Cinnamon-Pecan Cheesecake Bars

Cinnamon-Pecan Cheesecake Bars

 

Cinnamon-Pecan Topping:

• 2 TB. butter
• 1/4 Cup sugar
• 3/4 tsp. PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
• 1/3 Cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. CINNAMON (we used CHINA)
• 1/3 Cup chopped pecans

Bar Base:

• 1/2 Cup butter (1 stick) room temperature
• 1/4 Cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/4 Cup flour
• 1/8 tsp. salt

Cheesecake Filling:

• 2 8 oz. packages Neufchâtel cheese (this is a lower fat version of cream cheese which will be sitting right next to the cream cheese in the dairy case), room temperature
• 2/3 Cup sugar
• 2 large eggs

Preheat oven to 350°.Cinnamon-Pecan Topping: Mix together the sugar, flour, and CINNAMON. Cut in the butter until crumbly. This is easiest if you use your hands. Add the vanilla and pecans and mix again. Set aside. Bar Base: Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and then gently blend in flour mixed with salt. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9×13″ glass pan and gently pat the dough into the pan-it will be a pretty thin layer. Place in the preheated oven and bake 15 minutes. While the base is baking, prepare the filling. Cheesecake Filling: Beat Neufchâtel cheese with sugar until creamy and well blended. Add eggs, and beat until smooth. Remove the pan from the oven after 15 minutes. Pour the cheesecake filling over the bar base, then sprinkle with Cinnamon-Pecan mixture. Return to the oven and bake for about 25 minutes. Check after 20 minutes-once the filling starts getting golden and a bit puffy, it is pretty much done. Turn the oven off and prop the door open a few inches while the cake cools for the first 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and refrigerate until chilled-at least 2 hours. Rapid temperature changes can cause any cheesecake filling to crack or sink. Once the cheesecake has cooled, slice into individual bars. Run your knife around the edge of the pan first to make cutting easier. As long as the bars are well chilled before cutting, they come out of the pan pretty easily. Yield: 32 bars. Prep. time: 20 minutes. Cooking time: 40 minutes total.

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Bread Pudding

Comforting Bread Pudding

This recipe comes from my legendary Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook.  I use this cookbook for everything.  It is a wonderful reference and easy to use with its 3-ring binder and tabs.

• 4 beaten eggs
• 2 1/4 c milk
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 T vanilla
• 1 t finely shredded orange peel (optional)
• 1/2 t ground cinnamon
• 4 c dry bread cubes
• 1/3 c dried cherries, raisins or cranberries

Directions:

1.  In bowl beat together eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, orange peel, cinnnamon.  In an ungreased 2-quart square baking diss toss together bread cubes and dried fruit; pour egg mixture evenly over bread mixture.

2.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes or till a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool slightly.  If desired, serve with warm caramel sauce.  Makes 8 servings.

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Chewy Chocolate Ginger Cookies

 

After a short day of skiing, I decided I needed a sweet treat to help recover.  Luckily I had just the fix in my new Martha Stewart Cookie book with the chew chocolate ginger cookies.   I was in a time crunch, but the cookies had to be chilled, so it worked out perfectly.  The chewy chocolate ginger cookies didn’t turn out like the photo but their taste is extra extordinary.  They were very easy and quick to mix up, but the cookies offer a wonderful complex flavor.

Makes 2 dozen

• 7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate (I used 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate)
• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.
3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats. Roll dough into 2-inch balls; place 2 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll dough balls in granulated sugar and return to baking sheets. Transfer to oven and bake until surfaces crack slightly, about 18 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Cinnamon Roll Cookies

Such beaty with the Cinnamon Roll Cookies

One of my favorite flavors of Quaker oatmeal is cinnamon roll.   So I had to give this recipe a try when I saw it this past fall.  They sure didn’t last long when I brought them with tailgating.  Mom thought they tasted better after a day, aka not fresh.  I was surprised how close they tasted to the real thing.  I found this recipe on iVillage, they also have provide a photo.

Mix together…

• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup margarine
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Refrigerate for 2 hours

• Mix together…
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup margarine

Glaze:

• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups powdered sugar

Remove dough from refrigerator, press dough into a rectangle on a floured surface. Press cinnamon mixture firmly into dough. Roll dough up tightly and wrap in plastic wrap (parchment paper works great too) and return to refrigerator for another 2 hours. Remove and slice into 1/2 inch rounds. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 10 -15 minutes. Let cool and drizzle with glaze. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Roll Cookies Layed Flat

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Apple Oatmeal Bread

 

Apple Oatmeal Bread

Last week, during Christmas break, I surprised dad with this apple oatmeal bread recipe.  It was a big hit with the family and I ended up making a third loaf which was eatten within an hour of baking! 

What I like about this recipe:  It’s very fast and easy to make.  The crust was crisp and the crumb was large and moist.  Even though I normally don’t toast homemade bread, this was amazing toasted!  The cinnamon flavor was more apparent.

Apple Oatmeal Bread from KAF

• 2 packages (a scant 2 tablespoons) active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 2 cups warm milk
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups oat flakes or old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (feel free to add more if you’re a cinnamon lover like me)
• 5 cups (approximately) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 2 cups coarsely chopped tart apples
• 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts  (ok to skip)
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water, for glaze
• additional oat flakes or rolled oats, for topping

In a large bowl, stir yeast into water to soften. Add milk, oil, brown sugar, salt, oats, cinnamon, 2 cups flour, apples and walnuts. Beat vigorously for 2 minutes.

Gradually add remaining flour, a little at a time, until you have a dough stiff enough to knead. Turn dough out onto a floured surface.

Knead, adding flour as necessary, until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Put the dough into an oiled bowl, turning once to coat the entire ball of dough with oil, and cover with a towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Grease two 9 x 5-inch or 10 x 5-inch loaf pans, and sprinkle with rolled oats.

Turn dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface. Divide dough in half. Shape dough into loaves and place in prepared pans. Cover with a towel and let rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.

Just before baking, brush tops of loaves with egg/water mixture. Sprinkle with additional rolled oats.

Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 30 minutes, or until internal temperature of loaves reaches 190°F. Immediately remove bread from pans and cool on a rack, to prevent crust from becoming soggy.

This recipe reprinted from The Baking Sheet Newsletter, Vol. II, No. 9, September 1991 issue.

 

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