One of the Hubby's go-to snacks is Oreos and Milk, so I decided to follow that theme with this frozen cheesecake. I hope you try it. Enjoy! 

No Bake Cookies and Cream Cheesecake

For the Crust:

12 Oreos
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
8 oz Whipping Topping (such as Cool Whip)***
10 Oreos chopped

6 Oreos, chopped (topping)


To make the crust: Add the Oreos to a food processor and process until you have fine crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a mixing bowl, add the melted butter, and mix until the crumbs are moistened.

Put the mixture into a 7-inch spring form pan, and firmly press it down into one even layer. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill while you make the cheesecake filling. Refrigerate while making the filling. 

To make the filling: Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the sugar and mix until well combined.

Add the whipped topping to the cream cheese mixture and gently fold it in or mix it in on low speed with your mixer until just combined. Then, fold in the chopped Oreos.

Remove the springform pan from the refrigerator, scoop the cheesecake filling onto the crust, and spread it around into one even layer.

Cover and freeze for 1-2 hour for a quick set. Remove the no-bake cheesecake from the pan, slice and top with cookie chunks. Store leftovers, if there are any leftovers, in the freezer.

***You can substitute heavy cream for the 8oz cool whip if you want to make your own.

• 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream, whipped

Pour the heavy whipping cream in a separate bowl. Start mixing on low speed, then increase the speed to medium-high until the mixture thickens and stiff peaks form. 

Chocolate Ganache Topped Cheesecake

 

Chocolate Ganache

1 cups semisweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup heavy cream *

Place chocolate chips in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring milk just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth.

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For a pourable ganache, cool, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches 85°-90° and is slightly thickened, about 40 minutes. Pour over cheesecake, allowing some to drape down the sides. Spread ganache with a spatula if necessary to evenly coat, working quickly before it thickens. Let stand until set.

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For spreadable ganache, chill, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches a spreading consistency. Spread over the cake.

*If you don't have heavy cream on hand, no problem! Add 1/4 melted butter to room temperature 3/4 cup whole milk and you have a cup of "heavy cream." 

Rich and Creamy Cheesecake 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

3 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs

2 pounds cream cheese

1 1/4 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon minced lemon zest

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup sour cream

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees F.

Brush the bottom and sides of an 8-inch springform pan with butter. Sprinkle crumbs over bottom. Tilt pan in all directions to coat evenly with crumbs. Cover pan underneath and along sides with a sheet of heavy-duty foil and set on a cookie sheet.

2. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese in a bowl of electric mixer until smooth. Gradually add sugar and beat on medium speed until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated and scraping down after each addition. (If you don't scrape down the bowl after each egg, cream cheese that sticks to the bowl will ultimately show up as lumps in the batter). Add zest and vanilla and beat until just incorporated.  Remove bowl from mixer; stir in cream and sour cream.

3. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake cake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees (prop oven door open with a wooden spoon until temperature reduces). Bake until the cheesecake perimeter is set but center jiggles like Jell-O when the pan is tapped, about 1 hour longer.

Remove the springform pan from the oven and set on a wire rack, cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours. (Can be refrigerated for up to 4 days).

Sweet Heat BBQ Baked Beans

 

Sweet Heat BBQ Baked Beans

6 slices bacon, chopped into large chunks
1 onion, chopped

1 pound navy beans, rinsed and cooked
1 cup ketchup
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup Texas Pete, hot sauce

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Fry the bacon pieces in a skillet until browned and crisp, remove from the pan and set aside. Cook onion until slightly soft. Transfer onion and bacon to a large bowl.
Pour the navy beans, ketchup, brown sugar and vinegar into the bowl and stir. Add hot sauce, garlic powder, mustard* and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until everything is distributed evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Pour bean mixture into a casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes

*Quick tip... Adding the ingredients in this order keeps the vinegar from "cooking" the mustard. If that happens, the mustard "beads up" and won't combine smoothly with the other ingredients.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Monkey Bread

 

Monkey Bread

4 tubes refrigerator biscuits
¾ cup Sugar

Filling:
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup strawberry jam

Syrup Topping:
¾ cup Butter
1 cup Sugar
2 tbsp Strawberry Jam

2 tbsp corn syrup

Mix cream cheese and strawberry jam until smooth. Set aside and refrigerate. In a saucepan, heat butter, sugar and jam to a boil.  Cut biscuits into fours. Add a dollop of cream cheese and strawberry mixture on half the biscuit pieces and pinch into a ball or pouch. Roll the other half of the biscuits into balls. Roll biscuits in sugar. Butter or spray a loaf pan. Stack biscuits into a loaf pan, alternating stuffed and plain. Pour syrup over biscuits and bake at 350 for 40 to 50 minutes. When partly cool, turn out onto serving platter. To serve, let each person pull pieces off. If desired, drizzle with basic sugar glaze. Recipe below…

Basic Sugar Glaze

2 cups Powdered Sugar
2 T Butter or Margarine, softened
1 t Vanilla
3 to 4 T Milk or Half-n-Half

Combine all ingredients, adding enough milk for desired consistency.
Makes 1 ½ cups glaze.

Proof that mine is a working kitchen

and not so pretty all the time! 

Ready to go in the oven! 

Done! 

Homemade Fudgesicles

These are a great quick treat to whip up the night before a party, birthday or any event. The kids, big and little, loved them this past weekend! They loved unwrapping them, but they loved eating them even more! 

I used disposable little (4 oz) paper cups and food grade popsicle sticks. It made it so easy to make and no cleanup! The recipe made 18 fudgesicle cups.

Homemade Fudgesicles

18 ~ 4oz paper cups
18 popsicle sticks

1 pkg Dove Milk Chocolate Pudding mix* (3.03 oz)

2 1/2 cups milk

Whisk together pudding mix and milk until smooth. It will thicken slightly. Pour it into each cup leaving about 1/4 inch or so from the top. Place in the freezer until a little firm and then remove and insert popsicle sticks. (it's much easier than trying to wrap them to make them stand up.) Return to the freezer until ready to serve. 

To serve, snip the lip of the cup, and pull to unravel the paper cup from the fudgesicle.  Enjoy!

*You can use any chocolate flavor pudding mix you like. We like milk chocolate.