Tag Archives: brownie

Brownie Bottom Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Sauce

Posted by Brenda K. Agresta in Cheesecake and tagged with , , , ,

Brownie Bottom Cheesecake

If you’re looking for a seriously sexy dessert for Valentine’s Day, this is it. This irresistible threesome of fudge brownie, cheesecake and raspberry sauce will be the perfect ending to the sweetest day of the year.

Brownie Bottom Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache and Raspberry Sauce

(adapted from Eagle Brand)

Ingredients

No-Stick Cooking Spray
1 package Ghirardelli Triple Fudge Brownie Mix (or your favorite chewy fudge brownie mix- but be sure it is large enough for a 9×9 pan)
3 (8 oz.) packages. cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
3 large eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 9-inch springform pan with no-stick cooking spray. Prepare brownie according to package directions. Spread evenly in prepared pan.

Bake 30 minutes or until set. (Do not bake the full time as directed on the brownie package)

Beat cream cheese until fluffy in large bowl. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour over brownie in pan.

TIP: To prevent the chocolate chips from falling to the bottom of the cream cheese filling, toss chips in flour to coat.

Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Bake 50 minutes or until set. Cool. Chill thoroughly. Remove side of springform pan. Top with chocolate ganache and serve with raspberry sauce. Yield: 12 to 16 servings.

For the Ganache
6 ounces Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Heat chocolate and cream in a glass bowl over a pot of simmering, but not boiling water until smooth Add butter and vanilla, cool slightly, 10-15 minutes, whipping with a hand whisk to keep smooth. Spread on top of chilled cheesecake and continue chilling. Note: do not let ganache cool for too long or it will be too thick. Be sure cheesecake has chilled before adding the ganache.

Raspberry Sauce- makes 2 cups

Ingredients
1 half-pint package fresh raspberries
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 cup (12 ounces) seedless raspberry jam

Directions
Place the package of raspberries, the granulated sugar, and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries into a strainer over a bowl or measuring cup and strain out the seeds, Pour the strained juice and jam into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or a blender and process until smooth. Chill.

Turtle Thumbprints

Posted by Brenda K. Agresta in Cookies and tagged with , , , ,

Turtle Thumbprints

This is a fabulously rich, chocolate brownie cookie, rolled in pecans, filled with caramel and drizzled with chocolate.  Now if that doesn’t peak your interest, I don’t know what will.  Chewy, gooey, crunchy and oh my goodness,  so delicious.

Turtle Thumbprints

(adapted from Tastes Better from Scratch, The Kitchen is my Playground, America’s Test Kitchen)

Cookie ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

2/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (two sticks) butter

1 and 1/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs, separated

4 tablespoons milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups pecans, finely chopped

Caramel Filling:

1 bag Kraft Caramel bits

1 teaspoon water

Drizzle:

3/4 cup chocolate chips plus 1 teaspoon shortening

Directions:

Sift flour, cocoa and salt into a large bowl; set aside. Using a heavy duty mixer, cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks one at a time; mix in milk and vanilla.  Slowly add flour/cocoa in four parts, mixing just until combined. Chill at least one hour in an airtight container. Dough can be made in advance and chilled for several days. You will need to bring it back to room temperature so that it is soft enough to work with.

Prepare baking pans. Line with silpat or parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Roll the dough into small balls, whatever size you prefer. I used a cookie scoop 1 and 1/2 inch wide and 1 inch deep, which made 38 cookies.

In a small bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy. Add chopped pecans to a shallow bowl. Roll dough balls in egg whites, then roll in chopped pecans, pressing nuts into dough. Use your thumb or a small spoon (a 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon works well) to make a small well in the center of each cookie ball. Refrigerate cookies on cookie sheet for 10 minutes then bake for 12 minutes, just until set. Remove from oven and re-press center. Cookies will appear under cooked, but will firm up when cooled. Do not over bake. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to wire rack to finish cooling.

In microwave safe bowl or measuring cup, microwave caramel bits and water in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. (I separated into 2 batches) Carefully fill center of cookie with caramel. When caramel has set, drizzle with chocolate.

For chocolate drizzle, microwave chips and shortening in thirty second intervals until melted. Stir until smooth. Use a decorating squeeze bottle or fill a plastic sandwich bag and snip the corner, squeezing to drizzle chocolate over cookies.  Let chocolate set before storing in an airtight container.

Turtle cookies 3