recipe… i am honored and couldn’t be more thrilled! here is the article, if you’re interested.

2 pkgs cinnamon-sugar graham crackers
1 stick butter, melted
3 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 c sugar
2 c sour cream
1 c whipping cream
4 eggs
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla

preheat oven to 350°. fill a medium sized saucepan with water and heat on stovetop over medium-low heat. the idea is to have it boiling when you put the cheesecake in the oven. adjust heating times/temps accordingly.
crush crackers and mix with butter. press on bottom and up sides of a 9-10″ spring form pan. wrap outside of the pan with aluminum foil. make sure that the foil wrap is watertight.
in a stand mixer, mix cream cheese with sugar. add other ingredients, one at a time. mix well after each addition.
pour into crust. place cheesecake in a jelly roll pan. pour boiling water from pot into pan. there should be about 1/2″ of water in the pan.
bake for 1 hour. then turn the oven off and leave the cake in the oven for another hour.
refrigerate overnight.
top as desired and then serve.

enjoy!

popper grilled cheese

jess — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 18:53:18 +0000

i missed out on a lot of awesome food growing up, due to my excessive pickyness. food was too spicy, too meaty, too sour, yadda yadda yadda. i think i could have lived on mac and cheese, chicken patties from the freezer and ice cream. i’m so glad that i’ve expanded my food horizons so i can try new things! this is another pinterest find, i believe and it will definitely be making an appearance on our weekly menu sometime soon. it goes well with salad or a bowl of brothy soup.

this dish combines my favorite food, cheese, with jalapeño poppers. it all goes together with tasty fashion in a grilled sandwich. once the peppers have been roasted, you can throw it all together pretty easily on a week night. make sure to have a pair of disposable cooking gloves on hand, as the jalapeño juice can burn your skin and eyes!

source: simplyscratch

4 jalapeño peppers
3-4 oz neufchatel cheese (or cream cheese, i prefer less fat)
4 green onions, minced
1/2 tsp garlic powder
black pepper, to taste
2-4 slices of cheese (i used cheddar, but co-jack, pepper jack or white cheddar could be good!)
4 slices of sourdough bread, or whatever is looking tasty at the bakery
margarine (or butter)

under your oven broiler, broil the jalapeños until their skin is charred. you can also char the skin on a grill, which i might try next time. for double duty purposes, you could grill dinner the night before and throw the peppers on the grill, too. my peppers weren’t quite charred all the way, but yours should look something like this:
place the peppers in a sandwich baggie, to steam for about 10 minutes.
slice the tops off the peppers, and then slice down one side and remove the seeds and ribs of the pepper. leave a few seeds if you want some extra heat!
pre-heat your pan to a medium-low heat. in a small bowl, combine cream cheese, minced green onion, garlic powder and black pepper.
butter outer slices of bread and sandwich together, with butter facing the inside. lay a slice of cheese on the bread and then place the peppers on top of the cheese. if desired, add an extra slice of cheese on top of the peppers. i’m a cheese lover, and didn’t really think it was all that necessary.
place the cheese/pepper half of the sandwich on the pan. spread cream cheese on the inside of the top slice and place it, butter side up, on the other half of the sandwich. press down on the sandwich with your flipper (how’s that for fancy kitchen terminology?) to make sure that the cream cheese half adheres to the peppers and cheese.
grill both sides until they are golden and crispy.

enjoy!

cinnamon roll pancakes

jess — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 04:50:06 +0000

tom and i love breakfast. we regularly eat it for dinner and call it “brunner”. well, maybe i just call it brunner. this is a very unique combination of two of my favorite breakfast components, cinnamon rolls and pancakes. they’ve very rich and definitely remind me of cinnamon stuffed pancakes from bob evans. they take a bit more work than regular pancakes, but are well worth the effort!

source: recipegirl.com

1/4 c butter, melted
1/2 c brown sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
4 tbsp butter, at room temp
2 oz. cream cheese, at room temp
3/4 c powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c buttermilk
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg, lightly beaten
pam, for your griddle

in a small ziploc baggie, mix brown sugar and cinnamon. pour in melted butter and mix well. the original recipe calls for a toothpaste mixture, but i think a bit more liquidy would be best. it drizzles more and you will not get the “morse code” effect that is shown in step 4 below.
in a medium, microwave safe bowl, melt the butter and cream cheese until melted. whisk together with a fork until smooth. whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla, set aside.
make the pancake batter. combine flour, baking powder and salt. whisk in buttermilk, oil and the egg.
the trick is to cook these pancakes low and slow. cover your pan with pam. i made larger pancakes, you can also make smaller pancakes. cut a corner of your ziploc baggie, large enough to drizzle the cinnamon mixture on the pancakes in a circular pattern.

flip your pancakes when bubbles appear at the top. finish cooking the pancakes and keep warm until ready to serve.
top with cream cheese glaze before serving. wash them down with a nice cold glass of milk!

enjoy!

pumpkin roll

jess — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 20:43:26 +0000

thanksgiving week is upon us! tom and i have a lot to be thankful for; we have been very blessed in this crazy whirlwind of a year. this thursday, we’ll be thinking of our family in michigan and most definitely missing them. tradition is something that will make me feel a lot closer to family. we’ll be having a brown paper bag turkey, served on a “dump platter”. we’ll watch the macy’s thanksgiving day parade. (hopefully, it is on at a reasonable time in the pst!) most importantly, tom and i will be giving thanks (like we do most every day) for all of our blessings.

this recipe is for a pumpkin roll, i can’t really think of a specific “traditional” recipe that we made growing up, we usually experimented with new desserts and they always turned out great! this is definitely very thanksgiving-ish. i made it for halloween this year and it’s pretty simple to throw together. it stays nicely in the fridge, so you can make it a day or two before thanksgiving and not think about it until after dinner is over.

two very important things that you’ll need for this recipe are a jelly roll pan (measuring 15″ by 10″) and about 1″ deep. i have a non-stick one that works great with this. you will also need a linen-y towel, covered in powdered sugar.

source: allrecipes.com

1/4 c powdered sugar (to sprinkle on towel, plus more for a garnish)
crisco, to grease pan
flour, to grease pan
3/4 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 c sugar
2/3 c pure pumpkin (home-roasted or from the can)
1 c walnuts (optional)
1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese, softened
1 c powdered sugar
6 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla

preheat oven to 375°. grease a 15″ x 10″ jelly-roll pan using crisco and a paper towel. cut a piece of wax paper to fit in the bottom, if it is a little large, that is ok. place the wax paper on the pan, cover that with crisco. flip the piece of wax paper over and cover that side with crisco, too. flour the pan by adding a 1/8 of a cup of flour to the pan and tilt the pan to ensure that the entire surface of the pan is covered in flour. sides, bottoms, everything. dump any excess flour out. (i used this method, even though i had a non-stick pan.)
lay towel out on the counter, sprinkle with the 1/4 c powdered sugar.
combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a small bowl. beat eggs and sugar in a large mixing bowl until thick. beat in pumpkin. stir in flour mixture. spread evenly into prepared pan. sprinkle with nuts. (optional.)
bake for 13-15 minutes or until the top of cake springs back when touched. immediately loosen, by running a knife around the edges and turn the cake onto the towel. carefully peel off paper. roll up the cake and towel together, starting at the narrow end. cool on a wire rack.
while your cake is cooling, beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter and vanilla in a small mixing bowl until smooth. set in fridge to keep cool.
when cake is cool, carefully unroll it. you can leave it on the towel and then spread the cream cheese mixture over cake using a frosting spatula. go all of the way to the edges. it should look something like this:
re-roll the cake and wrap in plastic wrap. make sure that the ends are secure with twist ties. refrigerate at least one hour. it will be ok in the fridge for a couple of days. sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

enjoy!

cookies n’ cream cupcakes

jess — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 00:15:45 +0000

i had a hankering for oreos. and cupcakes. enter these dandies. they’re wonderfully moist and have oreos busting out of them at the seams. not that cupcake liners have seams, but you can catch my drift.

i was able to fill the cupcakes using the large cookie scoop that my mom picked up for me a few weeks ago. i’m really loving this thing!

slightly adapted from: annie eats

yield: 12 cupcakes

cupcakes:

6 oreos, halved, with cream filling attached
1 1/8 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp butter, at room temp
5/6 c sugar
2 large egg whites, at room temp
1 tsp vanilla extra
1/2 c milk
10 oreos, quartered

frosting:

4 oz. neufchatel cheese, at room temp
3 tbsp butter, at room temp
1/2 tbsp vanilla
2 c powdered sugar
1 tbsp heavy cream

garnish:

oreo cookie crumbs
6 oreos, halved

preheat the oven to 350°.
line your cupcake pans with paper lines, place an oreo half in each liner, cream side up.
in a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. set aside.
in a large bowl, combine the butter and sugar, beating at med-high speed for 2 min. until light and fluffy. blend in the egg whites, followed by the vanilla.
on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients, until just incorporated. add milk and beat until just combined and then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. fold the chopped oreos in with a rubber spatula, just until evenly distributed.
using a large cookie scoop, evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners. bake for 18-20 min., or until a toothpick comes out clean. cool in the pan for 5 min. and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
while the cupcakes are baking, make the frosting. combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer (this is important, a hand mixer won’t cut it.) beat on med-high speed for 1 min. blend in vanilla. beat in powdered sugar until smooth, 1-2 min. add heavy cream to the bowl, beat on med-low speed until just incorporated. crank it up to med-high and whip for 4 min. until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
after cupcakes are cool, frost. coat with oreo crumbs and top with oreo halves.

enjoy!

ebelskiver

jess — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 03:39:01 +0000

ebelskiver, how do i love thee? let me count the ways: sausage, peanut butter, nutella, cinnamon bun….

bran gave me an ebelskiver pan for Christmas this year. ebelskiver is basically a filled pancake. what you decide to fill it with is what really makes it great. you can go the hearty route, with sausage, eggs, bacon… or you can go the sweet route with pb, nutella, or cinnamon. there is no wrong way to fill an ebelskiver. williams-sonoma’s website has 20 different ebelskiver recipes, and i plan on trying all of them. their cinnamon bun ebelskiver recipe is included below.

for the pancakes: (half this recipe for two)

2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 c buttermilk
4 tbsp butter, melted

fillings:

peanut butter
nutella
jelly
mini sausage patties (for a sausage mcgriddle)
eggs
cheese

for cinnamon bun ebelskivers (tastes very similar to a cinnabon!):

1/2 c granulated sugar
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp butter, cut into small cubes, at room temperature
3 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
4 tbsp butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 c confectioners’ sugar
3-4 tbsp milk

prepare any fillings, as needed.

for cinnamon filling: in a bowl, sift together granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. add the butter, and using back of a spoon, mash the butter into the flour mixture until all of it is absorbed into the batter, forming a paste. set aside.
for the cream cheese frosting: in a bowl, beat together cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 min. add the confectioners’ sugar, reduce the speed to low and beat until combined, 1-2 min., stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. add 3 tbsp of milk and beat until combined, about 1 min. the frosting should be thick, add more milk if desired to thin it. transfer to small bowl, place in the fridge.
for the sausage patty filling: form breakfast sausage into mini-patties, 1 – 1 1/2″ in diameter. brown on both sides, place on a paper-towel lined plate to drain excess grease. set aside.

prepare the ebelskiver (and for your life to be changed for forever):

in a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and granulated sugar. in another bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk and the 4 tbsp melted butter. whisk the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture until well combined; the batter will be lumpy.
pre-heat ebelskiver pan to medium-low heat.
using an electric mixture, fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on high speed until stiff, but not until dry peaks form, 2-3 min. using a whisk, gently fold the whites into the batter in two additions.
spray ebelskiver pan with pam. spoon 1 tbsp batter into each well. spoon 1 tsp filling (or sausage patty) into the center of each pancake and top with 1 tbsp batter. cook until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy. using wooden chopsticks, flip the pancakes over and cook until golden and crispy. repeat with remaining batter and filling.
serve with syrups, powdered sugar or frosting.

enjoy!

caramel macchiato cheesecake

jess — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 03:26:25 +0000

welcome to thanksgiving dinner, 2010!

we’re going to start with dessert first… caramel macchiato cheesecake is just like my favorite starbucks drink, but better because it is in cheesecake form! this cheesecake is best served chilled. you might want to make two, because there won’t be any leftovers.

the cheesecake is only coffee flavored, so you could add any kind of flavoring on top: chocolate, raspberry, hazelnut… you can flavor it anyway that you’d want to flavor your coffee.

source: allrecipes.com

2 c graham cracker crumbs
1/2 c butter, melted
2 tbsp white sugar
3 8 oz. packages, cream cheese, softened
1 c white sugar
3 eggs
8 oz. sour cream
1/4 c espresso or strong coffee
2 tsp vanilla extract
whipped cream
caramel syrup

preheat oven to 350°. lightly coat a 9″ springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
mix together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and 2 tbsp of sugar until well combined. press into the bottom of the prepared springform pan, and 1″ up the sides. bake in preheated oven for 8 min and then remove to cool on a wire rack.
reduce oven temp to 325°.
begin to boil one medium sized pot of water on the range. this will be for the water bath. i use it when i bake cheesecakes so they do not crack on top.
beat the softened cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy. gradually add 1 c of sugar, beating until well blended. add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. stir in sour cream, espresso and vanilla. pour batter into the baked and cooled crust.
prepare a waterbath for your cheesecake by wrapping the base of the cheesecake pan w/ aluminum foil. make sure that it is wrapped so water will not leak into your cheesecake. place cheesecake in a jellyroll pan, pour boiling water in pan. bake cheesecake in oven for 1 hr and 5 min; turn the oven off, partially open the door and allow the cheesecake to rest for 15 min. more. remove from oven, and run a knife around the edges.
cool cheesecake on a wire rack to room temperature, then cover the springform pan with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
to serve, cut the cheesecake into wedges and garnish each slice with whipped cream and caramel sauce.

enjoy!

pizza dip

jess — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 04:05:14 +0000

this is a very delicious recipe from my aunt debbie. i’m sorry for the quality of this iPhone photo*, it just doesn’t do this dip justice. you’ll have to try it for yourself!

*edited on 1/1/2012 – updated and added pics!

8 oz. cream cheese
1/3 c sour cream
1 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 c pizza sauce
1/2 c pepperoni*
1/4 c green onion*
1/4 c green pepper*
1/2 c mozzarella cheese

*other toppings of your choice may be substituted.

preheat oven to 350°.
beat first five ingredients in a small bowl using mixer. spread in a pie dish.
spread pizza sauce over top.
chop pepperoni, green onion and green pepper. sprinkle on top.
bake for 10 min.
shred cheese and put on top.
bake for 10 more min.
serve with breadsticks or crackers.

enjoy!

sopapilla cheesecake dessert

jess — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 14:33:21 +0000

last friday night was date night, as usual, and we had tickets to go to the local comedy club to see John Pinette (huh-freakin-larious!). instead of worrying about making it to the restaurant and out in time for the show, i decided to eat dinner in, consisting of fajitas, bran’s fantastic salsa verde, and strawberry lime margaritas. i relied on my trusty recipe source, allrecipes.com to find a tasty recipe to accompany dinner. this recipe is what i found. just in case if you’re wondering, i know i did, a sopapilla is this.

12 oz. cream cheese, softened
3/4 c sugar
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz. can crescent roll dough
1/4 c melted butter
1/4 c white sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 c sliced almonds

preheat oven to 350°.
beat the cream cheese with 3/4 c sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth. unroll the cans of crescent roll, separate into half. press one piece in the bottom of an 8″ square baking dish. evenly spread cream cheese mixture into the baking dish, then cover with the remaining piece of crescent dough.
drizzle butter evenly over the top of the cheesecake. stir the remaining sugar together with the cinnamon in a small bowl, and sprinkle over the cheesecake along with the almonds.
bake in a preheated oven until crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown, about 45 min. cool completely in the pan before cutting and serving.
if desired, you can garnish the dish with chocolate syrup and powdered sugar.

enjoy!

peanut butter marbled brownies

jess — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 20:41:16 +0000

these are a wonderfully rich treat. they’re best consumed with a glass of milk.

6 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 c peanut butter
1/4 c white sugar
1 egg

2 tbsp milk
1 c butter or margarine, melted
2 c white sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease a 9 x 13 pan
in a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, 1/4 c white sugar, 1 egg, and milk until smooth. set aside
in a large bowl, mix together melted butter, 2 c white sugar, and vanilla; mix in the remaining 3 eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; mix into the batter. stir in chocolate chips
remove 1 cup of the chocolate batter. spread the remaining batter into the prepared pan. spread the peanut butter filling over the top drop the reserved chocolate batter by the teaspoonful over the filling. using a knife, gently swirl through the top layers for a marbled effect.
bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out almost clean. cool completely, then cut into bars.

enjoy!

courtesy of: allrecipes.com