Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Crust:
190g / 1 1/2 cups graham crackers crumbs
95g / 7 tbsp butter, melted

Cookie Dough:
113g / 8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
100g / 1/2 cup soft light brown sugar
50g / 1/4 cup white sugar 
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
125g / 1 cup flour
2 tbsp milk
90g / 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Cheesecake: 
750g / 26 oz cream cheese, room temperature
150g / 3/4 cup white sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla

1) To make the crust, mix together graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into a 8 or 9 inch springform pan and bake in a 160C / 325F preheated oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Do not turn off the oven.

2) Make the cookie dough: In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugars, salt and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Add milk, mix until incorporated. Finally, stir in the flour and mix just until combined. Add chocolate chips. Place the cookie dough in the fridge while you prepare the filling. (You could also make this ahead of time and leave in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.) When the cookie dough is firm enough, remove from the fridge and form little balls. Set aside.

3) To make the filling, beat together cream cheese, white sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth.

4) Pour the filling over the graham cracker crust and arrange cookie dough pieces on the top of the surface, slightly pressing them down. Bake for 45 minutes or until firm to the touch. Let cool completely before serving, preferably overnight.

Recipe by collecting memories

Milk Chocolate Cheesecake

Cheesecake is definitely my favorite dessert. I know, I say that all the time, about every dessert I make, but really, cheesecake is my favorite among all the favorite desserts. 
But, to be honest, I prefer vanilla, caramel, coconut, lemon or any other flavor cheesecake to the chocolate one. I love chocolate, but I'd better make a vanilla cheesecake with a chocolate ganache or a chocolate crust and omit chocolate in the cream cheese filling. Maybe that's why I topped this cheesecake with a thick layer of vanilla whipped cream.
Anyway, this cheesecake came out perfectly creamy, smooth and delicious. For chocolate lovers, it's divine. I used half milk chocolate, half semisweet chocolate (I prefer milk chocolate) so you can definitely use all semisweet chocolate if you want. Just don't skip the whipped cream topping. It pairs perfectly with a rich, chocolatey cake and melts in your mouth.

Milk Chocolate Cheesecake

Crust:
200g vanilla biscuits, ground (You can use graham crackers)
2-3 tsp (14-21g) unsweetened cocoa powder
80g melted butter

Filling:
500g (2 8oz. blocks) cream cheese, room temperature
230g (1 cup) sour cream, room temperature
150g (3/4 cup) white sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
12g cornstarch
3 eggs, lightly beaten
100g (3,5oz) milk chocolate
100g (3,5oz) semisweet chocolate

Topping:
400g heavy whipping cream, cold
2-3 tbsp powdered sugar

1) Mix together biscuits, cocoa powder and butter. Press into the bottom of a 23cm (9 inch) baking dish with a removable bottom. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

2) Preheat oven to 180C (350F).

3) Fill a large pot with water and bring to boil. Place a metal bowl on top of it and add chopped chocolate to the bowl. Make sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the boiling water. Cover the bowl with a lid and let the steam melt the chocolate. Stir occasionally. (You can melt it in the microwave or use any other method.) Once the chocolate has melted, let it cool slightly.

4) In a large mixing bowl, add cream cheese, sour cream and sugar. Mix until well combined. Add vanilla extract and cornstarch. Finally, add eggs and mix until smooth. Gradually add the melted and cooled chocolate, whisking constantly.

5) Pour the filling onto the crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 120C and continue to bake for another 45-60 minutes.

6) Remove from the oven and let cool completely, then refrigerate overnight.

7) For the topping, beat heavy cream with powdered sugar until stiff. Spread over the cheesecake. Refrigerate for another hour. Slice and enjoy!

Recipe by collecting memories

Coconut Cheesecake

Enough of pumpkin, it's time for coconut! Okay, I have nothing against pumpkin, but it's time to include other ingredients in my meals. Seriously. I've been eating pumpkin almost everyday. 
I haven't made cheesecake for a long time and when I saw a lonely can of cream of coconut in my counter, I realized that it's time to bake a coconut cheesecake. And I wasn't wrong. It was a perfect time. In fact, it's always a perfect time for a cheesecake. 
And the result? Absolutely perfect. Creamy, smooth, not too sweet, light and without a single crack on top. But the best part... was the frosting. It was TO DIE FOR. Really, it was the most delicious coconut frosting ever. You must try this cheesecake. And you MUST try this coconut frosting. That's all you need.

Coconut Cheesecake

Crust:
150g (~1 1/2 cup) graham cracker crumbs (any other cookies work as well)
60g (2oz) butter, melted

Filling:
1 kg (4 8oz packages) cream cheese
200g (1/2 can) coconut cream (unsweetened)
225g (1 cup) sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
15g (1 tbsp) cornstarch

Frosting:
200g (1/2 can) coconut cream (unsweetened)
60g (2oz) powdered sugar

1) Mix together graham cracker crumbs with butter and press into the bottom of a springform pan. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

2) In a bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar. Add coconut cream, eggs, vanilla extract and cornstarch. Mix just until smooth.

3) Pour onto the crust and bake in a 180C / 350F preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 120C / 250F and bake for another 60-90 minutes. 

4) Let cool completely, preferably overnight. 

5) For the frosting, beat together coconut cream and powdered sugar until creamy. Spread over the cooled cake. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Slice and enjoy!

Recipe by collecting memories

Chocolate Layer Cake with White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting and Strawberry Jam

This cake is one of the best I have EVER made. The layers were very, very, very rich and fudgy and moist, the white chocolate cream cheese frosting was amazing, and finally, the layer of homemade strawberry jam made it divine. It was a little bit sour which matched perfectly with the sweetness of the cake and the frosting. The next day, after setting in the fridge, it was even better. To be honest, the longer it stayed in the fridge, the better it was.


Chocolate Cake

250g/2 cups all-purpose flour
400g/2 cups sugar 
85g/¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder 
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
240ml/1 cup milk (or buttermilk)
120ml/½ cup oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
240ml/1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee

1) Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Butter two 23cm/8inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper or butter and flour the pans.

2) Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt together and mix until combined. 

3) In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Add coffee and stir just to combine. 

4) Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes, turn them out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Slice each cake in half. 

Cream Cheese Frosting

300g cream cheese
100g  powdered sugar 
200ml heavy cream, divided 
200g white chocolate, broken into small pieces

1) In a bowl, beat cream cheese until softened. 

2) In a heavy bottom saucepan, heat 100ml of heavy cream until very hot and pour onto white chocolate. Leave for 2 minutes and then stir to combine. When slightly cooled, fold into the cream cheese and mix until smooth.

3) In a medium bowl with a mixer on medium speed, beat remaining 100ml of heavy cream with powdered sugar until stiff. Gradually fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. (I was very impatient and chilled it just for a half an hour. Don't repeat my mistake!)

Strawberry Jam

230g/2 cups frozen strawberries
50g sugar 
8g/1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 30g of cold water

In a small saucepan over low heat, place strawberries and sugar. Cover and simmer until strawberries start releasing liquid. Mash them with a fork and keep simmering until the sugar has melted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch and simmer for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat, cool and refrigerate for an hour. 

Assembly

Place one cake layer on a large plate. Spread 1/3 of cream cheese mixture, cover with another cake layer. Spread the strawberry jam and cover with another cake layer. Spread 1/2 of remaining cream cheese mixture and place the last cake layer on top. Cover with remaining cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight.

Recipe by collecting memories

New York Style Cheesecake

Recipe adapted from here.

Crust:
I omitted graham cracker crust and simply made this.

Filling:

1kg cream cheese, room temperature

200g sugar

35g all purpose flour

5 large eggs, room temperature

80ml heavy whipping cream

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C with rack in center of oven.

For the crust:
1) Make the crust according to the directions.

For the filling:
1) With a mixer on low speed, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and flour. Beat until smooth (about 2 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (about 30 seconds) after each addition. Add the whipping cream, lemon zest, vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. 

2) Remove the crust from the refrigerator and pour in the filling. Place the cheesecake pan on a larger baking pan and place in the oven.

3) Bake for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 120 degrees C and continue to bake for about another 60 - 90 minutes or until firm and only the center of the cheesecake looks a little wet and wobbly. (I baked my cheesecake for 60 minutes). Remove from oven and place on a wire rack.

4) Let cool completely and refrigerate overnight.

Cream Cheese Bars

These cream cheese bars are absolutely amazing, however, there's one thing I'd change. Next time I would definitely use milk chocolate for topping. Actually  I hated the bitterness of the chocolate so I simply took it out and ate it without chocolate. I made some modifications in the original recipe: I reduced the amount of sugar and it was sweet enough for me so I recommend reducing sugar for you as well. And I omitted nuts. I just didn't have any but actually I didn't even miss them. I think these bars are better creamy without any crunchiness.

Sorry about the photos. I've no idea why the color of these bars looks so strange. Well, I'm not a professional photographer. It was a dark and foggy day.

Cream Cheese Bars

1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons flour (divided use)
1 cup sugar (I used 180g)
2/3 cup butter, softened
225g (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
¾ cup sugar (I used 100g)
2 eggs
340g (12 ounces)  semisweet chocolate chips* (divided use)
½ to ¾ cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted (I omitted)

*I used less chocolate and I didn't add any inside the bars, I used it only for topping. And as I've mentioned before I prefer milk chocolate.


Preheat oven to 180C (350 F) degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1½ cups flour, sugar, and butter. Beat at medium speed about 2 minutes or until crumbly and well blended.  Press mixture into an ungreased pan.  Bake for 12 minutes; remove from oven.

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and eggs at medium speed until smooth, approximately 2 minutes. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips.  

Pour the cream cheese mixture over the partially baked crust.  Bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until topping is almost set.  

Remove from oven. Immediately sprinkle the remaining cup of chocolate chips over top.  Return to oven for 1 minute to melt chips.  

Remove from oven. Gently spread melted chips over top.  Sprinkle with nuts, lightly pressing them into the chocolate.  

Refrigerate 1 hour.  Cut into bars.  Store in the refrigerator.