» Double the ingredients.
» Spread the batter in a prepared 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
» Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes.
» Let cool and then cut into 24 squares.
Optional Ways to Jazz Up Your Brownies
» Stir ½ cup mini chocolate chips or nuts into the batter right before spreading it in the pan.
» Dust the finished brownies with powdered sugar.
» Slather the finished brownies with a thick layer of frosting.
» Drizzle the finished brownies with homemade caramel topping.
Piecrust
PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES
SERVING: MAKES 1 (9-INCH) PIECRUST
As a teenager, I always made my piecrusts from scratch when I was baking. After my husband and I got married, I started using store-bought crusts. They were just easier to use and took less time when I had little ones helping me in the kitchen. Recently, I decided I wanted to try to make those crusts from scratch again, so I came up with this easy recipe. I wanted the flakiness that shortening gives along with the flavor that butter adds, so I used both. I love that this crust can be made in a food processor with just a few pulses. Give it a try. You’ll be surprised at how easy this is.
INGREDIENTS
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (½ stick) cold unsalted butter
¼ cup vegetable shortening
3 tablespoons ice water
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place the flour, salt, butter, and shortening in a food processor. Pulse a few times until the mixture resembles large coarse crumbs.
2. Add in the water 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing after each addition.
3. Gather the dough together and form a ball. Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
4. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out on a floured surface to a 9½-inch circle. Fold the dough in half and then in half again. Lift the dough gently and place it in a 9-inch pie plate that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Unfold the dough to line the pan.
5. Fold the edges of the dough underneath and crimp the edges with your fingers. Bake according to the recipe directions.
Note. The dough ball can be wrapped and refrigerated for up 5 days. But really, why wait? Turn to the pie chapter and start making some cheesecake pie, stat!
Cookie Dough Bites
PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES
SERVING: MAKES 56 COOKIE DOUGH BITES
When we were kids, my brother and sisters and I would always fight over who got to lick the bowl and spatula whenever our mom made cookies. And my three kids do the same thing whenever I’m baking cookies or cakes now, too. These easy cookie bites are a way to enjoy that cookie dough without the threat of raw eggs. Add them to fudge or brownies or eat them plain—I won’t judge.
INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1⁄3 cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon milk
¼ cup mini chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place the butter, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl and beat until creamy.
2. Add the flour, vanilla, and milk and beat again until a soft dough forms.
3. Gently stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Roll the cookie mixture into 56 small balls, each roughly the size of a marble. These can be placed on a wax paper–lined tray and frozen for 30 minutes. Store in a plastic freezer bag for up to one month.
Caramel Dip or Topping
PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES PLUS COOL TIME
COOK TIME: 10 TO 12 MINUTES
SERVING: MAKES 1 CUP
I absolutely love eating caramel, whether it is salted, drizzled over brownies, stirred into cheesecake, or spooned over my ice cream. I’ll take it any way I can get it. Until recently, making homemade caramel scared me. All that bubbling and having to get the color just right made me run. I would head to the store and buy a jar of caramel every time I needed caramel for a recipe. But I decided this was a fear that needed to be conquered. After trying out a few different things, I finally came up with a creamy caramel dip that tastes amazing. Forget dipping anything in this caramel because you will be eating it from the jar with a spoon. Here’s to conquering fear!
INGREDIENTS
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2⁄3 cup heavy cream
1 to 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place the sugar and water in a 3-quart saucepan with high sides. Pick up the pan and rotate it around to get the water into all the sugar. Place the pan over medium heat and cook until the sugar has dissolved. Do not stir the mixture at all.
2. The mixture will begin to bubble. Let the sugar mixture cook for 8 to 10 minutes more. Again, do not stir the mixture at all while it is bubbling.
3. The color of the mixture will turn from clear to light amber to golden amber to slightly darker amber. Do not let it get too dark. Make sure you stand there and carefully watch the hot sugar mixture, because it will burn if you are not watching.
4. Remove the pan from the heat when the mixture turns darker amber and whisk in the butter and cream very slowly until it is melted and creamy. (The hot sugar will bubble like crazy when you start drizzling the cream in, but just keep whisking.)
5. Return the pan to the heat and let the caramel boil for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the salt for salted caramel, if desired.
6. Let the caramel mixture cool before spooning it into a jar. Store the caramel in the refrigerator for up to one month. You may need to warm it up slightly in the microwave or let it come to room temperature before using it.
VARIATION:
For Caramel Topping: Use 4 tablespoons butter and 11⁄3 cups whipping cream in the recipe.
Note. Put a tag on a mason jar of caramel and give it as a housewarming gift along with some apples.
Fruit Filling
PREP TIME: 5 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 10 MINUTES
SERVING: MAKES 1 CUP
Buying canned fruit filling is easy, but did you know that by just boiling fresh or frozen fruit down on the stove, you can get a fruit topping that doesn’t have all those extra ingredients in it? I like to stir a little bit of honey into my fruit filling to give it a little sweeter taste and a silkier texture. Fruit filling is very versatile. You can put it on toast or in a Danish, or swirl it on top of a cheesecake!
INGREDIENTS
2 cups frozen fruit of your choice
2 tablespoons honey
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place the frozen fruit in a saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until it thaws and comes to a boil.
2. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the fruit for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the juices cook off.
3. Stir in the honey and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes more.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and let the filling cool.
5. Store the filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Note. You can use fresh fruit in place of the frozen fruit. Just add 1 tablespoon water for each cup of fresh fruit in the saucepan.
Lemon Curd
PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 10 MINUTES
SERVING: MAKES 11⁄3 CUPS
Lemon curd is another one of those ingredients that I used to always buy from the store. Every recipe that I had ever seen called for so many egg yolks without the egg whites. I didn’t want to find a recipe to use up all those extra egg whites I would have left over, so I never attempted any of those recipes. Then I realized that by using two whole eggs, I could have homemade lemon curd without any extra ingredients sitting around. The first time I made this, I couldn’t wait to grab a spoon and dig in.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon zest
½ cup lemon juice, fresh or concentrate
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 large eggs
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Stir together the sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and butter in a saucepan. Heat over low heat until everything is melted and smooth. Make sure to stir the mixture occasionally.
2. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl until frothy. Very quickly, whisk ¼ cup of the hot sugar mixture into the eggs. Repeat with another ¼ cup of the sugar mixture.
3. Whisk the egg mixture into the remaining sugar mixture in the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, for about 8 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil.
4. Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl to remove any lumps and strain out the zest. Use the back of a spoon to press the mixture through the strainer.
5. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the warm mixture, making sure it touches the entire surface of the lemon curd. Refrigerate until completely chilled. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
VARIATION:
For Blackberry Curd: Puree 1 cup fresh blackberries to get ½ cup puree. Use the puree in place of the lemon juice and leave out the lemon zest. Follow the rest of the instructions.
Apple Pie Filling
PREP TIME: 40 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 10 TO 12 MINUTES
SERVING: MAKES 4 CUPS
When my siblings and I were younger, we would visit my grandpa. He lived in a big farmhouse with an old horse barn. I can remember climbing all over the barn and playing hide and seek. On his property, he also had some apple trees. Put five children on a farm with apple trees and what do you get? Well, apple wars, of course. Rotten apple wars, that is. We would hide under the trees and throw the hard or rotten apples from the ground at one another. I have no idea who started it, but this game was so much fun, until you got hit with an apple. These days I prefer to enjoy my apples in a delicious pie filling instead of being hit in the head with them. This easy pie filling comes together in minutes and tastes amazing. Make sure you have enough time for the filling to cool and set up before you need to use it.
INGREDIENTS
6 cups diced peeled apples (any variety)
2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh or concentrate
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups water
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Drizzle the lemon juice over the apples and toss to coat. Set the apples aside.
2. Stir together the sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large saucepan. Whisk in the water until everything has dissolved.
3. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 2 minutes.
4. Add the apples and increase the heat to medium-high heat to bring the mixture to a full boil again. Reduce the heat to low heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool.
5. Refrigerate the filling in an airtight container for 4 to 6 hours to thicken. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Whipped Cream
PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES
SERVING: MAKES 2 CUPS
Making homemade whipped cream is easier than you may think. With two simple ingredients, you can have a fluffy topping that is perfect for garnishing the tops of cheesecakes. Make sure to chill the bowl and the wire whisk attachment ahead of time. This helps the cream whip up into stiff peaks faster.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Chill a metal bowl and mixer whisk attachment in the freezer for 30 minutes.
2. Pour the cream and powdered sugar into the chilled bowl.
3. Beat the mixture on high speed until stiff peaks form.
4. Store the whipped cream in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Whip again briefly before serving.
VARIATION:
Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream: Add ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste with the heavy cream and sugar.
Chocolate Whipped Cream: Add 1 tablespoon dark cocoa powder with the heavy cream and sugar.
Espresso Whipped Cream: Add 1 teaspoon espresso powder and 1 teaspoon cocoa powder with the heavy cream and sugar.
Toasted Coconut
PREP TIME: 2 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 5 MINUTES
SERVING: MAKES 1 CUP
Shredded coconut adds great taste and texture to baked goods. I am a fan of just grabbing a handful straight from the bag and munching on it while I am baking. Toasting the coconut adds crunch and nutty flavor that complement baked goods even more. It also fills your kitchen with the aroma of the tropics as it bakes.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Spread the coconut out on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes. Open the oven and stir the coconut every minute to ensure even coloring. It’s okay if the heat escapes as you do this.
3. Remove the pan from the oven and let the coconut cool on the baking sheet.
4. Store the toasted coconut in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 weeks.
Cookie Dough
PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES
BAKE TIME: 12 MINUTES FOR COOKIES, 15 MINUTES FOR PIZZA
SERVING: MAKES 24 COOKIES OR 1 LARGE COOKIE PIZZA
This easy cookie dough is perfect for using in a variety of recipes. You can make small cookies, tarts, cookie pizzas, or bar cookies from this one dough. The possibilities for mix-ins are endless, too. Let your creativity run wild and have fun making cookies!
INGREDIENTS
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ (4-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
2½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
2. Beat the butter and cream cheese in a large bowl until creamy. Add the sugars and vanilla and beat again until smooth. Add the egg and beat again.
3. Stir together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture until completely incorporated.
4. Roll the dough into 24 balls for cookies or press it out flat into a 12-inch circle for a cookie pizza.
5. Place the dough balls on a baking sheet a few inches apart and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Or place the cookie pizza on a pizza pan and bake for 15 minutes.
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Full-Size Cheesecakes
LARGER THAN LIFE!
Cheesecake is dangerous. Every time I open the refrigerator, I have to have one more bite, and then before you know it, I’ve eaten my entire weight in cheesecake. It’s a dangerous and delicious thing. And full-size cheesecakes really are a work of baking art. They are a perfect showstopping dessert for parties, or even for a night of at-home indulgence!
Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES
BAKE TIME: 1 HOUR 20 MINUTES
SERVING: MAKES ONE 10-INCH CHEESECAKE (14 SLICES)
Let’s start simple, and what is more simple than vanilla? There is just something delicious about a slice of vanilla cheesecake piled high with strawberries, or any other topping, for that matter. By adding vanilla bean flecks and heavy cream into this cheesecake, simple vanilla becomes extraordinary. One of the best things about this easy cheesecake is that you can use it as a b
ase to create so many other fun flavors.
INGREDIENTS
For the Crust
50 regular-size Nilla Wafer cookies
¼ cup sugar
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted
For the Cheesecake
4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
4 large eggs
1 batch Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream
Fresh strawberries
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place a large rimmed baking sheet on the very bottom rack of the oven and fill it halfway with water. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Line a 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
2. For the Crust: Pulse the cookies in a food processor a few times until they are completely crushed.
3. Mix together the cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until it resembles coarse sand. Press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside.
Cheesecake Love Page 3