Adam Cooks: Cranberry Meringue Pie

From Eating Well



Ingredients:
CRUST
3/4 cup white whole-wheat flour (see Tip) or all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons butter, softened

FILLING
1 12-ounce bag cranberries, fresh or frozen, thawed
1 cup orange juice
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
3 large eggs, separated

MERINGUE TOPPING
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Pinch of salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray.

To prepare crust: Stir flour, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Stir in oil and butter with a fork until well blended and crumbly (it should look like wet sand). Using the back of a spoon, firmly press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake the crust until it just begins to brown, about 20 minutes. (Keep the oven on for Step 4.)

To prepare filling: Meanwhile, combine cranberries and orange juice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the cranberries are beginning to break down, 5 to 6 minutes. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl, pressing on the solids to extract all the juice. Whisk 3/4 cup sugar into the juice until combined. Whisk in whole egg and 3 egg yolks. Return the cranberry mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly and vigorously, until it thickens and just starts to bubble as you are stirring, 4 to 5 minutes. Pour the warm filling into the warm crust. Set aside while you prepare the meringue topping.

To prepare topping: Beat the 3 egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until frothy. Add cream of tartar and pinch of salt and beat at high speed until soft peaks form. Very slowly add 1/3 cup sugar, beating constantly, until the mixture holds stiff, shiny peaks. Beat in vanilla. Spoon the meringue over the filling, then gently spread to the edges of the crust. Make peaks in the meringue with the back of a spoon or a small off-set spatula. Bake until the top is lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Cool the pie on a wire rack to room temperature, at least 3 hours, before serving.

Comments:
This is what we brought to the Dodds Thanksgiving on Thursday. It was absolutely delicious. Perfect balance of sweet and tart, wonderfully executed meringue. And I can take no credit whatsoever. All I did was separate a few eggs...

Adam Cooks: Raspberry Gelato

From Cuisinart.com



Ingredients:
4 cups red raspberries (thawed if frozen)
1 cup granulated sugar
2-1/4 cups half-and-half, divided
6 large egg yolks
1/4 cup fat-free powdered milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1-2 drops red food coloring, optional (will enhance color)

Directions:
Place raspberries in a food processor fitted with the metal "s" blade or in a blender (if using a blender, 2 cups at a time for best results). Process until completely puréed and smooth. Press raspberry purée through a fine mesh sieve or chinois with a wooden spoon or spatula. Discard seeds -- you will have approximately 2 cups red raspberry purée; reserve.

Place the sugar and 1 1/4 cups of the half-and-half in a 2 1/2 quart saucepan with a heavy bottom. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Keep warm over low heat. Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk until thickened, about 2 minutes (can use a hand or stand mixer fitted with the whip on low speed). While whisking, add 1/2 cup of the hot half-and-half/sugar mixture and whisk until blended. Stir the egg mixture back into the saucepan; increase heat to medium. Stir the mixture constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture is thickened like a custard sauce and registers 180 °F when checked with an instant-read thermometer.

Stir in remaining half-and-half, powdered milk and heavy cream.

Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer; stir in reserved raspberry purée, vanilla, and food coloring. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours before continuing.

Turn the machine on; pour mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes. The gelato will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the gelato to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

Comments:
After the wonderful gelato we had at the Venetian in Vegas, Adam got bitten by the gelato bug and decided to pull the poor ice cream maker out of its exile in the basement. It turned out great. It's very rich, so a little goes a long way, but it's not too sweet, not too heavy, a perfect balance.

Adam Cooks: Chocolate-Mint Hearts

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1 package (10 ounces) mint chocolate chips, divided
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup shortening
Colored sprinkles, optional

Directions:
In a microwave-safe bowl, melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips; stir. Cool slightly. In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in the egg, vanilla and melted chocolate. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture.

Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until easy to handle. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. heart-shaped cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

In a microwave, melt shortening and remaining chocolate chips; stir until smooth. Dip each cookie halfway into chocolate mixture; allow excess to drip off. Sprinkle chocolate with sprinkles if desired. Place on waxed paper; refrigerate until set.

Comments:
In honor of Valentine's Day, Adam made these cookies. I think the chocolate dip tastes like a Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie. Overall, pretty good. Can never get enough chocolate!

Brookies

From Andrea the Kitchen Witch



Ingredients:
2 cups high quality 62% cacao chocolate chips
3/4 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 T oil
1 t butter
1/2 c flour
1/4 t salt
1/4 t baking powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips with the oil and butter until melted. Stir well to melt all chips. Allow to cool slightly.

In a small bowl mix the flour, salt and baking powder together.

In a medium work bowl mix the eggs and brown sugar together. Add the melted chocolate, stirring well to thoroughly mix. Scrape down sides before adding the flour mix. Whisk it in until just in mixed, then add the remaining chocolate chips and stir well.

Transfer batter to a shallow pan, like a pie pan and put in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up batter before scooping.

Scoop cookies onto either a parchment or silpat lined sheet pan. Using a 1T size scoop, form cookies.

Bake 10-11 minutes, until tops are dry looking and cracked like a brownie. Remove from oven and allow to rest on tray for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. The centers will be very soft and brownie like in texture. These cookies are best consumed in the first 12 hours, they begin to dry out after that and lose that brownie like texture.

Comments:
Not brownies, not cookies, Brookies.

These are awesome. Go make them right now.

I did screw up the recipe a little and I melted all the chocolate chips instead of reserving half of them to stir into the batter. Doesn't appear to have affected the end result too much. Also, you must resist the temptation to just eat all the batter when you take it out of the freezer. Good lord, it looked tasty!

Mixed Berry Cobbler

From Crock-Pot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes



Ingredients:
1 16oz package frozen mixed berries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted

Directions:
1. Coat slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Stir together berries, sugar, tapioca, and lemon peel in a medium bowl. Transfer to slow cooker.

2. Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Add milk and butter; stir until just blended. Drop spoonfuls of dough on top of berry mixture. Cover; cook on low 4 hours. Uncover; let stand about 30 minutes. Serve with ice cream, if desired.

Comments:
Pretty simple, pretty tasty. The berries end up being very sweet so you really need the ice cream to cut it a bit. And the crust is really good too. Stays nice a moist but with a little chewy top layer. And you can make this is a ton of iterations with all different kinds of berries. Thumbs up.

Adam Cooks: Flat Apple Pie

From The Pioneer Woman via FoodNetwork



Ingredients:
5 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 recipe Perfect Pie Crust (recipe is in link above)
6 tablespoons butter

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In large bowl, stir together the apples, brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, salt and lemon juice. Set aside and see how long you can keep from sneaking a slice of apple.

With a rolling pin, begin rolling out the Perfect Pie Crusts into large circles. Roll the dough from the center outward. Be gentle and patient, it'll take a little time to get the dough completely rolled out.

If you think the bottom is really sticking to the surface below, use a nice, sharp spatula to loosen the dough and sprinkle some extra flour on top. Then flip it over to finish rolling. Remember to roll from the center in single, outward strokes, no back-and-forth rolling.

Again with a spatula, loosen and lift the dough and carefully place the circles on large baking sheets.

Place half the apple mixture on one crust and the other half on the other crust. Fold over the edges of each crust so that it covers 2 to 3 inches of the apple mixture. No need to be artistic - the more rustic the better. Dot the tops of the pies with chunks of the butter.

Bake until the filling is golden and bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. If the crust appears to brown too quickly, cover the edges with aluminium foil for the remaining baking time.

Allow to cool slightly, then slice into wedges with a pizza cutter. Eat 'em on the go!

Comments:
OMG. This was so good. My dislike of pie crust is well known (and well documented here on this blog) so I was skeptical of Ree's "perfect pie crust" that everyone raves about. And apple pie especially, not my favorite. But seriously people. It's wonderful. The crust, so flaky and just awesome. Perfect pure apple flavor without all that cinnamon and spice junk to mess it up. Go make it immediately.

Caramel Apple Pie

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
Topping:
1.1 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
Crust:
5.6 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/4 cups)
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons chilled vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons ice water
Cooking spray
Filling:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 cups thinly sliced peeled Granny Smith apple (about 1 1/4 pounds)
3 cups thinly sliced peeled Fuji apple (about 1 pound)
Caramel sauce:
1/2 cup fat-free caramel sundae syrup
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
1. To prepare the topping, weigh or lightly spoon 1.1 ounces (about 1/4 cup) flour in a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons butter in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until crumbly. Transfer topping to a bowl; cover and chill.

2. To prepare crust, weigh or lightly spoon 5.6 ounces (about 1 1/4 cups) flour in dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor; pulse 2 times or until combined. Add 3 tablespoons butter and shortening; pulse 4 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. With processor on, add 3 tablespoons water through food chute, processing just until combined (do not form a ball). Press mixture gently into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap; cover and chill 15 minutes. Slightly overlap 2 sheets of plastic wrap on a slightly damp surface. Unwrap dough, and place on plastic wrap. Cover with 2 additional sheets of overlapping plastic wrap. Roll dough into an 11-inch circle. Freeze dough 5 minutes or until plastic wrap can be easily removed.

3. Preheat oven to 375°.

4. Discard top 2 sheets of plastic wrap; let dough stand 1 minute or until pliable. Fit dough, plastic-wrap side up, into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Discard plastic wrap. Press dough into bottom and sides of pan. Fold edges under; flute.

5. To prepare filling, combine granulated sugar and cornstarch in a bowl; stir with a whisk. Add apples; toss to combine. Arrange apple mixture in crust, mounding slightly in the center. Bake at 375° for 25 minutes. Remove from oven; sprinkle evenly with topping. Bake at 375° for 25 additional minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack 20 minutes.

6. To prepare sauce, combine caramel syrup and salt. Slice pie into 12 wedges, and serve with sauce.

Comments:
I obviously didn't make my own crust. And I forgot the caramel topping. And Adam wasn't such a fan. Overall, not as big of a disaster as some of my other attempts at making pie...

Magic S’more Crescent Puffs

From Pillsbury



Ingredients:
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons miniature semisweet chocolate chips
8 large marshmallows
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

Glaze
1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon shortening

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Unroll dough on work surface; press into 12x8-inch rectangle. Cut into 8 rectangles. In small bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs and sugar.

2. Spoon 1 teaspoon chocolate chips on center of dough square. Dip marshmallow into melted butter; roll in graham cracker mixture. Place marshmallow on chocolate chips. Pull dough over marshmallow, completely covering marshmallow; pinch edges of dough to seal. Dip into melted butter; roll in graham cracker mixture. Place in regular-size paper baking cup. Repeat with remaining dough squares, chocolate chips and marshmallows. Place paper baking cups on large cookie sheet.

3. Bake 12 to 18 minutes or until deep golden brown. Cool 1 minute. Remove from cups; place on cooling racks set over waxed paper.

4. In small microwavable bowl, microwave glaze ingredients uncovered on High 20 to 30 seconds, stirring once, until mixture can be stirred smooth. Drizzle over warm rolls.

Comments:
Some assembly required, but very yummy. The marshmallow kind of disintegrates and Adam thought the chocolate was overpowering, but I say you can never have too much chocolate!

Peanut Butter Browne Trifle

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1 fudge brownie mix (13-inch x 9-inch pan size)
1 package (10 ounces) Peanut Butter Baking Chips
2 packages (13 ounces each) miniature peanut butter cups
4 cups cold 2% milk
2 packages (5.1 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cartons (8 ounces each) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:
Prepare brownie batter according to package directions; stir in peanut butter chips. Bake in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs (do not overbake). Cool on a wire rack; cut into 3/4-in. pieces.

Cut peanut butter cups in half; set aside 1/3 cup for garnish. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixes for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set. Add peanut butter and vanilla; mix well. Fold in 1-1/2 cartons whipped topping.

Place a third of the brownies in a 5-qt. glass bowl; top with a third of the remaining peanut butter cups. Spoon a third of the pudding mixture over the top. Repeat layers twice. Cover with remaining whipped topping; garnish with reserved peanut butter cups. Refrigerate until chilled.

Comments:
Trifles are the perfect fake-out. They look impressive, but they're totally easy. I took this to our bell party and everyone oohed and aahed and wanted the recipe. It's really good. Trust me on this one. And now they make these tiny peanut butter cups perfect for this dish!

White Chocolate Tiramisu Trifle

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1/2 cup hot brewed espresso or strong coffee
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons coffee liqueur, such as Kahlúa
Two 8-ounce containers mascarpone cheese
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 pint heavy cream
One 12- to 13-ounce store-bought vanilla angel food cake
One 1 1/2-ounce piece white chocolate

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, stir together the espresso and granulated sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in 1/4 cup water and the coffee liqueur.

2. Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, combine the mascarpone, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla at low speed. With the machine on, gradually pour in the cream, then turn the mixer up to medium speed and whip until thick and billowy but not stiff.

3. Invert the angel food cake onto a work surface. Using a large serrated knife, trim the brown crust off the top of the cake, then slice the cake horizontally into 3 layers. Place the widest layer cut side up in the bottom of a 7-inch-wide trifle bowl. Drizzle 1/4 cup of the coffee syrup evenly over the cake, then spoon 2 cups of the mascarpone mixture evenly on top. Finely grate one third of the white chocolate over the mascarpone. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 2 more layers. Cover the trifle and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.

Comments:
I made this for our Christmas party. This was my first trifle attempt and I was excited! The angel food cake was a teensy bit too big for my trifle dish, but I made it work. I had some leftover mascarpone cream though. Darn... It turned out really well, I made it the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight. It is so good!

Sweet Cheese Delights

From Pillsbury



Ingredients:
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Powdered sugar, if desired

Directions:
In large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla; beat on low speed until blended.

Unroll 1 can of dough into 1 large rectangle; press seams and perforations to seal. Press onto bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Spread with cream cheese mixture.

In small bowl, mix pecans, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. Sprinkle half the pecan mixture over the cream cheese layer. On lightly floured surface, press or roll out remaining dough into 13x9-inch rectangle. Place over filling. Sprinkle remaining pecan mixture over top.

Bake at 375°F 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly on cooling rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cover and refrigerate leftovers.

Comments:
Adam picked this recipe out of an ad in the Rachael Ray magazine. And while they weren't really what he was expecting, they were still pretty good!

White Chocolate-Strawvberry Pie-Lets

From The Biggest Loser Cookbook



Ingredients:
1/2 cup Grape Nuts cereal, finely crushed into crumbs
2 tbsp plus 2 tsp strawberry preserves
1 3/4 cups milk
1 (1 oz) package sugar-free white chocolate pudding mix

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the crumbs and 2 tbsp of the preserves. With a large spoon, stir to mix well. Divide the mixture into 4 ramekins of small dessert bowls. Press the mixture into the bottom of the dishes. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix. Whisk to blend. Pour into the ramekins or bowls. Dollop 1/2 tsp preserves on top of each. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Comments:
Totally easy to make, although I do continue to use graham crackers instead of Grape Nuts. I think mine turned out a little weird because of the preserves we had in the fridge. They were some strange artificially sweetened stuff that gave the whole thing a weird aftertaste. But still, better than last week's cheesecake!

One-Serving Chocolate Cheesecakes

From The Biggest Loser Cookbook



Ingredients:
1/4 cup Grape Nuts cereal, finely crushed into crumbs
1/2 cup fat-free cream cheesem at room temperature
2 tbsp honey
1 large egg white
1/4 cup fat-free vanilla yogurt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup cocoa powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.

Lightly mist four 3"-wide ovenproof bowls or ramekins with cooking spray. Divide the crumbs among them, spreading in an even layer on the bottoms. Set aside.

In a small mixing bowl, with an electric mixer fitted with beaters, beat the cream cheese and honey on medium speed until smooth. Add the egg white, yogurt, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed just until smooth. On the lowest speed possible, mix in the cocoa. Spoon the mixture into the prepared bowls or ramekins.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the centers are set. Let stand for 15 minutes to cool. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Just before serving, top each serving with a tablespoon of whipped topping. Dust with cocoa.

Comments:
Not inedible, but way too much cocoa and not enough sweetener. Even if you like dark chocolate, which I don't really, this might be too much. It needs something to cut that bitter cocoa powder taste a little more. Probably won't make these again without a lot of doctoring.

Apple Upside-Down Cake

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
Topping:
Cooking spray
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
3 cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices peeled Rome apples (about 2 large)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Cake:
5.3 ounces cake flour (about 1 1/3 cups)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk
3 large egg whites

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.

2. To prepare topping, combine 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until sugar dissolves, stirring gently as needed to dissolve sugar evenly (about 3 minutes). Continue cooking for 4 minutes or until golden (do not stir). Immediately pour into prepared cake pan, tipping quickly to coat bottom of pan. Arrange apple slices in concentric circles in pan over the warm caramel. Sprinkle with nuts; set aside.

3. To prepare cake, weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir with a whisk.

4. Combine 2/3 cup sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and vanilla to sugar mixture; beat until combined. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition.

5. Place egg whites in a large, clean bowl. Beat egg whites with mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form using clean, dry beaters. Gently fold egg whites into batter. Spread batter over apples. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack in pan for 5 minutes. Loosen edges of cake with a knife; invert cake onto a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Comments:
This cake is pretty easy to make. My caramel didn't turn out so great - not sure what happened there, but it worked. Kind of. You can see it crystallized and glumped together on the bottom of the pan (which is then the top of the cake.) Altogether, a good use of apples. The cake part is pretty good as well.

And of course it's really good with ice cream and caramel sauce too!

Chocolate Chip Tiramisu Cheesecake

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
One 7-ounce package crisp Italian-style ladyfingers, coarsely chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup marscapone cheese, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups mini semisweet chocolate chips
Boiling water

Directions:
1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°. Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with foil and line the bottom with parchment paper.

2. Using a food processor, grind the ladyfingers into fine crumbs. Add the butter and espresso and pulse until incorporated. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and press to form a crust halfway up the side of the pan. Bake until set, 8 to 10 minutes; let cool. Lower the oven temperature to 325°.

3. Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugar at high speed until smooth. Beat in the mascarpone, vanilla and salt. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips.

4. Set the springform pan in a roasting pan. Pour the mascarpone-chocolate chip mixture into the baked crust, then place the roasting pan in the oven. Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the top is golden and the center is set but still jiggly, about 1 hour. Let cool in the water bath for 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Refrigerate for 6 hours or up to 2 days. Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan. In a small, heatproof bowl, melt the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips in the microwave at low power, stirring until smooth. Transfer the chocolate to a resealable plastic bag. Snip a hole in the corner of the bag and drizzle the chocolate over the cake.

Comments:
A little time-consuming, but worth it in the end. This really does taste a lot like a traditional tiramisu. But it also tastes like a traditional cheesecake at the same time. Interesting combination. The coffee in the crust is a little strong for my tastes so I might decrease that if I make this again. Other than that, great recipe.

Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped
6 cups miniature pretzels, chopped

Directions:
1. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°. In a bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar and peanut butter on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture, beating until just combined; stir in the peanuts.

3. Place the pretzels in a bowl. Using a 1 1/2-inch-diameter cookie scoop and working in batches, drop a few balls of dough in the bowl and toss to coat. Place the cookies on the prepared pans. Bake, rotating the pans after 10 minutes, until golden but still soft to the touch, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before transferring to racks to cool.

Comments:
These were easy to make but I'm not sure I'd repeat them. The first batch I made as written - rolling the dough in the pretzels. The bottoms burned. The second batch I just sprinkled some pretzels on the top of the cookies and that worked a little better. They all still turned out kind of dry. If I'd try a peanut butter-pretzel mash-up again I might stick with my favorite peanut butter cookie recipe and add some pretzels to the dough.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 rome apples (about 1 pound), peeled and shredded
1 1/2 cups chewy caramel candies
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Directions:
1. Arrange a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350°. Line a cupcake pan with baking liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Whisk in the oil and vanilla. Stir into the flour mixture until just combined; stir in the apples. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan until almost full. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

3. In a small, microwavable bowl, combine the caramels and cream. Microwave for 1 minute at medium power, then stir; repeat in 30-second intervals until melted and smooth. Let cool. Spread the frosting generously on the cooled cupcakes.

Comments:
I must admit I haven't had one of these. Caramel isn't my thing. But Adam has enjoyed them. They're not hard to make, but make sure to refrigerate them. Otherwise the caramel slides right off the cupcakes onto the bottom of the storage container.

Apple-Cranberry Crisp

From Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook



Ingredients:
1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
4 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp cold unsalted butter
6 medium Empire apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick spray.

In a small bowl, combine oats, 2 tbsp brown sugar, and flour; with two knives or your fingers, work in the butter until mixture is combined and crumbly.

In a large bowl, combine apples, cranberries, remaining 2 tbsp brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg; toss to combine. Spoon into the pan; sprinkle with oats mixture.

Bake until filling is bubbly and top is golden brown, about 35-40 minutes.

Serves 4. POINTS Value per serving: 3

Comments:


This was really good, although I was not such a fan of the oat topping. I would have preferred a more traditional crisp topping. The tart cranberries and apples went very well together. The other issue was there was a lot of liquid on the bottom of the dish. But that didn't really make a difference in the taste - just have to be sure to get it out of the dish pretty quickly or it would get soggy.

S'mores Bars

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 ounces each)
1 cup marshmallow creme

Directions:
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well. Combine the flour, cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Set aside 1/2 cup for topping.

Press remaining mixture into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Place candy bars over crust; spread with marshmallow creme. Crumble remaining graham cracker mixture over top.

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Store in an airtight container.

Comments:
I could not get a decent picture of just one bar so all you get is the whole pan. These are wonderful! But who would think something like this would be terrible? Chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers? Yum.

Cream Puff Cake

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
CRUST:
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 eggs

FILLING:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2-1/2 cups 2% milk
3 packages (3.3 ounces each) instant white chocolate or vanilla pudding mix
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions:
In a large saucepan, bring water and butter to a boil. Add flour all at once and stir until a smooth ball forms. Remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating until smooth and shiny.

Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Bake at 400° for 22-26 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. Cool completely on a wire rack.

For filling, in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, milk and pudding mixes until smooth. Spread over the crust; refrigerate for 20 minutes. Spread with whipped topping. Chill until serving.

Comments:
Doesn't this look delicious?



And it is. The crust is light, the filling is creamy and sweet. Amazingly just like a cream puff. The prep is pretty easy, although the stirring with the eggs almost made my arm fall off. This is why I don't bake... But this kind of success almost makes it worth the effort.