Sopapilla Cheesecake

Brownie Peanut Butter Cups My new foodie friend, Mrs. Blimes, told me I have to make these as part of my Fat Fest. They did not disappoint. All I have to say is W-O-W! Brownie Peanut Butter Cups Ingredients 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 tablespoon water 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 large egg 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 cup peanut butter chips plus about 1/3 cup more for garnishing 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips plus about 1/3 cup more for garnishing 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter Instructions Preheat oven to 350°. Notes

Cappuccino Fudge Cheesecake Given that it is but two days after one of the most indulgent meals of the year, I suspect the last thing you want to hear about is the most indulgent cake I have ever made, and yet, given the quality of the last two vegetable-focused, lighter dishes I have made — both of which I’d give a resounding “eh” — trust me, what I’ve got going on here is much more worthy of your attention, and your table at some distant dinner party. So pull up a chair. Because this cake is ridiculous, ridiculous bordering on obscene, so obscene that even a wee sliver of it takes an eating intermission mid-slice just to get through. Perhaps you’ll go get yourself a glass of water, do some stretches or deep yogic breathing, but I guarantee that you’ll do whatever it takes to psych you up enough to take on the second half. Because did I mention the part where this cake is ridiculous? From there, a normal cheesecake would delve into the, you know, cheesecake layer.

Coconut Bark Ooooh coconut. You got me with your sweet and you locked me down with your milk. Coconut sleeper hold. I have found bark candies to be, like pizza, burritos or a fork, simply a vehicle for putting delicious things into your face. Today, the passengers in my vehicle are coconut, coconut and more coconut. What a ride. This bark is so simple – the toughest part is waiting for it to set before getting your cocada on. And then wiping the sticky off of your face and fingers post-consumption. Totally, totally worth it. Cocoda makes a great gift. Cocada is fun to make and eat with kids. Heck, cocada is just fun to say. This is one ride you don’t want to miss. Cocada 2-14 oz. cans sweetened, condensed milk (approximately 3 1/2 cups) 1-14 oz. bag of shredded, sweetened coconut (approximately 5 1/2 cups) 1/2 c. light corn syrup 1 tbsp. honey 1 tsp. vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350°. Line an 11” x 17” baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the coconut and milk mixture onto the prepared baking sheet.

Cinnamon & Sugar Pull-Apart Bread I saw this on Pinterest and got the recipe from Mandy's Recipe Box blog** and had to try them out! I'm so glad that I did. The recipe is pretty simple though there is a lot waiting time involved for when the dough is rising/resting. I loved the mouth-watering aroma while the bread baked in the oven. Recipe:Dough:2 3/4 c plus 2 Tbsp. flour 1/4 c sugar2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (1 packet)1/2 tsp salt4 Tbls butter1/3 c whole milk1/4 c water2 eggs (at room temperature)1 tsp pure vanilla extractFilling:1 c. sugar2 tsp. cinnamon1/4 tsp. nutmeg4 Tbls. butter, melted until brownedIn a large mixing bowl, mix 2 cups of flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In a small sauce pan, melt the butter and milk. Pour the milk mixture into the large bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well. Place the dough in a medium greased bowl. While the dough is rising you can start on the filling. Brown the butter in a small saucepan. Once the dough is ready, roll it out on a floured surface. Enjoy!

Hershey’s Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies…and a Trip to Hershey! A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to visit Hershey, Pennsylvania. For some reason, I’d just never been, despite hearing great things, despite loving theme parks, and despite my deep infatuation with, well, chocolate. In anticipation of the trek, I made brownies. Brownies with deep ribbons of cream cheese. Brownies with a full on Hershey bar melted right on top. I know you’re drooling now, so I won’t make it any worse on you. Hershey’s Cream Cheese Swirl Brownies…and a Trip to Hershey! Ingredients 10 Tablespoons butter 3 ounces Hershey's Milk Chocolate Chips 1 cup sugar 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla 3/4 cup All Purpose Flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons Unsweetened Hershey's Cocoa Powder For the Cream Cheese Swirl 8 ounces Cream Cheese, softened 1/3 cup sugar pinch salt 1 large egg 2 teaspoons vanilla Full Sized Hershey Bars, to top Instructions Preheat oven to 350. So…Hershey. Delicious.

Jenny Mac's Lip Smack Mini Nutella Cheesecakes No bake might be two of my favorite words when it comes to desserts. You know I’m not the best baker in the world, so when something says it’s no bake it’s right up my alley. Then you add in mini spring form pans and Nutella. Well, I’m THERE. These cutie patutie mini no bake Nutella Cheesecakes are rich and decadent. The recipe makes 4 individual servings but each one could easily be shared {told you they were rich and decadent and I don’t often volunteer to share my dessert} If you don’t happen to have the mini spring form pans you could use one large one. I was going for a Biscoff {you know those cookies Delta gives you in flight, the ones I always swipe ehem ask for extra of because they’re so stinking good} type crust so I used honey graham crackers. If you get these started early enough in the day you can enjoy them after dinner. Baci! What to do: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Buon Appetito!

choc + hazelnut baklava Receiving submissions like this week’s Chocolate Hazelnut Baklava from L.A.-based photographer Rick Poon is one of the greatest satisfactions I have from editing the In the Kitchen With column. Rick not only has great recipes, his images are almost as good as eating the food! (without the calories). About Rick: Rick Poon is a software developer/designer/photographer living in Los Angeles, CA. CLICK HERE for the full post after the jump! Chocolate Hazelnut Baklava with Cardamom Honey Syrup for conversions to metric units, we use this conversion calculator. Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup water 1/4 cup honey 1 tablespoon green cardamom pods, cracked with the side of a knife 2 teaspoons lemon juice zest of one lemon 1/4 tsp rosewater, optional 1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, clarified 1 lb phyllo dough, defrosted (see note) 9 oz (approximately 2 cups) hazelnuts 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 5 1/4 oz (1 1/2 bars) dark bittersweet chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

My FAVORITE Chocolate Chip Cookie I have experimented with countless recipes searching for that perfect chocolate chip cookie. The characteristics of the perfect cookie are a very personal matter, and here are my preferences: texture: chewy w. medium thickness --- everyone has their preference, and this is mine! chocolate to cookie ratio: 50/50 --- I really enjoy having a lot of chocolate in every bite chips vs. chunks: chunks --- I like sizeable pieces of chocolate in my cookie. type of chocolate: bittersweet --- I like using Valrhona 61% extra bitter nuts or other add-ins: NONE!! With the above criteria in mind, this recipe is the closest I've come to experiencing CCC perfection. - Don't substitute the pastry and bread flours w. - Hand chopped chocolate chunks, NOT premade chips - I will purchase a hunk of the best bittersweet chocolate that I can afford and hand cut them into chunks. - Chill the cookie dough at least 24 hours (I let my dough sit anywhere from 2-3 days) before baking.

A Healthy Jalapeno: Lightened Up Hot Spinach Dip I just love Sunday's during football season... you never know what is going to happen. Let's just say that I had planned to post this recipe this morning but a few things got in the way. Paul and I woke up this morning {no alarm clocks} and ended up staying in bed for a couple of hours. The very first Karate Kid was on TV so how were we supposed to leave, I mean come on... it's Mr. Brunch was amazing, with a fabulous salad, breakfast fritatta and coffee gelato there was nothing going wrong with today's plan. Oh how time flies when you are having Sunday fun. So, luckily, I have my healthy snack cap on and I knew just what to serve when they came over. Hot Spinach DipIngredients 2 pkg. (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess liquid squeezed out 1/2 cup light sour cream 5 tbsp light mayonnaise 1/3 cup parmigiano reggiano 1/4 cup red onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, crushed 1 jalapeño, minced 1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese fresh pepper to taste Preheat oven to 375°.

Greek Salsa Chicken Greek Salsa Chicken Greek Salsa Chicken topped with feta cheese, olives and tomatoes. This is one of my favorite weeknight recipes. This delicious dinner comes together in under an hour. Ingredients: For the Salsa: 4 ounces crumbled feta cheese 1 cup halved grape or cherry tomatoes 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano For the Chicken: 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (7 ounces each) pepper to taste kosher salt to taste 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 lemons, cut into wedges Directions: Preheat oven to 450°. Leave a Comment Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecakes Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecakes Cooking View Planning the dessert portion of a party menu is never much of a dilemma for me. My biggest issue is always having too many ideas and having to narrow them down to something reasonable. While planning for the holiday party, the dessert spread came together fairly quickly in my mind but it seemed something was missing. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I knew some key dessert element was being overlooked. Then it hit me – peanut butter and chocolate – that irresistible combination. I did quite a bit of searching but didn’t really turn up a recipe that seemed to be what I had envisioned.