Mini Cheesecake Cookie Dough Bites

I have an upcoming book swap party to go to and I've been experimenting with a few desserts.  I saw this one on Pinterest and decided to take a chance at it. I followed the recipe from the My Baking Addiction blog here. 

Only thing I got wrong is that she uses normal cupcake sizes and I went for the mini cupcake version. The portions for the mini-mini cheesecakes are 1 TBSP of graham cracker crust and 1 TBSP of cheesecake filling, 1 TSP of cookie dough. I have to say these were delicious and I'll definitely be perfecting this along the way. I did make the full size see above, but for me it's too rich so I think I'll stick to the mini cupcake size, was perfect for a party especially when there will be ton more desserts.

Limoncello Cheesecake Bars

I love to bake and cook with my friend Rebekah. A couple of months ago she told me about Giada's Limoncello Cheesecake bars, but you need time for them to chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours. We didn't have 8 hours, she lives 45 minutes away and well we wanted to eat them on my day visit.  So I shelved the recipe and the next time I planned to visit her I made them a day in advance.  Giada's recipe is below but can also be found here.


Let me tell you my house smelled amazing when I baked the crust. So you can imagine when I put the cheesecake in the oven how amazing it smelled. This is a rich tasting summer treat. I am not the biggest cheesecake person but we really enjoyed every bite.  So try it out this summer. Enjoy!

 Baked crust.

Lemon zest.

 Mixing the batter in a food processor.

About to bake and my friends mom's homemade Limoncello.  

You need that proof of vodka and she does use Smirnoff.

RECIPE
8 ounces purchased biscotti (I bought Almond Biscotti from Trader Joe's)6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

• 3 tablespoons grated lemon zest
• 1 (12-ounce) container fresh whole milk ricotta, drained, at room temperature
• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup limoncello liqueur (my friends mom made her own so I used that but you can purchase from the store.)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the bottom of a 9 by 9 by 2-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Finely grind the biscotti in a food processor. Add the melted butter and 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and process until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom (not the sides) of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is golden, about 15 minutes. (Your whole house will smell amazing) Cool the crust completely on a cooling rack.

Blend the ricotta in a clean food processor until smooth. Add the cream cheese and sugar and blend well, stopping the machine occasionally and scraping down the sides of the work bowl. Blend in the limoncello, vanilla, and remaining 2 tablespoons of lemon zest. Add the eggs one at a time, and pulse just until blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the baking pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the baking pan. Bake until the cheesecake is golden and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour (the cake will become firm when it is cold).

Transfer the cake to a rack; cool 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 8 hours and up to 2 days. Cut the cake into squares and serve.

Cheesecake

So last weekend J threw a party for some friends. I helped with the hors d'oeuvres. I had extras of puffed pastry, white wine sauted crimini mushrooms, white bean puree and cream cheese left. Plus an arsenal of lemons that have been supplied by friends and co-workers who are fortunate enough to have lemon trees. All this equated to a few scratches on the head what to do with it all before it spoils. The mushrooms ended up on flattened pan fried chicken.

For the puffed pastry I rolled it out the and chopped up some apples sauted with butter, sugar and cinnamon. Then I rolled up the apples in puffed pastry, brushed with egg wash baked in 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Delish. SB who isn't usually overwhelmed with my cooking IM'd me during the day to say YUMMY, love the apple pastry. Yeah a winner and just an afterthought. Love it when that happens.

Now what to do with the VAT of cream cheese and lemons. Hmmm...lemon cheesecake. I found a few recipes online and combined them to come up with this. Lemon cheesecake with a graham cracker and chopped toasted almonds crust. Cream cheese mixed with the juice and zest of a few meyer lemons Polished off by a sour cream, sugar, and lemon zest. If you know anything about my obsession with sour cream you will see how much this is my perfect cheesecake recipe. Refreshing and light with a special almondy crunch.