Love My Philly

Now you can have your pie and eat it too.  It’s amazing what happens when you combine Philadelphia Cream Cheese, coffee, pudding and whipped cream.  Tiramisu Pie.  It’s not too good to be true.

Easy Tiramisu Pie

I absolutely love the Fall season.  We’re got a break from the relentless heat., the air begins to take on a new freshness, and the stores fill up with all sorts of new Fall produce.  Apples are without a doubt my favorite Fall fruit.  There’s just so much you can do with them.  From dips to cakes to pies and tarts, apples are going to be the key ingredient in a lot of my baking this season.  What kind of apple goodness are you going to get into?

Apple Crumble-  What could be better than warm apples, cinnamon and Nilla Wafers?  Nothing.

Freestyle Apple Tart-  Think of this as a super easy Apple Pie with the added delight of soft cream cheese.  It’s perfect!

Spiced Apple Butternut Squash Soup-  Sound like a crazy combination?  These Fall flavors marry perfectly, and the creaminess of cream cheese adds the perfect touch.

Caramel Apple Dip-  The perfect sweet party dip.  So yummy!

If you’re anything like me, than in just a matter of hours, your kitchen is going to packed with fun sized candy bars. This is far from a from a crisis. I actually welcome the chocolate overload. When I get tired of the midnight chocolate snacking, this simple recipe is a great way to combine all of my fun sized candy bars into a delicious baked treat. If you’re feeling the candy overload, bake up a batch of cheesecake candy bar squares and pawn them off on your friends and neighbors. These are just too delicious to decline.

Cheesecake Candy Bar Squares

Makes: 24 servings, 1 square each

2 cups OREO Chocolate Cookie Crumbs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted
4 (8 ounce) packages PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
4 (2.07 ounce) bars chocolate-coated caramel-peanut nougat bars, chopped, divided

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix crumbs and butter; press firmly onto bottom of 13×9-inch baking pan.

BEAT cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; mix just until blended. Gently stir in 1 cup of the chopped candy bars. Pour over crust. Sprinkle with remaining chopped candy bars.

BAKE 40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Cut into 24 squares to serve. Store leftover dessert in refrigerator.

Size-Wise Enjoy a serving of this rich and indulgent treat on special occasions.

Chocolate-Covered Cheesecake Bars Prepare and bake as directed. Cut into 32 bars. Place bars on wire rack. Melt 1 (12 ounce) package BAKER’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks and 2 tablespoons shortening in saucepan on very low heat, stirring constantly. Pour chocolate mixture over bars to completely cover. Let stand until chocolate is firm. Store in refrigerator.

Makes 32 servings, 1 bar each.

These cinnamon rolls are the perfect weekend treat.  In fact, they’re just what I cooked up this past weekend.  I got my hands on a still warm cinnamon roll with cream cheese glaze and before I knew it, the pan was scraped clean.  If you whip up these beauties this weekend, make sure you serve yourself  one before you even think about walking away from the pan.  They’ll be gone in no time!

Perfect Weekend Cinnamon Rolls

Bon Appetit March 2008

Dough:
1 cup whole milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast (from 2 envelopes yeast)
1 teaspoon salt
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Filling:
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

Glaze:
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For dough:
Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F, 30 to 45 seconds. Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add 21/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. Form into ball.

Lightly oil large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.

For filling:
Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl.

Punch down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. Roll out to 15×11-inch rectangle. Spread butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over butter. Starting at 1 long side, roll dough into log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up. With seam side down, cut dough crosswise with thin sharp knife into 18 equal slices (each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide).

Spray two 9-inch square glass baking dishes with nonstick spray. Divide rolls between baking dishes, arranging cut side up (there will be almost no space between rolls). Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up.

For glaze:
Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth. Spread glaze on rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This festive Halloween dessert is the perfect combination of creamy and fruity.  The layered orange, white and chocolate cookie make it extra special as a Halloween treat.  Throw this Jello Graveyard dessert  together in less than half an hour, place it in the fridge to set, and forget about it until you’re ready to wow your guests!

Happy Halloween!

Graveyard Gelatin Dessert

Who knew that with the help of a few mini marshmallows and mini chocolate chips you could make the cutest cupcakes… ever!?

Think outside the box with this unique, creative and super simple Halloween cupcake recipe.

Mini Skull Cakes

Whenever the words ‘cheesecake’ and ‘brownie’ are joined together, I know I’m going to be one happy camper. These orange colored Halloween brownies are the perfect treat. Combine deep chocolate with luscious cream cheese, decorate with a bit of orange food coloring and Halloween sprinkles. Happy Halloween!

Halloween Cheesecake Brownies

Sure, Halloween is an ultra fun holiday.  You and the family get to play dress up, meet up with friends and roam the neighborhood asking for free candy.  It’s a fantastic night!  Make sure the night stays full of laughs, fun and sweets with these helpful Halloween safety tips.

Hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating to help you see and to help others see you!

Painting your face this Halloween? Always test make-up in a small area first and remove it before bedtime to prevent skin and eye irritation.  Nobody likes a rash!

Is that a homemade treat? Eat only commercially-wrapped treats. Avoid eating homemade treats unless you know the chef well.  No stranger danger please!

Do you glow in the dark? Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you.

Examine all treats before eating them for choking hazards and tampering. Limit the amount of treats you eat.

If possible, fill up on this delicious cream cheese inspired Halloween Spider Web Brownie Pie. Click the bolded type for the recipe.  Happy Halloween!

How do people think of this stuff? The chefs in the Kraft kitchen must just imagine all of the most delicious things in the world and insist on throwing them together in one cake mix. These cupcakes are stuffed with a sweetened cream cheese and mini Oreo then topped off with cupcake batter. Cream cheese, Oreos and chocolate cupcakes. What more could you want from life!?

Mini Oreo Surprise Cupcakes

This recipe is perfect for Fall. It’s a spice cake made unique with the addition of blackberry jam. Think of this cake like a carrot cake, minus the carrots, plus all the flavor of sweet blackberry jam. Top the cake with lush blackberry jam and you’ve got a cake delicious enough to serve at a fancy party and simple enough to take to the church picnic.

Blackberry Jam Cake

from the Gourmet Cookbook

3 cups plus 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons ground allspice

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups sugar

5 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup well-shaken buttermilk

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup seedless blackberry jam

1 cup golden raisins

1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

For the Cake

Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a 13-by-9-inch baking pan, line bottom with parchment or waxed paper, and butter paper.

Sift together 3 cups flour and salt into a bowl.

Beat together butter, sugar, allspice, cloves and cinnamon in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium high speed until pale and fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add eggs and beat until well combined.

Stir together buttermilk and baking soda in a small bowl. Working in 3 batches, alternately add flour and buttermilk mixtures to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition. Add jam and beat until well combined. Toss together raisins and nuts with remaining 1 Tablespoon of flour in a bowl, then add to batter and stir until well combined.

Sweet Cream Cheese Frosting

Pour batter into baking pan. Bake until wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 55-60 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then invert cake onto rack, remove paper and cool completely.

To Assemble Cake

Place cake on large cake plate, or cake board. Add a thin layer of blackberry jam on top of the cake if desired, this step is optional. Dollop swiss meringue buttercream atop cake, and smooth. I left the sides of the cake bare to show off the dripping blackberry jam and the gorgeous brown color of the cake.