Amaretto Cheesecake

The week before Christmas I asked my mom what dessert sounded good to her for us to have on Christmas Eve. She surprised me by telling me that an amaretto cheesecake was what she wanted.

Nothing says "Merry Christmas" and "Happy birthday, Jesus" like an amaretto cheesecake, right??

But being the people pleaser that I am, I happily obliged. I do love to make - and eat - cheesecake!

A lot of people tend to shy away from cheesecakes, but they really are easy desserts to make, once you get comfortable making them. The cream cheese needs to be very well softened, you need to scrape down the sides and bottom of your mixer well, and never, ever open the door while your cheesecake is baking. That's a big no no. If you follow those simple rules, though, you'll have a delicious cheesecake every time!

Amaretto Cheesecake

Recipe for 1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust*

3 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

1/3 cup amaretto

1 1/2 cups commercial sour cream

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons amaretto

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Grated chocolate, for garnish

Press graham cracker crust mixture firmly on bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan (do not bake prior to filling with cheesecake mixture).

Beat cream cheese at high speed of an electric mixer until light and fluffy; gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in 1/3 cup amaretto; pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until mixture is set.

Combine sour cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 2 tablespoons amaretto; stir well, and spoon over cheesecake. Bake at 500 degrees for 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature on a wire rack; chill. Garnish with almonds and grates chocolate. Yield: 12 servings.

Graham Cracker Crust

1 (5 1/3-ounce) packet graham crackers, crushed (about 1 2/3 cups)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine all ingredients, mixing well. Firmly press crumb mixture evenly over bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate. For frozen pies, crust may be used without baking. For other pies, bake at 350 degrees for 7 to 9 minutes. Yield: one 9-inch crust.

Sopapilla cheesecake pie

I have a sweet tooth. There's not a dessert I don't like (at least none I've found). So when given the opportunity to make something for a potluck, I tend to gravitate towards dessert. I have been known to make a dip or an appetizer from time to time, but nine times out of 10 I'll make a dessert.

A recent Mexican night get together with friends was no different.

While there are tons of great Mexican appetizer/dip recipes to choose from (mmm ... cheese), I didn't know of too many Mexican dessert recipes. Tres leches cake came to mind, but I knew it would be tougher to eat than the finger food we were supposed to bring. After scouring the Internet for a while I found a sopapilla cheesecake pie recipe. It looked tasty, had lots of good reviews, and seemed pretty easy.

Mexican/Spanish? Check.
Dessert? Check.
Easy to eat? Check.
One of my favorite desserts to make (cheesecake)? Check.

This was a hit. It was easy to make and delicious. It's not like a typical cheesecake, so I wouldn't recommend this if you're looking for the more traditional, bake-in-a-springform pan cheesecake. But the filling is a mixture of cream cheese and sugar, so there is definitely a cheesecake taste. It's rich and sweet and oh, so good.

Sopapilla cheesecake pie
From allrecipes.com
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 (8 ounce) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Beat the cream cheese with 1 cup of sugar and the vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth.
Unroll the cans of crescent roll dough, and use a rolling pin to shape each piece into 9x13 inch rectangles. Press one piece into the bottom of your baking dish. Evenly spread the cream cheese mixture into the baking dish, then cover with the remaining piece of crescent dough. Stir together 3/4 cup of sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Dot the mixture over the top of the cheesecake.
Bake until the crescent dough has puffed and turned golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey. Cool completely in the pan before cutting into 12 squares.

Cheesecake Cupcakes

I really like cheesecake. And I really like to make cheesecake. But sometimes, a whole cheesecake is just too much, and for parties and showers it can be tough to slice and eat it, especially if you're walking around, talking and mingling.

Lo and behold, the cheesecake cupcake! These are the perfect bite-size alternative to a regular-size cheesecake, and just as delicious.

I helped host an all-dessert baby shower a few weeks ago and made these. It was my first time making them, and thankfully, they turned out perfectly. Just thinking about them makes me want them again!

But watch out -- it's easy to eat about a dozen of these little gems!

Cheesecake Cupcakes
Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Topping:
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Fresh fruit slices, fruit topping or jam for garnish

Preheat oven to 325. Line 24 regular muffin cups with paper cupcake liners. (I had to buy foil cupcake liners because both stores were out of the paper kind - go figure - and they seemed more substantial than the plain paper liner. I say that because I had to use one paper liner when I ran out of foil ones!)

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until very smooth. Add the sugar and mix well. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.

Fill the cups about half full with the batter. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the cupcakes are set and golden brown.

Make the topping: Combine the sour cream, sugar and vanilla and stire well with a metal spoon or spatula. Spoon about a teaspoon on top of each cupcake and return to the oven for 5 minutes to glaze.

Remove cupcakes from the oven. When they can be handled safely, remove them from the muffin tins and let cool completely on wire racks. When completely cool, place them in plastic containers with lids and refrigerate until ready to serve. Just before serving, decorate with slivers of freshly cut seasonal fruit, jam or fruit topping, or one to two whole blueberries or raspberries. Serve at room temperature. Makes 2 dozen.

*Note: Do not eat these before they have been chilled in the fridge! (Or let your husband.) You will be disappointed in the texture until they have chilled thoroughly. I know from experience!! And, it took my cupcakes about 35 minutes to even slightly brown on top, so yours may take a little longer, too. I don't know if that had anything to do with using foil liners instead of paper, but just throwing it out there. Also, I used cherry pie filling for the topping and just spooned three cherries onto each cupcake - so yummy - I wish I had some right now!

And stay tuned for more recipes coming soon, I promise! I have been cooking a lot lately, just now need to take the time to post the recipes and photos. I know - I need to get my priorities in line! :)