Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Cheese Ball

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake Cheese Ball

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups chocolate cake mix, dry

1/2 cup peanut butter

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup peanut butter chips

Vanilla Wafers, graham crackers, fruit, or other cookies for dipping

1. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until combined. Then add in the chocolate cake mix, peanut butter, brown sugar, and powdered sugar and beat until combined.

2. Place the mixture on a large piece of plastic wrap. Bring up all the corners of the plastic wrap and wrap into a ball. Freeze the ball for about 1 1/2 hours or until it is firm enough to keep its shape.

3. Place the peanut butter chips on a flat plate and roll the unwrapped cheese ball in the peanut butter chips. Make sure to press the peanut butter chips into the cheese ball until it is fully covered.

4. Place the ball on a serving dish, cover with plastic wrap and freeze the cheese ball for another 2 hours or overnight. If frozen overnight, thaw for 20-30 minutes before serving. Serve with Vanilla Wafers, graham crackers, fruit, or other cookies.

Reese's Dip

Reese's Dip

1 container (8 ounces) of Cool Whip 

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup peanut butter

1/4 cup powdered sugar

3 packages of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, chopped (2 peanut butter cups in each package)

1. Mix the cream cheese and peanut butter together. Then gradually stir in the Cool Whip, powdered sugar, and 2 packages of Reese's, until combined.

2. Add the additional package of Reese's on the top. Chill before serving. Serve with graham crackers, animal crackers, or apples.

Double Chocolate Cookie Bars

Double Chocolate Cookie Bars

24 chocolate sandwich cookies

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

2. Set aside 6 cookies and grind the rest in a food processor or blender. In a small bowl, stir together the cookie crumbs and butter until well blended. Press into the bottom of an 11x13 inch pan. (Note: I made a double recipe and used my 12x16 Wilton pan and it fit perfectly. I would think that a 13x9 inch pan would work better for a single recipe?.)

3. Over a double boiler or in the microwave, melt 1 cup of chocolate chips together with the condensed milk and vanilla. Stir frequently until smooth. Spread evenly over the crumb crust. Sprinkle the remaining cup of chocolate chips over the top. Break remaining cookies into pieces by hand and sprinkle over the top.

4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Mexican Chocolate Cake

Mexican Chocolate Cake

Cake

1 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

3/4 cup water

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Glaze

1 cup pecans

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup high-quality cocoa powder

2 cups sifted powdered sugar (sift first, then measure the 2 cups of sugar out)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and heavily grease a 9″ tube pan or a Bundt pan (this was my first foray into owning a Bundt pan and, as you can see, I went for the vintage shaped pan instead of the more traditional shape). If you don’t have baking non-stick spray, use butter and then sprinkle the inside with flour, tapping the excess out of the pan.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat and whisk in the cocoa until smooth. Add the water to the cocoa butter mixture and whisk until smooth, then turn the burner off.

Add the sugar, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla to the cocoa mixture and whisk until ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.

Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt all at once and whisk until everything is, again, fully incorporated (Rebecca warns it’s okay if there are some small lumps, but I didn’t encounter any).

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and slide it in the oven to bake for 40-45 minutes, until firm yet springy to the touch and the edges start to pull slightly away from the pan.

Take the pan out (leave the oven on) and let the cake cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then invert the cake on to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Once you take the pan out of the oven, spread the pecans out on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 5-7 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes and then coarsely chop them. I like lots of big pecan pieces so I didn’t chop them up too much.

Melt the butter over low heat in a medium saucepan, then turn off the burner.

Add the milk, cocoa and powdered sugar and whisk until glossy. (Warning: My glaze seized and turned super gritty at this point so that it was completely unusable, and all of this happened super fast. I think it was because I accidentally overheated it, which is why I had you turn off the heat in the last step.)

Whisk the vanilla, salt and pecans into the glaze.

Carefully move the cake onto your desired serving dish and pour the warm glaze over the top of the cake. Enjoy–and be sure to have a glass of milk on hand!

Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle

1 batch of your favorite brownies, boxed or from scratch, cooled and cut into cubes

1 large box (5-ounce) of instant chocolate pudding, prepared and chilled (this will most likely call for 3 cups of milk, nothing else)

1 bag of peanut butter cups, chopped (I used Dove chocolate peanut butter Promises)

2 cups heavy cream

3-4 tablespoons granulated sugar, depending on your desired level of sweetness

1 cup of creamy peanut butter

1 cup of powdered sugar

2 tablespoons milk

8 ounces of whipped cream cheese, at room temperature

In the bowl of an electric mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat heavy cream and sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Transfer the whipped cream to an separate bowl and stick in the fridge until ready to use. I did not even clean the bowl of my electric mixer and just began mixing the peanut butter mixture.

Add the peanut butter and cream cheese to the bowl and beat at medium speed, scraping down the sides a few times until mixture is creamy. Add in powdered sugar and mix until combined, then mix in 2 tablespoons of milk. Remove the whipped cream from the fridge and add 1 cup of it to the peanut butter, folding it in until the mixture turns lighter in color and is mostly combined.

Grab your trifle dish and begin to layer your ingredients however you’d like. I did a layer of brownies, then peanut butter, then a handful of chopped peanut butter cups, chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and so on. I repeated it until I got to the top, then piped the remaining whipped cream on top and sprinkled the candy on. You really can’t go wrong with layering – just use a long spoon to serve!

Homemade Snickers Bars

Homemade Snickers Bars...

makes one 9×13 pan

bottom chocolate layer

1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips

1/4 cup peanut butter

Thoroughly grease you baking pan. Melt ingredients together in a saucepan or microwave, then pour into the baking dish and spread until even. Let cool and harden completely.

nougat layer

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff

1/4 cup peanut butter

1 1/2 cup salted peanuts chopped, roughly chopped

1 tsp vanilla extract

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add in sugar and milk, stirring until dissolved and bring to a boil. Let cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in fluff, peanut butter and vanilla, stirring until smooth. Turn off heat and fold in peanuts, then pour over bottom chocolate layer. Let cool completely.

caramel layer

1 14-ounce bag of caramels

1/4 cup whipping cream

Combine ingredients in a saucepan over low heat. Let melt, stirring occasionally, until smooth – this took about 10 minutes for me. Pour over nougat layer and let cool completely.

Top chocolate layer

1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips

1/4 cup peanut butter

Melt ingredients together in a saucepan or microwave, then pour over caramel and spread until even. Let cool and harden completely.

Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving, then cut as desired. These can stay at room temperature, but they do get gooey. I like them refrigerated best!

Note: for best results, buy one of the half-sheet aluminum cake pans at the grocery store. That way, you can pop the entire square out and cut from there!

To All Those I Have Known or Those I do Know!

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Brownie Base (adapted from King Arthur Flour)

12 tablespoons (6 ounces) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder
3 large eggs
... 1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces) sugar
3/4 cup (3 ounces) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour (or spray with baking spray) a 9 x 9 square or 10" round springform pan.

Melt the butter and stir in the cocoa powder. Cover, and set aside to cool.

Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs for 3 minutes (longer if you're using a hand mixer), then gradually add the sugar, beating 2 to 3 minutes more. Stir in the butter/chocolate mixture. Gently fold in the flour and salt, just until combined.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs. Cool completely.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

2 pounds (32 ounces) cream cheese
1 cup peanut butter (not the natural kind that you have to stir)
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream


Be sure to have all ingredients at room temperature, especially the eggs and cream cheese. This will help keep cracks from forming in the top of the cheesecake.

Preheat the oven to 325°F (if you're doing the cheesecake the next day; otherwise just reduce the oven temperature). Put a kettle of water on to boil for the water bath. Wrap springform pan in 3-4 layers of aluminum foil to prevent (or lessen at least!) leakage.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese at medium speed for about 4 minutes, until soft and creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat for another 2-3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for another 4 minutes. Beat in the salt and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (about 1 minute) and scraping sides of bowl after each addition. Beating at low speed, add the sour cream and heavy cream. The batter will be thin.

(Note: If you're using a hand mixer, you will want to increase the mixing times).

Pour the remaining batter on top of the cooled brownie base. You'll want to leave a little room (half-inch or so) at the very top of the pan, but it should be nearly full (depending on your pan size and your base, you may have a little extra batter which can be cooked in small cake pans or muffin tins).

Place the cheesecake in the pan for the waterbath, and place in the oven. Pour the boiling water in for the water bath, it should come about halfway up the side of the springform. Bake the cheesecake for about 55-65 minutes: it should hold together and appear set at the edges, but there will still be a lot of jiggle in the center. Turn the oven off, and leave the cheesecake in the oven for another hour. After one hour, remove the cake from the water bath, and let it finish cooling on the counter top. Remove the foil, and refrigerate overnight.

Ganache Topping

5 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
3 fluid ounces heavy cream

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium-sized bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a boil, and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute, then stir until smooth. Let the ganache cool to lukewarm or even room temperature, and then pour over the chilled cheesecake. Spread the ganache evenly over the entire cheesecake, and return to the fridge to set.

Bring the cheesecake to room temperature before serving. Run a thin sharp knife around the edge of the spring form pan before removing the outer rim of the pan.

A warm knife works best for cutting the cheesecake, you may want to wipe it clean between slices.


How To Keep Your Cheesecake from Cracking

1. The water bath greatly helps prevent cracks in your cheesecake, because it makes the cheesecake cook more slowly. The problem is that water almost always leaks into the springform pan. You can use a regular cake pan, rather than a spring form - no leaks, but you have to flip the cheesecake out, and then flip again to make it right side up. That's kinda scary. When using an oreo or brownie base, the small amount of water that leaks in can make the crust a little fudgier which I like. So I usually use the water bath, and wrap it with at least 3 layers of aluminum foil.

2. It's very important to have all ingredients at room temperature. Take the eggs, sour cream, and cream cheese out of the refrigerator way ahead of time. But, of course, life happens, and sometimes you forget! You can fake it if you have to: let the eggs rest in warm water for 10-15 minutes to bring them to room temperature. You can also microwave the cream cheese (not too much! use 5-10 second increments and low power) to bring it to room temperature.

3. Don't overbake the cheesecake. The middle should still jiggle a lot when you turn the oven off.

4. Some people swear by just reducing the oven temperature and letting the cheesecake bake for longer (with no water bath). I've never tried this method, but let me know if you do!

5. Cracks come from quick and drastic temperature changes. The water bath keeps the cheesecake from baking too quickly, and leaving the cheesecake in the oven keeps it from cooling too quickly. Placing a warm cheesecake in the fridge may also cause cracks.

6. Even if it cracks, it still tastes great, so don't worry about it! And if it really bothers you, make a sour cream or chocolate ganache topping and cover it up. No one will ever know.

When Tomorrow Starts Without Me!

When Tomorrow Starts Without Me!

When tomorrow starts without me
And I'm not there to see;
If the sun should rise and find your eyes
All filled with tears for me.
I wish so much you wouldn't cry
The way you did today;
While thinking of the many things
We didn't get to say.

I know how much you love me
As much as I love you;
And each time that you think of me,
I know you'll miss me too.
But when tomorrow starts without me
Please try to understand,
That an angel came and called my name
And took me by the hand.

She said my place was ready
In heaven far above;
And that I'd have to leave behind,
All those I dearly love.
But as I turned to walk away,
A tear fell from my eye;
For all my life, I'd always thought
I didn't want to die.

I had so much to live for,
So much yet to do;
It seemed almost impossible,
That I was leaving you.
I thought of all the yesterdays,
The good ones and the bad;
I thought of all the love we shared,
And all the fun we had.

If I could relive yesterday
Just even for awhile,
I'd say goodbye and kiss you
And maybe see you smile.
But then I fully realized
That this could never be;
For emptiness and memories
Would take the place of me.

And when I thought of worldly things
I might miss come tomorrow;
I thought of you, and when I did,
My heart was filled with sorrow.

So when tomorrow starts without me,
Don't think we're far apart
For every time you think of me,
I'm right here in your heart.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Torte

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER TORTE

Crust
1 box chocolate wafer cookies, processed into fine crumbs
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
... Small pinch of salt
Crunch
1-1/4 cups salted peanuts, finely chopped, divided use
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips or finely chopped semisweet chocolate
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dash of ground nutmeg
Filling
2 cups heavy cream
1-1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1-1/2 cups creamy peanut butter (not natural)
2 tablespoons whole milk
Topping
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Directions:
1) To make crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and place it on a baking sheet. Combine chocolate wafer crumbs, melted butter and salt in a small bowl. Toss with a fork to moisten crumbs. Press into a thin layer covering bottom and sides of springform pan to within 1-inch of rim. Freeze crust for 10 minutes. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before filling.
2) To make crunch: In another small bowl, combine 1/2 cup of chopped peanuts, mini chocolate chips, sugar, espresso powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. Toss with a fork to mix and set aside.
3) To prepare filling: In bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip 2 cups of cream until it holds medium peaks. Beat in 1/4 cup of confectioners’ sugar and whip until cream holds medium-firm peaks. Transfer cream into a separate bowl and refrigerate until needed. Wipe out (do not wash) mixer bowl, replace whisk with paddle attachment, and beat cream cheese with remaining 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until cream cheese is satiny smooth. Beat in peanut butter, whole milk, and 1/4 cup of chopped peanuts until well combined. Using a large rubber spatula, gently stir in about 1/4 of whipped cream to lighten mousse. Still working with spatula, stir in crunchy peanut mixture from step 2 above, then gingerly fold in remaining whipped cream. Scrape mousse into crust, mounding and smoothing top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight; cover with plastic wrap as soon as the mousse firms.
4) To make topping: To finish torte, put chopped bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Leave bowl over water just until chocolate softens and starts to melt, about 3 minutes; remove bowl from saucepan. Bring reserved 1/2 cup of cream to a full boil. Pour cream over chocolate and, working with a rubber spatula, very gently stir together until ganache is completely blended and smooth. Pour ganache over torte, smoothing with a metal icing spatula. Scatter remaining 1/2 cup peanuts over top and chill to set topping, at least 20 minutes. When the ganache is firm, remove the sides of the springform pan. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Yield: 8 to 10 serving.