Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies

An extremely rich mashup of two recipes:

http://www.marthastewart.com/314726/fudgy-chocolate-brownies

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Peanut-Butter-and-Chocolate-Cheesecake-Brownies-351049

Brownie Layer:

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1.5 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

Cheesecake Layer:

1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, room temperature

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 ounces bittersweet chocolate

Brownie Layer:

Make a double broiler by filling a medium pot halfway up with water and placing a large bowl on top. Turn the heat on to medium, and add in the chocolate and butter. Stir until both have melted, then remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Stir in the sugar, then whisk in the eggs one by one. Add in the vanilla. Fold in the flour and salt.

Prepare an 8”x8” baking pan by placing a piece of parchment paper into it with about 1” overhang on all sides. Pour in the brownie mixture.

Cheesecake Layer:

In the bowl of a mixer, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and vanilla until smooth. Add in the sugar, beating until fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time. Add the cream, then the flour. Pour 2/3 of the mixture over the brownie mixture, and spread even with a rubber spatula.

Place the 2 oz. of chocolate into a microwave-proof bowl. Microwave on low for 10 second intervals until melted. Stir the melted chocolate into the remaining cheesecake mixture. Add the chocolate batter on top of the other cheesecake batter, and swirl with a butter knife.

Bake at 325°F for 35 to 40 minutes, until the edges are puffed and the center is set. Let cool, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Witch Finger Cupcakes

Only 356 days till Halloween! I meant type this up a while ago, but didn’t get a chance. Even if you don’t feel like making Halloween cupcakes in November (some nerve you’ve got), the cupcake and frosting recipes are fantastic, and perfect for anytime you need a cake fix. This recipe is compiled from the following 3 recipes:

Cupcakes: www.browneyedbaker.com/2013/08/19/best-chocolate-cupcakes-recipe/

Frosting: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/cream_cheese_frosting/

Witch fingers: http://www.simplysogood.com/2011/10/creepy-witchs-fingers.html

Now, put on some Witchfinder General and let’s get baking!

Cupcakes:

3 ounces chocolate (I used Ghirardelli 60% cacoa), chopped

1/3 cup cocoa powder

¾ cup hot coffee

¾ cup bread flour

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoons white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a bowl and pour the hot coffee on top. Whisk until smooth then refrigerate for 20 minutes to cool.

Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. In a different bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, vinegar, and vanilla.

Add the oil mixture into the cooled chocolate mixture, and whisk. Then add that mixture into the flour bowl. Whisk until smooth.

Ladle the batter into a muffin tin lined with cupcake liners. It takes a bit less than ¼ cup for each cupcake.

Bake until the cupcakes are set and a toothpick inserted comes out clean, 17 to 19 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a wire rack for 1 hour.

Frosting:

½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

8 oz. Neufchatel Cheese (1 package), room temperature

2 to 3 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

In the bowl of a mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together at medium speed for about 3 minutes, until very smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the vanilla extract and mix, then slowly add the powdered sugar with the mixer on. Keep adding until the icing is the desired thickness/sweetness.

Use a spatula to transfer the frosting to a piping bag, and pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

Still haven't gotten the hang of piping

Witch Finger Cookies:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup whole blanched almonds

Green food coloring

1 tube red decorator gel

In the bowl of a mixer, beat the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and almond extracts. Add flour, baking powder, salt and green food coloring and mix.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, if you need to blanch your almonds  (do they sell almonds pre-blanched? If so, BUY THOSE. I had to do it myself), add them to boiling water for 1 minute, the strain and rinse under cold water. Remove the husks, which is SO MUCH FUN. In theory the skins should slide right off, in practice, god speed.

Once the dough is chilled, time to shape the fingers. Grab about a 1 tablespoon hunk of dough and roll it between your hands into a cigar shape. Keeping the dough between your fingers helps give the ridges that look like gnarly witch knuckles.

Use a toothpick to make creases in the fingers. Press an almond into one end of each cookie. Line the cookies up on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Bake in a 325°F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until they start to turn pale golden. Let cool for 3 minutes. Lift the almond off each cookie and squeeze red decorator gel into the nail bed. Press the almond back down for the bloody effect.

Bavarian Apple Tart

The baking theme for this week is healthy, so I took a recipe straight out of the “trimmed-down favorites” section of the Taste of Home Baking cookbook. Each slice is 213 calories with 9 grams of fat, and delicious to boot. I really like the pairing of the apples with the cream cheese – it gives this tart a different feel from the same old apple pies. As you can see, the tips of the top layer of apples got a bit burnt - keep an eye on your tart as it bakes.

Crust:

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup butter (5 1/3 tablespoons), softened

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

In an electric mixer or other bowl, add the sugar and butter and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in flour, cinnamon and vanilla and mix to incorporate. Place the dough in a 9” tart pan. Lay a piece of plastic wrap over it, and work the dough until it covers the bottom and sides of the pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Filling:

1 package (8 ounces) Neufchatel or low-fat cream cheese

¼ cup sugar

1 egg

1.5 tablespoons vanilla extract

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla until just combined. Pour mixture into the pie crust.

Topping:

4 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (about 4 medium; I only needed ~3)

1/3 cup sugar

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Slice the apples and place in a large bowl with sugar and cinnamon. Toss to coat. Arrange apples on top of tart. Bake the tart at 400°F for 40 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the crust is golden brown. Let cool a bit before serving. 

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Slightly modified from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/red-velvet-whoopie-pies-recipe/index.html

Cookies:

1/2 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 ounce milk chocolate, chopped
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup greek yogurt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon red food coloring
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Melt the butter than let cool for a few minutes. Add to the bowl of a mixer along with yogurt, eggs, cider vinegar, vanilla extract, and food coloring. Mix until combined.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift into the liquid ingredients in four batches, mixing until each addition is combined.

Melt the semisweet and milk chocolate in a microwave. Whisk into batter.

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Prep 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, and place 1 tablespoon of batter for each cookie. Wet your fingers with water and smooth out the tops of the cookies. You’ll also want to shape them into rounds so they turn out as circles once baked. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the dough springs back slightly when poked with a finger. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frosting:

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla using a stand or hand mixer. Slowly add in the sugar, continuing to beat until incorporated. Spoon 1 tablespooonful between 2 cookies to finish.