Raspberry Mini Cheesecakes

RASPBERRY MINI CHEESECAKES

TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 30 MINS (INCLUDES CHILLING TIME)

PREP TIME: 10 MINS

COOK TIME: 20 MNS

yield: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:

·         12 round shortbread cookies, 2 inches in diameter (the Keebler Brand Sandies work great)

·         1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

·         1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

·         1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

·         2 large eggs

·         Fresh raspberries for garnish, optional

DIRECTIONS:

1.       Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. Place one cookie in the bottom of each of the liners. Dollop with 1 teaspoon jam each.

2.      With an electric mixer (stand mixer or hand mixer), beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the condensed milk, beating and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix until smooth, about 2 minutes more.

3.      Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake liners. Bake until they are set, about 20 minutes (the centers may seem a bit jiggly but the outer edges should feel firm to the touch). Transfer the muffin pan to a wire rack and cool to room temperature. The muffin liners will shrink away from the sides of the tin as they cool. Refrigerate the muffin pan (with the liners still in the pan) until the cheesecakes are cool and set, about 1 hour.

4.      Remove the cheesecakes from the muffin tin. Microwave the remaining jam until slightly thinned, about 30 seconds and use it to glaze the cheesecakes. Garnish the top of each cheesecake with a fresh raspberry, if desired. Serve.

Cherry Pie Cookie Bars

CHERRY PIE COOKIE BARS

PREP TIME: 25 MINS

 COOK TIME: 30 MIns

yield: 9x13-inch pan of bars

INGREDIENTS:

CHERRY PIE FILLING:

·         5 cups fresh Bing/sweet cherries, pitted and halved (about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds) – see note

·         1/3 cup (2.5 ounces) granulated sugar

·         1 tablespoon cornstarch

·         1-2 drops almond extract

COOKIE DOUGH:

·         1 cup (16 tablespoons, 8 ounces) butter, softened

·         1 cup (7.5 ounces) granulated sugar

·         2 tablespoons milk or buttermilk

·         1 teaspoon baking powder

·         1/2 teaspoon baking soda

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         1 large egg

·         1 large egg yolk

·         2 1/4 cups (11.25 ounces) all-purpose flour

GLAZE:

·         1 cup (4 ounces) powdered sugar

·         Zest of 1 lemon (about a teaspoon)

·         1 tablespoon milk, plus more as needed

DIRECTIONS:

1.        Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. For easier cleanup, line a 9X13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil. Lightly grease the foil with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2.        In a medium bowl, stir together the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, and almond extract. Let sit while making the crust.

3.        For the cookie dough, with an electric mixer (handheld or stand mixer), cream together the butter, sugar, milk (or buttermilk), baking powder, baking soda, and salt until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and egg yolk. Mix until well-combined.

4.        Add the flour and mix until just combined and no dry streaks remain.

5.        Take 2/3 of the dough (more or less) and press into the bottom of the pan. It helps to drop pieces relatively evenly across the bottom before spreading into an even layer. I use my hands – makes it super easy.

6.        Give the cherry filling a good stir and pour over the top of the bottom crust. Pinch off quoter-size pieces of the remaining dough and drop on top. It won’t cover the cherry filling all the way but will puff and spread while baking.

7.        Bake for 30-35 minutes until the cherry filling is bubbling and the edges of the dough are lightly golden. Let the bars cool completely.

8.        For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, lemon zest and milk until thick and pourable (add milk a little at a time if needed to thin the consistency).

9.        Drizzle the glaze over the top of the bars. Serve the bars at room temperature or slightly warm with ice cream.

NOTES:

With cherry season upon us, I highly recommend using fresh sweet cherries for this recipe, however, I think it would work fine with frozen cherries. If it were me, I’d thaw completely and drain excess liquid before using in the recipe. 

7 Layer Cookies

7 Layer Cookies

READY IN:  45mins	SERVES: 24-36

INGREDIENTS

·         ½ cup butter

·         1 ½ cup graham cracker crumbs

·         1 cup coconut, grated

·         1 cup chocolate chips

·         1 cup nuts, chopped (I like peanuts but you can use walnuts,pecans, etc)

·         1cup butterscotch chips (optional)

·         1(14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

DIRECTIONS

1.      Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

2.      Melt the butter in an 9x13 inch baking pan, making sure the sides of the pan are coated.

3.      Layer cracker crumbs, coconut, chocolate chips, chopped nuts and butterscotch chips in that order.

4.      Pour sweetened condensed milk over everything.

5.      Bake for 30 minutes or until light golden brown.

6.      Loosen from the pan; cool and cut into squares.

Walnut Chocolate Chip Blondies (optional gf,df)

YIELD: 9X13-INCH PAN

WALNUT CHOCOLATE CHIP BLONDIES

PREP TIME 15 MINUTES

COOK TIME 30 MINUTES

TOTAL TIME 45 MINUTES

INGREDIENTS

·          2 cups all-purpose flour

·          1 teaspoon baking powder

·          1/2 teaspoon salt

·          1/4 teaspoon baking soda

·          10 tablespoons butter

·          2 cups packed light brown sugar

·          2 large eggs

·          2 teaspoons vanilla

·          3/4 cup semisweet or milk chocolate chips

·          3/4 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

INSTRUCTIONS

1.      Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9X13-inch pan with foil and lightly grease with cooking spray.

2.      In a medium microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Add the brown sugar and mix well. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda and blend until combined.

3.      Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the chocolate chips and nuts over the batter. Bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

4.      If desired, serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.

Note Can use flour substitute and vegan spread to make gf,df and they are good

Key Lime Pie Shots

Key Lime Pie Shots with Stabilized Whipped Cream

Ingredients

· FOR THE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST:

· 6 Tablespoons Granulated White Sugar

· 3 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs

· 10 Tablespoons Melted Butter

· FOR THE KEY LIME CURD:

· 6 whole Large Egg Yolks

· 2 cans (14 Oz. Size) Sweetened Condensed Milk

· 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

· 1 cup Fresh Key Lime Juice

· FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM:

· 4 teaspoons Cold Water

· 1 teaspoon Unflavored Gelatin

· 1 cup Heavy Cream

· ¼ cups Confectioners Sugar

· 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

· Optional Garnishes: Graham Cracker Crumbs And Key Lime Zest

Preparation

For the graham cracker crust:
Add sugar and graham cracker crumbs to large bowl. Pour in melted butter and stir together until well mixed. Set aside.

For the key lime curd:
Whisk together egg yolks, two cans of sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and key lime juice. Pour into a medium sized pot and heat it over medium-low heat to cook through the eggs. Keep on heat and stir for 12-14 minutes until nice and warm, stirring often. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

For the whipped cream:
Add cold water and gelatin into a saucepan and allow to sit until it thickens. Then heat it on the stove over low temperature stirring until the gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to slightly cool without setting.

In a large bowl, beat heavy cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until slightly thick. Pour in gelatin mixture and beat on low until combined. Continue to whip until the cream stiffens up.

For the assembly:
Add one tablespoon of graham cracker mixture to the bottom of each shooter container (recipe makes a bunch). Follow up with one tablespoon of key lime curd. Finally add a scoop of whipped cream to the top of each shooter. Garnish with sprinkles of extra graham cracker crumbs and key lime zest if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 40-50 shooters. Happy baking!

Snickerdoodles (gf,df)

SNICKERDOODLES {GLUTEN-FREE}

INGREDIENTS

·         2 3/4 cup (345 grams) goodall-purpose gluten-free flour(I used gfJules)

·         3/4 tsp.xanthan gum (omit if using gfJules or another brand with xanthan gum)

·         1 tsp. cream of tartar

·         1/2 tsp. baking soda

·         1/4 tsp. salt

·         1 1/2 cups white sugar

·         1/2 cup butter or dairy-free alternative, softened

·         1 tsp. vanilla extract

·         2 eggs

FOR ROLLING

·         2 Tbsp. white sugar

·         1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1.       Preheat oven to 400°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

2.       In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum (if needed), cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt.

3.       In the bowl of your standing mixer, beat the sugar, butter or margarine, vanilla and eggs until well mixed.

4.       Dump the bowl of dry ingredients into your mixing bowl and mix on low until all combined.

5.       Cover the dough and place in fridge to chill for one hour or up to 2 days.

6.       When ready to use, remove from fridge to soften until you can roll easily.

7.       In a small bowl, combine 2 Tablespoons sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon together.

8.       Roll dough into about 1 inch balls, or your desired size.

9.       Roll dough in sugar/cinnamon mixture and place 2 inches apart on parchment or silicone-lined baking sheets.

10.   Bake 8-10 minutes or until set. For crispier cookies, cook longer; for chewier cookies, remove while cracks look just a bit "wet" still, but edges are set.

11.   Slide cookies off onto a cooling rack. I just slide the whole sheet of parchment right off so I don't have to worry about cracking any cookies.

by Michelle Palin ~ My Gluten-free Kitchen