Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

1-1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted

1 can (14 oz.) Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips*
1/2 Peanut Butter Chips**
1 cup Coconut
1/2 cup chopped Pecans (optional)

Heat oven to 350°F.
Mix graham crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 13x9-inch pan.

Pour condensed milk over crust, top with layers of remaining ingredients. Press nuts lightly into coconut layer.

Bake 25 min. or until lightly browned. Immediately run knife around edge of pan to loosen dessert from sides of pan. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

* I had mini chocolate chips on hand, so I used them. 

** I only used peanut butter chips on one end because the hubby couldn't decide if he liked that idea or not. BTW... He liked BOTH! 

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).

Easy Chocolate Custard with Oreo and Bailey's Truffles

I made a dessert for the kids to take on their ski trip this weekend, and I had the ingredients left over to make this custard and truffles! 

1 1/3 cups Heavy Cream
1/3 cup Sugar

3/4 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

4 Egg Yolks

Heat cream and sugar over medium heat, just to a bubble. (Do not boil) Remove from heat and add chocolate. Stir until melted and smooth. Beat the egg yolks and temper them (add a tiny bit of the hot liquid at a time until the eggs are warm). Add them to the chocolate mixture and return to heat. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened, about 6-8 minutes. (Do not boil) Cool and pour into 3 ounce custard cups or bowls. Cover and refrigerate until set, about one hour.

Truffles:

12 Oreos, ground into crumbs
1 cup Whipped Cream
2 tablespoons Bailey's Irish Creme

Combine the ingredients and spoon into a small bowl or pan. Freeze until firm. Scoop with a small melon baller. and serve on top of custard.

PIE! Chocolate Cream and Coconut Cream Pies

I came across a recipe, in my Mama's recipe box, for a basic cream pie that you can turn into almost any kind of pie that you want. With this basic recipe I made these two pies: Chocolate Cream Pie and Coconut Cream Pie! The recipe is basically a Vanilla Cream. It's very easy. The only advice I would have for a beginner, is to practice tempering eggs before hand. I am always super careful not to end up with scrambled eggs in my pie base! LOL

Custard Pie Base:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
3 cups milk
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla

1 Homemade Pie Crust, click for the recipe.
Prepare the pie crust in a 9 inch pie pan and cool completely.

In a medium sauce pan, off heat, mix together sugar, corn starch and salt. Stir in milk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture boils and thickens. Remove from heat and add a very small amount of the hot mixture to the yolks and stir. Keep adding the hot milk mixture to the yolks until warm. Slowly add the egg yolk mixture to the milk mixture, whisking/stirring as you go. Return the sauce pan to the heat and cook until it just comes to a bubble. Remember to keep stirring to prevent scorching! Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Pour into a baked, cooled pie shell. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until set. 

For the Coconut Cream Pie...
Add 1 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut when you add the butter and vanilla. Stir to combine and pour into the pie shell.

For the Chocolate Cream Pie...
Add 1 1/2 cups of Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips when you add the butter and vanilla. Stir until melted and pour into the pie shell.

More Pies...

Banana Cream Pie... Cool the filling until just warm. Cut up 3 bananas and place them in the pie shells and pour filling over the bananas. 

Butterscotch Cream Pie... Replace the sugar with Brown Sugar. (firmly packed 3/4 cup)