It’s time for this month’s cheesecake recipe! Of course with Valentine’s Day coming up this Friday it only made sense to bust out this Red Velvet Swirl Cheesecake for February. How fun is this cheesecake pattern?

I’ve never made a swirled cheesecake before so I’m definitely going to have to work on my technique. I guess it’s more of a pink velvet swirl cheesecake!

Red, pink, swirled, semi-swirled – either way it still looks pretty and cute for Valentine’s Day.

This is a creamy classic cheesecake with a chocolate graham cracker crust. Red velvet seems to reference the appearance of the cheesecake more than anything since there’s only a tablespoon of cocoa powder so you don’t really get that hint of chocolate that you think of with a red velvet cake, but it is still a really tasty cheesecake.

I’m a big fan of Valentine’s Day so I have all kinds of fun treats posted on the blog, like these Strawberry Chocolate Ganache Cake Balls or these Red Velvet Oreo Truffle Chocolate Crunch Brownies. You can find them all the festive treats in the Valentine’s Day section of the recipe index. Are you making any sweets this Valentine’s Day?

Red Velvet Swirl Cheesecake

 

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Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

• 16 chocolate graham cracker squares
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 pounds cream cheese (4 8-ounce packages), room temperature
• 1¼ cups granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons red food coloring

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray then tightly wrap aluminum foil around the bottom and up the sides. This is to keep the water coming in from the water bath the cheesecake will be sitting in while cooking.
2. Turn the graham crackers into fine crumbs using a food processor or whacking with a rolling pin. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the chocolate crumbs, melted butter and salt until it resembles coarse sand. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and press it into the bottom and up the sides in an even layer. Bake for 8 minutes then let cool completely.
3. To make the filling, beat the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract in a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed then increase to medium-high and continue to beat until super smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the flour then beat until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition. Spoon 2 cups of the filling into a mixing bowl. Add the cocoa powder and food coloring then mix until combined. Pour the red filling into the crust then pour the white batter over top. Use a spoon to pull up some of the red batter from the bottom and swirl it, being careful not to pull up any of the crust.
4. Reduce oven to 325 degrees F. Place the springform pan on a baking pan then place in the oven. Carefully pour water into the baking pan so the water comes about ½-inch to 1-inch up the side of the springform pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes to an hour and 30 minutes. It is done when there is a 2-3” wobble in the center. Turn the oven off and crack it open, leaving the cheesecake inside. I usually wedge a wooden spoon in the door to leave it cracked. After the hour, carefully remove from the water bath and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Once cool, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.

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 Recipe slightly adapted from January/February 2012 issue of Food Network Magazine.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

Today I am posting the best easy dessert to impress your valentine! Or to impress yourself and feel like you just nailed the confection round of Sugar Rush. Yes, I did use the word ‘easy!’ These Raspberry Sorbet and Frozen Chocolate Mousse Domes look fancy schmancy, but it’s really a few simple steps and the magic of silicone demi sphere molds. The dessert is the perfect balance of creamy, crunchy, decadent and tart. If you didn’t want to use molds you could make a deconstructed version that I’ll get into at the bottom of the post.

Ok, step one: spoon raspberry sorbet into the small mold and freeze until firm. Yep, that’s it! Step two: melt some ruby chocolate in the microwave then spoon it into the bigger mold and use your finger to spread it all around. Have you had ruby chocolate yet? It’s slightly fruity and so yummy! Plus it’s naturally a pretty pink color – perfect for Valentine’s Day! Trader Joe’s sells bags of it and a bunch of chocolate brands, like Chocolove, sell bars of it you could melt. Otherwise just use your favorite type of chocolate for the outside shell, but I highly recommend using ruby chocolate for this.

Step three: make the two ingredient chocolate mousse. I love this mousse recipe! Heat some heavy cream in the microwave then stir in chocolate chips until melted. While it’s cooling, beat some more heavy cream until stiff peaks form and gently fold into the chocolate mixture. See! Easy! Step four: assembly! Spoon the mousse into the ruby chocolate covered mold leaving a little room in the center to press in the raspberry sorbet half sphere. Smooth it out then pop in the freezer until you’re ready to serve.

Now initially I was planning on sharing this recipe and saying that the hazelnut crunch candy was an optional bonus, but after eating the finished dessert I want to stress to you that you need to make it! It adds the best textural crunch and flavor component, plus it’s also easy so why not?! Let water and sugar cook on your stovetop for eight minutes then pour over chopped toasted hazelnuts and let harden. Done!

Now if you’re interested in the silicone molds I have this bigger one and I just got this smaller one. I love using the bigger one to make mousse and ice cream desserts look fancy for when we have friends and family over for dinner. If you don’t want to experiment with the molds you could totally still make this dessert and just serve the mousse straight from the fridge instead of frozen in individual dishes with the hazelnut crunch candy and a small scoop of raspberry sorbet on top. I might even need to make the mousse with the candy its own post. Okay, I really hope you all try this one so you can feel all chefy and proud of yourselves! Let me know if you do try it!

Raspberry Sorbet and Frozen Chocolate Mousse Domes

 

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Yield: 6 mousse domes

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons raspberry sorbet
• ¼ cup ruby chocolate wafers, or 1½ ounces of ruby chocolate broken into pieces
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil or vegetable oil
• 1½ cups heavy cream, divided
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I recommend Ghiradelli, Guittard or Trader Joe’s)
• ⅔ cup chopped toasted hazelnuts (see note)
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup water

Directions

1. Let the raspberry sorbet soften slightly then spoon into 6 cavities of the smaller mold (each cavity should hold about 1 tablespoon). Press into the mold then smooth with an offset spatula or the straight back of a knife. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until firm, at least 2½ hours. Tip: placing the silicone molds on small baking sheets makes it easier to move.
2. Place the ruby chocolate and coconut oil (or vegetable oil) in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then continue to microwave in 15 second increments, stirring after each increment, until melted. Spoon a bit into one of the cavities of the larger mold. Use your finger to spread the chocolate and completely coat the inside of the demi sphere. It should be thick enough that you can’t see the silicone through, but not too thick. Repeat for 5 more cavities. Place in the fridge to firm up for at least 15 minutes.
3. Heat ½ cup of the heavy cream in a large microwave safe mixing bowl for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Add the chocolate chips then stir. Let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk the mixture together until smooth then let cool. While the chocolate mixture is cooling, whip the remaining 1 cup of the cream. Using a mixture, whip the cold cream on medium speed, slowly increasing to medium high. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form, which means when you lift up the beater the peaks of the cream stay exactly in place. Tip: whip in a metal bowl and place both the bowl and the whisk in the freezer 5-10 minutes before whipping the cream. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture in 3 additions. It’s okay if there’s still some streaks. If you’re ready to assemble the mousse domes move to the next step, otherwise cover and place in the fridge until ready to use.
4. Spoon the chocolate mousse into the ruby chocolate coated mold. Fill all the way to the top, leaving a bit of space in the center for the raspberry sorbet. One at a time, gently pop the raspberry sorbet out of the silicone mold and press into the center of the chocolate mousse, flat side facing up. It’s okay if the sorbet doesn’t pop out in a perfect demi sphere. Smooth the top with an offset spatula or the straight back of a knife. Place in the freezer until firm; I usually leave in overnight.
5. To make the hazelnut crunch candy, place the chopped hazelnuts on a parchment lined baking sheet close together. Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar dissolves, stop stirring. Let come to a boil then cook until it reaches a light brown color, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and wait until it stops bubbling then pour over the chopped hazelnuts. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes then break the candy in pieces. Store at room temperature in an airtight container until ready to serve. When ready to serve the mousse domes, carefully pop them out of the silicone mold. Alternatively, you could pop them out of the molds ahead of time and just keep them in the freezer on a lined baking sheet covered in plastic wrap until ready to serve.

Notes

To toast the chopped hazelnuts, bake them in a 350 degree F oven for 3-4 minutes.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

I’m declaring 2020 the year of cheesecake! Every year the January issue of the Food Network Magazine does a baking calendar article where they post a recipe in a certain category for each month of the year. Last year it was all about the cookies. This year, the recipes were brownies, but although some of them looked good I didn’t feel compelled to participate. So since I’ve been craving cheesecake lately I decided I’m making my own year of cheesecake and posting a special cheesecake recipe for you all each month this year!

To kick things off I have this decadent Chocolate Chip Cookie Butter Cheesecake. This is one of those recipe ideas that I had written on a little note a long time ago so I’m always excited when I finally get around to experimenting with them. I’m obsessed with my Cookie Butter Cheesecake Stuffed Pumpkin Bread (I even made a loaf before Sam was born so Matt and I would be able to snack on slices) so I knew cookie butter and cheesecake were a match meant to be.

The cheesecake has a biscoff cookie crust, which are the cookies used to make cookie butter. I used Lotus brand for both the cookies and the cookie butter, which you can find at plenty of grocery stores, and Trader Joe’s also sells their version of cookie butter and the cookies, which they call speculoos.

This cheesecake is super creamy and perfectly decadent. My favorite part ended up being the mini chocolate chips sprinkled throughout the cheesecake filling. I wrote this into the recipe, but if you really want the cookie butter flavor to come through then lightly frost the top with some of the extra cookie butter.

I snuck January’s cheesecake in with mere hours to spare, but I can’t wait to share the rest of the year’s cheesecakes with you all! I will also start sharing some cheesecake baking tips that I learn as I go so stay tuned.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Butter Cheesecake

 

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Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

• 32 biscoff / speculoos cookies (about 1 package of cookies), divided
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 pounds cream cheese (that’s 4 8-ounce packages), room temperature
• 1½ cups brown sugar
• 1 cup cookie butter, plus more for topping if desired
• 2 teaspoons vanilla, divided
• 1½ cups heavy cream, divided
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
• ¼ cup confectioners sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray then tightly wrap aluminum foil around the bottom and up the sides. This is to keep the water coming in from the water bath the cheesecake will be sitting in while cooking.
2. Turn 26 of the speculoos cookies into fine crumbs using a food processor or whacking with a rolling pin. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, melted butter and salt until it resembles coarse sand. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and press it into the bottom and up the sides in an even layer. Bake for 8 minutes then let cool completely.
3. To make the filling, beat the cream cheese, brown sugar and cookie butter in a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed then increase to medium-high and continue to beat until super smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and heavy cream then beat until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition. Fold in the mini chocolate chips then pour the filling onto the cooled crust.
4. Reduce oven to 325 degrees F. Place the springform pan on a baking pan then place in the oven. Carefully pour water into the baking pan so the water comes about ½-inch to 1-inch up the side of the springform pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes to an hour and 30 minutes. It is done when there is a 2-3” wobble in the center. Turn the oven off and crack it open, leaving the cheesecake inside. I usually wedge a wooden spoon in the door to leave it cracked. After the hour, carefully remove from the water bath and place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Once cool, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 6 hours or overnight.
5. When ready to serve, make the whipped cream. Place the metal mixing bowl or the metal bowl of a stand mixer back in the freezer along with the metal beaters or beater for 5-10 minutes. Remove and add the remaining cup of the heavy cream (make sure your cream is cold), confectioners sugar and the remaining teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high until stiff peaks form. Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and top with additional cookie butter if desired. Pipe the whipped cream on top then add the remaining 6 cookies and serve.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

The day is finally here for the last recipe in our 12 Days of Cookies! These Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies are one of the easiest and there is no dough chilling required. Since we’re so close to the holiday and if you’re like me you’re probably busy with a million things while also trying to soak up time with your family so I’ll keep today’s post short and sweet.

Having a go-to peanut butter cookie recipe is a staple and I’ve finally found mine! I find a lot of peanut butter cookies deliver on the peanut butter flavor, but are too crumbly. I prefer a cookie that is soft and chewy. These Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies have brown sugar in the cookie dough, which helps bring that chewy texture.

Rolling the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar gives them an added little bit of sweetness and shimmer as they spread out during the baking

The original recipe calls for them to be done around ten minutes, but I found mine needed closer to thirteen minutes. They do firm up a little after baking, but I love the chewy texture from these peanut butter-packed cookies.

Happy holidays, everyone!

Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

 

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Yield: 18-20 cookies

Ingredients

• 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), room temperature
• ½ cup creamy peanut butter (not natural)
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling the cookie dough balls
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and peanut butter until creamy and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla. Beat until combined. Add the flour mixture and beat on low until just a few streaks remain.
4. Put some granulated sugar in a small bowl. Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop out a dough ball then roll in the granulated sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat for the remaining dough. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the edges are very lightly brown and they’ve just started to set. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then remove to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Repeat for the second baking sheet of cookies.

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Lauren Uncategorized 2 Comments

Happy Friday! Here we are at day eleven of Lemon & Mocha’s 12 Days of Cookies and I’ve definitely been saving some of the best for last. First of all, let’s just discuss how pretty these Cherry Kiss Cookies are! With their pink hue they certainly would be fitting for Valentine’s Day, but they also add a great pop of color to a Christmas cookie platter.

If there was ever a cookie to be described as melting in your mouth, it would be these pillowy Cherry Kiss Cookies. They are soft, buttery and have just the perfect amount of cherry flavoring. There’s also a chocolate Hershey Kiss in the center of every cookie, which is always a delicious bonus.

The cherry flavor in these cookies comes from cherry extract and chopped maraschino cherries, both which get mixed right into the batter. If you remember my Chocolate Raspberry Heart Cookie Pops I had a difficult time finding cherry extract in the grocery store so instead I used raspberry extract. Since I now have a big bottle of raspberry extract from those cookie pops I actually used it instead of cherry extract for these cookies as well. So I guess they are technically Cherry Raspberry Kiss Cookies. Either way you make them I’m sure you will be hooked. I saved these for right before Christmas because the dough requires no chilling and they’re very easy drop cookies to make so they would be a great last minute baking project.

The cookies look very soft when they come out of the oven, but they will firm up as they cool. I left mine in the oven until I noticed just a couple of the cookies had started to very lightly brown on the edges, which can be difficult to notice at first since the cookies are pink.

I used milk chocolate kisses since that is what I had on hand, but you could experiment with different kinds as I think the dark chocolate kisses would be extra tasty in these. Okay, only a few more days until Christmas! What are you baking this weekend?

Cherry Kiss Cookies

 

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Yield: 28 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks), room temperature
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1½ teaspoons cherry extract, see note
• 5 drops red food coloring
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup chopped maraschino cherries
• 28 Hershey Kisses, unwrapped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, making sure oven racks are in the upper and lower thirds positions. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, confectioners’ sugar and salt on low speed to combine then medium-high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla, cherry extract and food coloring. Beat until combined. Add the flour and beat on low until only a few streaks remain. Use a spatula to stir in the chopped cherries.
3. Use a medium cookie scoop to balls of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. I put 14 on each of my half sheet pans; the cookies spread a little, but not a lot. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a couple of the cookies just start to very lightly brown on the edges. Remove from the oven and immediately press a chocolate kiss into the center of each cookie. Once the cookies have cooled for 2 minutes on the pan, remove to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

If you don’t have cherry extract, raspberry extract also works really well.

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Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments