Cheesecake Brownies

You know how some recipes you see get bookmarked, and you wait for the perfect day to make them, and then others get made within the hour of seeing the recipe? This one was one of the latter. I saw the picture, I read the ingredients, I rejoiced because I knew I already had everything required in my house, and then I got started immediately. 

It could be argued that I "over-swirled" the two batters before baking, resulting in a less marbled appearance. I tried to use use a light hand while swirling, but I couldn't help myself. I just kept going and going. Thankfully, the resulting 'less than marbled effect' does not seem to affect the flavor. These brownies are delicious! The perfect balance of rich chocolate brownie and cheesecake. Kind of like a chocolate cheesecake bar. And, they're so easy to make. I found I preferred mine slightly chilled, as opposed to room temperature. For some reason any kind of cheese-cake related baking tastes better cold. 

Recipe for Cheesecake Brownies

(adapted from What's Gaby Cooking)

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

1/3 cup sugar

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×9 baking pan with foil, leaving a 2 inch overhang on 2 sides. Spray with non-stick baking spray. Set aside.

Melt the butter and chocolate in a small saucepan over medium low heat, constantly stirring until completely melted. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour and gently fold just until  incorporated. Pour into the prepared foil lined baking pan and set aside.

For the Cheesecake layer: In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla and whisk together until smooth. Drop spoon-fulls of the cheesecake batter on top of the brownie batter. Then using a knife, swirl the two batters together until you have a marbled effect. Top with the milk chocolate chips, if using.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Chill in the refrigerator. Cut into squares.

Roasted Tomato and Jalapeno Salsa AND Roasted Tomato and Jalapeno Salsa With Baked Goat Cheese

There's something so much more special about a salsa made with roasted tomatoes, jalapenos, onions and garlic. I love the black flecks of the charred skins from the vegetables in this salsa. Just seems so rustic. It also adds another layer of flavor - a smokiness that sets this apart from regular salsa. 

If you're not careful, this salsa could knock your socks off. I de-seed two of the jalapenos and leave the seeds in the third. As you know, the seeds are where the 'venom' from the jalapeno hides, the heat that you either love or hate. If you're a hater, you could either de-seed all of the jalapenos, or leave them out altogether. Substitute a different, milder pepper if you like. But we like it hot, and even with only one of the three jalapenos left with the seeds, this salsa has a good amount of heat. The noticeable kind - but it's not overwhelming. 

This salsa is definitely good enough to stand alone. It doesn't need anything more. Make this for your guests and you're sure to impress. But if you want to take it one step further and 'wow' them, you can bake your salsa with a goat cheese center. It's heaven. And the creaminess of the cheese helps to balance out the heat, so there's that. Whichever way you go, you must try this one. It's not nearly as labour-intensive as it sounds. And it's worth every second of it.  Plus, it holds longer than a regular salsa, you can make it the day before and it's only going to get better.

Recipe for Roasted Salsa 
Adapted from: Chaos in the Kitchen

1 1/2 pounds tomatoes (about 10 medium roma tomatoes, or 6 vine-ripened tomatoes)
1 to 3 fresh jalapeño peppers (1 to 1 1/2 ounces), stemmed
Half of a small white onion, sliced into 1/4 inch thick rings
6 garlic cloves, peeled
juice of 2 limes (or to taste)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, loosely packed
1 to 1 1/2 generous teaspoons kosher salt (or to taste)

Heat the broiler. Cut your tomatoes in half and core them. Cut your jalapenos in half, leaving the seeds in as many as you like, depending on your tolerance for heat. Place cut tomatoes and jalapeños on a broiler pan or baking sheet, cut side down.

Broil for about 6 to 8 minutes, until skins have blistered and have blackened spots. Allow to cool.

Set the oven to 425 degrees F. On a separate pan or baking sheet, combine the onions and garlic.

Roast in the oven, stirring occasionally, until browned and soft, about 15 to 20 minutes. Allow to cool.

Add jalapeños, onions, and garlic to a food processor and pulse to desired consistency. Scoop out into a bowl. Add tomatoes to the processor and pulse to a rough puree.

Pour tomatoes into the bowl with jalapeño mixture and stir. Add lime juice, cilantro and salt to taste.

Now, are you still with me? Cause it only gets better from here.

Recipe for Roasted Salsa with Baked Goat Cheese

Adapted from: Chaos in the Kitchen
4 oz goat cheese, softened

8 oz cream cheese, softened

salt, to taste

2 cups Roasted Tomato and Jalapeno Salsa (recipe above)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In the bowl of your food processor, pulse the goat cheese and cream cheese until combined. Add salt to taste. Scrape the cheese out of the bowl and form a disk. Place the disk of cheese into the center of a baking dish. Scoop the salsa around the cheese. Bake until warmed through, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips.

Lion House Dinner Rolls

To simply call these rolls "good" would be a gross understatement. They are so good. They're soft and tender and ridiculously delicious. They're made with white flour so you won't be getting any points from the fiber fairy but who cares? These are the rolls you make when you just want something indulgent. Eat them on their own, or serve them with dinner. They won't last, that I can promise. I made them earlier this week and will be making them again tomorrow. 

The instant yeast speeds things up, which means making them is not an all day project. In fact, I made them mid morning and they were ready for lunch. These here are a new favorite in my house. They're the kind of thing that will save you when you make soup for dinner. Your husband won't be able to give you dirty looks if these are served along-side. Honest.

Recipe for Lion House Dinner Rolls
(Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

1 1/2 Tbsp. Instant Yeast

2 cups warm (not hot) water

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 egg

2 1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 cup nonfat dry milk

5-6 cups flour

In the bowl of your stand-mixer, combine the yeast, water, sugar, butter, salt, dry milk, 2 cups flour and egg. Beat together with the paddle attachment until very smooth. Add remaining flour gradually (about 1/2 cup at a time) until a soft but not sticky dough is formed. At this point, if you haven't already done so, switch to your dough hook. (I switched to mine when I had about a cup of flour left to add. Knead the dough for at least five minutes, adding additional flour if the dough is too sticky about 1 Tbsp. at a time. When the dough is smooth, supple and elastic, place it in a lightly greased large bowl, flip the dough over so the top side is greased, and cover with plastic wrap until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. 

Punch the dough down and then separate into two equal portions. Roll the first dough mass out to an 11x14-inch rectangle. Brush the top with melted butter. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into two pieces lengthwise. Then slice the dough into five or six strips across so you end up with 10 to 12 small rectangles. 

Roll each small rectangle up and place on a silpat or parchment lined baking sheet with the roll resting on its seam. Repeat with the second portion of dough.

Cover the rolls with lightly greased plastic wrap and let them rise until doubled, approximately 1 hour. 

Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 12-14 minutes or until they are nicely browned, rotating your pan halfway through the baking time.

These freeze nicely.

Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars

Browned butter, dark brown sugar, oatmeal, butterscotch chips...that's what these bars are made of. Pure yumminess. And the best part? They're different. Something new to throw into your repertoire. And? No peanut butter. Not that I don't love the stuff, but when do you find a recipe that has all that good stuff and no peanut butter? Never, at least I haven't. And with my son's nut allergy, I find it torture to see all the great recipes out there for squares that unfailingly contain peanut butter.

And don't even get me started on peanut butter substitutes. I've tried them all. They smell good, they look just like peanut butter, but then you taste it. Gross. Bitter with a weird aftertaste that it's impossible to describe.

Anyways. I digress. These bars are a great nut free solution for a different kind of bar that isn't chocolate. And while chocolate will always reign supreme in my view, these are a nice alternative. Delicate and buttery, and speaking of butter, the browning of it adds a hint of nuttiness sans nuts. Win-win.

Recipe for Oatmeal Butterscotch Bars

(Adapted slightly from:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

For the bars:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups oatmeal
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup (227 grams) butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla
For the glaze:
1/4 cup butterscotch chips
2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar

1 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. kosher salt (if using regular table salt, decrease to 1/8 tsp.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang for handles on the shorter sides of the pan. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt, set aside. Place the 3/4 cup butterscotch chips in a large bowl, set aside. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and allow butter to brown to a medium golden color. Watch it closely so it doesn't burn. Pour the hot butter over the butterscotch chips and whisk together until melted and smooth. Whisk in the brown sugar until incorporated. Then whisk in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture, just until completely moistened - don't over-mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread until evenly distributed. I used my hands and patted it down. Bake the bars about 16-18 minutes, until golden brown.

For the glaze, place the 1/4 cup butterscotch chips, brown sugar, butter, water and salt in a small microwave-safe bowl. (Don't even think about omitting the salt - it makes the glaze!) Microwave the mixture until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes on 50% power. Whisk to combine well. The glaze is a bit stiff. If needed, microwave it for a further 10 seconds to loose it. Drizzle the glaze over the bars while they're still warm. Let the bars cool completely in the pan. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil overhang and cut into squares. 

Fluffy Yellow Cake with Foolproof Chocolate Frosting (Revisited)

If you're looking for a great homemade yellow cake recipe, your search ends here. My first attempt was a recipe I found in Saveur, and it was 'good' but not great. The texture of the cake was a little heavy and had more of a spongy texture. This version, however, is amazing. No surprise the recipe is from Cook's Illustrated.

This cake has a soft, moist and tender crumb. It's a lot like the texture you get from a boxed cake mix, except it's missing that boxed cake taste. Hallelujah! I don't mind a boxed cake from time to time, and until now, I've always preferred it to any homemade versions of yellow cake. So many of the recipes out there just don't manage to get that moist and tender crumb that you get from the box. Why is that? There's hundreds of great chocolate cake recipes out there that beat the boxed chocolate cakes but when it comes to white or yellow cakes, they never seem to measure up.

And let's face it, while chocolate is great, sometimes it's nice to take a break from it. When you tire of chocolate and want something different, try this one. Honest. It's not the quickest recipe in the world and you'll dirty a lot of bowls, but that's the trade-off. This one is worth the sink full of dirty dishes. Trust. 

And the frosting? It's Cook's Illustrated "Fool Proof Chocolate Frosting" and it is a-mazing. Super soft and silky, perfect for swirling on your new favorite yellow cake. 

Fluffy Yellow Layer Cake

(adapted from 'Spring Entertaining' by Cook's Illustrated | 2011)

2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) cake flour, plus extra for dusting pans

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. table salt

1 3/4 cups (12 1/4 ounces) sugar

10 Tbsp.(1 1/4 sticks) butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

3 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil

2 tsp. vanilla

6 large egg yolks, plus 3 large egg whites, room temperature

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9 inch wide by 2 inch deep round cake pans and line bottom with parchment paper. Grease paper rounds, dust pans with flour, knock out excess. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and 1 1/2 cups sugar together in a large bowl. In a 4 cup liquid measuring cup or medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and yolks.

In a clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites at medium-high speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. With machine running, gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar; continue to beat until stiff peaks just form, 30 to 60 seconds (whites should hold peak but mixture should appear moist). Transfer to bowl and set aside.

Add flour mixture to now-empty mixing bowl fitted with whisk attachment. With mixer running at low speed, gradually pour in butter mixture and mix until almost incorporated (a few streaks of dry flour will remain), about 15 seconds. Stop mixer and scrape whisk and sides of the bowl. Return mixer to medium-low speed and beat until smooth and fully incorporated, 10 to 15 seconds. 

Using rubber spatula, stir 1/3 of whites into batter to lighten, then add remaining whites and gently fold into batter until no white streaks remain. Divide batter between prepared cake pans. Lightly tap pans against counter 2 or 3 times to dislodge any large air bubbles.

Bake until cake layers begin to pull away from sides of pans and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes.

Cool cake in pans on rack for 10 minutes. Loosen cake from sides of pans with small knife, then invert onto greased wire rack and peel off parchment. Invert cakes again and cool completely on rack, about 90 minutes.

Foolproof Chocolate Frosting

(adapted from: Spring Entertaining' by Cook's Illustrated | 2011)

Yield: 3 cups - enough to frost one 9 inch 2 layer cake)

20 Tbsp. (2 1/2 sticks) butter, softened (60 to 65 degrees)

1 cup (4 ounces) confectioner's sugar

3/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

pinch of table salt

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1 tsp. vanilla 

8 ounces chocolate, melted and cooled slightly

In food processor, process butter, sugar, cocoa and salt until smooth, about 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl as needed. Add corn syrup and vanilla and process until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Scrape sides of bowl, then add chocolate and pulse until smooth and creamy, 10 to 15 seconds. Frosting can be used immediately or held for up to 3 hours at room temperature. If making further ahead than 3 hours, cover and refrigerate, then let it stand at room temperature for 1 hour before using.

Pretzel and Pecan Caramels

It amazes me that, despite the amount of baking I do, I still manage to screw up a lot of stuff in the kitchen. Under-baked cakes, over-cooked candies, you name it, I've done it. And chances are I've done it recently, but I'm too proud to share. I did think, initially, that these caramels fell into the screw-ups category and was hiding them in my fridge until I could re-make them and redeem myself. Then my sister and girlfriend, Kim, tried them and assured me that they were not screw ups, they were delicious. So I tried them and was very pleasantly shocked surprised. (They were also tasted by a number of other people and met with rave reviews.)

I saw this recipe in a Taste of Homes magazine and I just knew right then and there that I'd be making them at my earliest opportunity. These caramels are chewy and decadent - and the crunch of the broken pretzels and toasted pecans put them over the top. I thought about adding a bit of salt on top but talked myself out of it because the pretzels have enough salt on them to flavor them. You could, however, forego the pretzels and sprinkle the tops with a coarse salt and they would be divine. Also, as much as I love pecans, roasted almonds would make an excellent substitute if you were so inclined. I'll be doing that next time.

You will require a thermometer but I promise that this recipe is not as finicky as most caramel recipes are. It takes a little while to get the temperature up to the hard ball stage (245 degrees), but even so, I strongly recommend having your add-ins (in this case broken pretzels and toasted chopped pecans) ready before you start boiling the caramel. Perhaps that last comment was a 'no-brainer' for some of you but I sure could have used a reminder when I tried my second batch. Enough said.

This is the perfect recipe for Christmas time, but it's too good to file away until then. The recipe makes a whole lot of caramels, as you want to cut them small because they are so rich. I cut them into 1 inch squares. It's better to have people go back for seconds or thirds then to have them put down a half-eaten caramel because it's just too much. 

They make a great gift and they store well in the fridge. But, based on my experience with them, they probably don't have a chance. 

Pretzel & Pecan Caramels

(adapted from Taste of Home | 100 Best Recipes | 2011)

1 cup butter

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

1 cup dark corn syrup

2 cups heavy whipping cream, divided

1 lb chopped pecans (toasted)

2 cups of broken pretzel pieces

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Line a 13x9 inch pan with foil, generously spray with non-stick cooking spray (or use butter). In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugars, corn syrup, 1 cup of the cream and the butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil. Slowly stir in the remaining cream. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 245 degrees (firm ball stage).

Remove from heat; stir in pecans, pretzels and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Let stand until firm. Using foil, lift candy out of pan. Discard foil, cut candy into 1 inch squares.

Peanut Butter Balls (or Buckeyes)

I might just be the meanest mommy ever. After tucking my kiddos into bed, not only did I pillage their Easter chocolate stash and melt down about 75% of what remained to bake with it, but the thing I was making was something that my son can't even eat because of his peanut allergy. Who does that?!!

Luckily, they haven't asked for any Easter chocolate for a while now, so I'm thinking it's safe to say that they've forgotten about it. You can't miss it if you don't even remember it's there, right? Right??! Well, that's what I'm going with.

As for the peanut allergy, I have no defense. We gave up all nuts in our house when my son was diagnosed with a tree nut allergy 2 years ago. His allergy is not severe, but I didn't see the need to risk it. Until lately. I broke down and bought some peanut butter because I've been missing it something fierce. I eat it when he's not around. And now apparently I bake with it while he sleeps. After smashing up all his Easter eggs. Go me.

This recipe came from Baked Explorations. Peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. They taste like Reese Peanut Butter Cups, except they're sweeter. Next time, I think I'll toy with the recipe a bit, decreasing the amount of sugar, and use more graham cracker crumbs. Don't get me wrong, they're great the way they are, but I'd like to get it even closer to a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. But that's just me. Also, the original recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate, which might have been a better choice - as milk chocolate is much sweeter. Serves me right, huh?

Recipe for Peanut Butter Balls
(adapted from Baked Explorations)
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 17 graham crackers)
3 cups of confectioner's sugar
10 Tbsp. butter, melted and cooled
12 ounces good quality chocolate, coarsely chopped (either semi-sweet or milk)

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and peanut butter until combined. Add the graham cracker crumbs and mix to combine. Add the sugar and butter and beat at low speed, then gradually increase the speed as the sugar is absorbed until completely combined. Scrape down sides of bowl and beat again. The mixture will seem slightly dry. Form balls and place on parchment lined baking sheet.

Chill the balls and melt the chopped chocolate in the microwave at 50% power until smooth. 

Dip the balls into the chocolate. The book says to pierce the balls (as above); but I found that you could also place the ball on top of the fork and dunk it into the chocolate, which prevents the ball from having holes from the fork. Set the dipped balls back onto the parchment lined baking sheets and refrigerate until chocolate sets.