Triple the Irish, Triple the Fun: St. Patty's Day Cheesecake Bites

If you've been reading food blogs for more than a year or so, you've probably seen some iteration of a cupcake incorporating Irish stout, Irish cream, and Irish whiskey (commonly known as the Irish Car Bomb Cupcake, after the popular cocktail). They were all the rage a few years ago when introduced by Smitten Kitchen. I've made them a couple of times, and they really are quite tasty. I mean, it's hard to go wrong with chocolate cake and Irish cream frosting, right?

This year I thought I would try out a new adults-only treat for St. Patty's Day, using the same flavor components of Smitten Kitchen's cupcakes. Since cheesecake is the medium I feel most comfortable working with, that seemed like a good place to start. After a bit of deliberation, I settled on a chocolate stout brownie topped with Irish cream cheesecake and finished off with a dark chocolate Irish whiskey glaze.

These turned out great. You can definitely detect the alcohol in the cheesecake and whiskey glaze, so they aren't a great choice for children or those that don't like the taste of alcohol. For everyone else, these are pretty amazing. They're perfect for  St. Patty's Day. Or any day, really.

Triple Irish Cheesecake Bites (aka Irish Car Bomb Cheesecake Bites)
Yield: 24 mini cheesecakes or 1 6-inch cheesecake

Irish Stout Brownies - adapted from: We're Not Martha
1/2 Cup Irish Stout
2.5 ounces bittersweet chocolate
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini cheesecake pan with non-stick spray. Alternatively, you can line a mini muffin tin with papers.
2. Melt chocolate and butter together in either a double boiler or in 30 second intervals in the microwave on medium heat, stirring after each interval. Continue to stir until completely melted.
3.  Allow chocolate to cool slightly, then whisk in brown sugar until very smooth. Add egg and beat until very smooth. Once eggs are incorporated, stir in Irish Stout.
4. Sift together flour and cocoa powder, then fold dry ingredient into chocolate mixture until incorporated without over mixing.
5. Fill each well 1/3 full with brownie batter. Bake in the pre-heated oven until just set, approximately 12-15 minutes.
6. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

Irish Cream Cheesecake
1 lb (2-8 ounce packages) cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 Irish cream (Bailey's is most popular; I really like Coole Swan brand)
3 eggs

1. Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Cut cream cheese into 1-inch chunks and beat at low speed in the bowl of a stand mixer until very smooth, approximately 1-2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl and beater blade.


2. With your mixer still on low, add sugar to cream cheese.
 Beat at low speed for 1 minute. Scrape down beater blade and bowl. Add Irish cream and beat until well incorporated.

4. With mixer on low, add eggs. After eggs have been added, thoroughly scrape down sides of bowl and beater blade, and mix on low for 1 minute. 

5. Pour batter over crust, filling to within a 1/2 inch of the top of each well. Bake at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.

Irish Whiskey Chocolate Glaze

3 ounces bittersweet chocolate

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

Melt chocolate and heavy cream together in either a double boiler or in 30 second intervals in the microwave on medium heat, stirring after each interval. Once chocolate is melted, whisk in Irish whiskey. Allow glaze to cool and thicken slightly before drizzling over cheesecakes.

Linked to: Trick or Treat Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Tea Party Tuesday, Midweek Fiesta, Mrs. Fox's Sweet Party, Made Famous By, Junk in their Trunk, Sweet Treats Thursday, Tastetastic Thursday, Sweet Temptations, It's a Keeper Thursday, Foodie Friday, Fusion Friday, Flaunt it Friday, Sweet Tooth Friday, Hodgepodge Friday, What I Whipped Up, Tastetastic Thursday, Sweet Temptations

Whole Wheat Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Pancakes

I was never overly crazy about pancakes when I was growing up. I would eat them on occasion, but they certainly weren't at the top of my list of favorite breakfast foods. I attribute that mainly to growing up in a house that used "pancake" syrup. I was not a fan of "pancake" syrup at all, so I usually ate pancakes and waffles topped with some sort of jam or jelly.

My change in opinion came on the day that I discovered real maple syrup. I suddenly understood what all the fuss over pancakes was about. I was still a boxed mix kind of girl until one day a few years ago I was craving pancakes, and much to my dismay I discovered I was all out of pancake mix. Fortunately I was armed with a well stocked pantry and the power of the internet. One quick Google search later, and we were in business.

That first recipe that I tried was for basic buttermilk pancakes. They were very tasty, but quite lacking in the nutrition department. While you may not guess it from looking at the desserts that I typically post, I actually try to make healthy choices 90% of the time. At first, I tried making pancakes with all regular whole wheat flour. I liked the results just fine, but David gave them a big thumbs down.

Enter white whole wheat flour: all the nutritional benefits of whole wheat flour with a lighter color and texture. It's truly the best of both worlds. Then I subbed the buttermilk for half plain yogurt-half milk, since I'm more likely to have those ingredients on hand. For this batch, I added the juice and zest of a lemon and fresh blueberries. I thought they turned out great, especially with the addition of a healthy dose of maple syrup. David wholeheartedly agreed. So, if you're looking for a pancake recipe that's nutritionally sound and will please even the picky eaters in your house, try these out.

Whole Wheat Blueberry Lemon Yogurt Pancakes
adapted from allrecipes.com
Yield: two generous servings

1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I usually use greek yogurt; use less milk if using regular yogurt)
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon melted butter
zest and juice of one lemon
1 pint fresh blueberries

1. Whisk all dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. I like to use a glass measuring cup with a spout for ease of pouring.
2. Mix yogurt and milk together in a medium bowl until fairly smooth. Add egg, vanilla extract, melted butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat until well combined.
3. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Do not over mix or pancakes may be tough. Batter will likely look a little lumpy. Set mixture aside to rest for 15 minutes.
4. Spray a griddle or frying pan with non-stick spray or rub with oil and heat on medium high. When a drop of water sizzles on the surface of the pan, it is hot enough.
5. Pour rounds of batter of desired size onto the heated griddle. Immediately drop blueberries evenly over the surface of the pancakes. Allow pancakes to cook until golden brown on both sides, flipping only once. Spray or re-oil griddle after cooking each batch. Top as desired. Any leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days or can be frozen for up to a month.

Linked to: Ingredient Spotlight, Full Plate Thursday, Strut Your Stuff Thursday, It's a Keeper Thursday, Chic and Crafty, Sweet Treats Thursday, Feature Yourself Friday, Foodie Friday, Sweet Tooth Fridays, Comfy in the Kitchen, Hodgepodge Friday, Shine on Friday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Trick or Treat Tuesday

Mini Twix Cheesecake Bites

Ok, so these don't actually contain any Twix® candy bars, but "milk chocolate glazed mini dulce de leche cheesecakes on a shortbread cookie crust" is a bit of a mouthful. So, for now we'll just call them Twix® cheesecake bites, since they have all of the same flavor components. If someone has a better suggestion, I'm all ears.

I made these for a friend's Superbowl party a couple of weeks ago. When the Evite showed up in my mailbox, I immediately asked what I could bring. I believe the response was something along the lines of "Dessert ;)", with another friend quickly commenting "well, duh." It seems I have a bit of a reputation among my friends as the designated dessert maker.

These little beauties came together very quickly, especially since I already had a half a batch of leftover shortbread cookie dough hanging out in my freezer. The cheesecake base is quite possibly the easiest cheesecake I've ever made: it's just three ingredients. And the milk chocolate ganache really pushes them over the edge. I'm sure dark or semi-sweet would be just as good, but I wanted to stick with the Twix® theme. If you're a fan of Twix® bars, you're sure to love these.

Milk Chocolate Glazed Dulce de Leche Cheesecakes on a Shortbread Cookie Crust (aka Twix® Cheesecake Bites)
Yield - 18 if using a mini-cheesecake pan, approximately 30 if using a mini-muffin tin
Source: crust adapted from allrecipes.com; cheesecake adapted from recipe on Nestle Dulce de Leche label

1/2 recipe of All-Butter Shortbread dough (feel free to use your favorite shortbread recipe)
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 13.4 oz can dulce de leche
2 eggs
6 ounces milk chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini cheesecake pan with non-stick spray. Alternatively, you can line a mini muffin tin with papers.
2. Press about one rounded teaspoon of shortbread dough into each well of your prepared pan. The dough should completely cover the bottom.
3. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes, until cookies just start to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
4. While the crusts are cooling, beat together cream cheese and dulce de leche on medium-low until very smooth. Thoroughly scrape bowl and beater blade. Add eggs one at a time, again beating on medium-low until smooth.
5. Pour batter over crust, filling to within an inch of the top of each well. Bake at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
6. Combine chocolate and whipping cream in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on medium-low heat in 20 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. DO NOT ALLOW MIXTURE TO BOIL.
7. Dip the top half of each cheesecake into the melted chocolate. Return to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to allow the chocolate to set. 

Linked to: Comfy in the Kitchen, Foodie Friday, Fusion Fridays, Flaunt if Friday, Sweet Tooth Friday, Hodgepodge Friday, Sweets for a Saturday, Market Yourself Monday, Just Something I Whipped Up, Melt In Your Mouth Monday, Make it Cute, Creative Me, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tea Party Tuesday, Trick or Treat Tuesday, Midweek Fiesta, Show and Tell Wednesday, Will Craft For...

How to: Embossed Fondant Covered Valentine's Cookies

Still trying to decide what to make for your sweetie for Valentine's Day? How about a batch of beautifully decorated cookies. Maybe you're saying, "but I'm no good at decorating cookies." No problemo. These cookies are almost foolproof. They do require a few special tools, but if you can play with Play-Doh, you can make impressive looking cookies. As a bonus, the process is quick, and unlike cookies decorated with royal icing, they don't have to dry. Here's a brief tutorial on the process I used to make the cookies pictured here, using this recipe for chocolate chip cut-out cookies from The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle.

You will need:
Your favorite recipe for cut-out cookies, cut out in the shape(s) you desire, baked and cooled completely
Cookie cutters of desired shape(s)
Rolled fondant of desired color(s) - You can make your own if you like; I prefer Satin Ice
1 tablespoon corn syrup thinned with 1 tablespoon water
Impression mat(s) - I used a couple from my favorite local cake supply store (Sweet Wise), but you can find them at most craft supply stores
Luster Dust or Pearl Dust
2 food safe craft brushes (at least one should be soft bristled)

1. Roll fondant out fairly thin (about 1/16 inch) on a surface dusted with powdered sugar or cornstarch. I recommend working with small amounts of fondant at a time, as it dries out quickly on the counter. Alternatively, you can roll out fondant using The Mat, which is awesome to have in your decorating toolkit if you do very much work with fondant.
2. Using cookie cutter of desired shape, cut out fondant.
3. Using one of your craft brushes, apply a very thin layer of corn syrup/water solution on the surface of a cookie of the same shape.
4. Gently lift the fondant cut-out off the counter and lightly press onto the prepared cookie. Take care to not get any corn syrup on the side of the fondant that will face up. This will make your impression mat stick to the fondant, and will cause a mess.
5. Using the soft-bristled craft brush, lightly brush a coat of Luster or Pearl Dust over the fondant. This will not only make the design on your cookies stand out better, but it will also help ensure that the impression mat doesn't stick to the fondant.
6. Place an impression mat over the Luster Dust covered fondant. Gently and evenly press down over the surface of the cookie. Take particular care for cookies that are fragile, such as the "X" pictured. I broke a couple of them during this step. Carefully lift off the impression mat. If desired, apply another thin layer of Luster Dust.
7. Repeat with remaining cookies. That's it. You're finished.

Linked to: Creative Me, Make it Cute Monday, Just Something I Whipped Up, Comfy in the Kitchen, Tip Me Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Trick or Treat Tuesday, Too Cute Tuesday

Chewy Coconut Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies (gluten-free, dairy-free)

These cookies are pretty amazing, on a few levels. First and foremost, they taste like eating an Almond Joy candy bar in chewy cookie form. Sounds pretty good, right? You know what's even better? They're not that bad for you. In fact, for cookies, these are basically health food: they contain no flour, no butter, and no processed sugar. On top of that, they are so easy to make. They come together in under five minutes flat. And you won't even have to turn on your mixer or dirty up a sink full of dishes.

I promise you would never guess that these are "healthy" cookies. They are intensely chocolatey, pleasantly chewy, and just sweet enough. They even passed the "David test", and that is saying a lot. Have I convinced you to make them yet? Well, what are you waiting for?

Chewy Coconut Double Chocolate Almond Butter Cookies
adapted from Clean Eating Magazine

1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sucanat (can substitute light brown sugar)
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate almond butter (I used Justin's, but I'm sure others would work, or you could probably make your own)
1/2 cup shredded coconut
3 ounces dark chocolate, roughly chopped

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together egg and vanilla until foamy. Add sugar, salt and baking soda, whisking until light and fluffy. Whisk in almond butter (this may take a little time, since the batter gets pretty thick). Stir in coconut and chocolate.
3. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared  baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges are set. Allow to cool on baking sheet for at least 5 minutes, then cool completely on a cooling rack. Yields approximately 15-18 cookies.

Linked to: Tempt My Tummy, Tea Party Tuesday, Trick or Treat Tuesdays, Tasty Tuesdays, Gluten Free Wednesday, Mrs Fox's Sweet Party, Midweek Fiesta, Sweet Treats Thursday, Famous Linkz, Tastetastic Thursday, Sweet Temptations, One Stop Shoppe, Comfy in the Kitchen, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

Mini Nutella-Frangelico Cheesecake Bites

As I'm sure most of you know, Sunday is a big day. A day that many of us have been anxiously awaiting since last year. No, I'm not talking about the Super Bowl. This is much bigger and more important than some football game. I'm talking about World Nutella Day. The one day of the year dedicated to celebrating that wonderful chocolate-hazelnut concoction that so many around the globe love.

So, how will you be celebrating this year? Perhaps you'll start the day off with Nutella waffles? How about a Nutella latte as an afternoon pick-me-up? Or maybe you're the type to just eat it straight out of the jar, on a spoon (or your fingers). Not that I would ever do such a thing. Of course not. I am a sophisticated Southern lady, after all. (Alright, those that know me can stop laughing now).

We at the Sweet Natured Treats household will celebrate World Nutella Day as we celebrate most special occasions: with cheesecake. Mini Nutella-Frangelico Cheesecake Bites, actually. These tiny bites of cheesecake heaven combine a chocolate wafer crust made with a touch of Frangelico (hazelnut liquer), swirled Frangelico and Nutella cheesecake, and a dollop of Frangelico infused ganache. They're everything a Nutella lover could want. If you're feeling generous, you could even share them with friends at a Super Bowl party. Or keep them all for yourself. Totally up to you.

Mini Nutella-Frangelico Cheesecake Bites
Yield: 8 mini cheesecakes (12 if using a mini-muffin tin)
source: an Angie original

Crust
3 ounces chocolate wafer cookies (I used these; Oreos with the centers removed will work fine)
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 tablespoon Frangelico (or other hazelnut liquer)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini cheesecake pan with non-stick spray. Alternatively, you can line a mini muffin tin with papers.
2. Finely crush the cookies. Combine with the melted butter and Frangelico. Stir to thoroughly combine. If using a mini cheesecake pan, firmly press the mixture into eight of the wells; fill twelve wells if using a mini muffin tin.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes, keeping a close watch to ensure crust does not burn. Remove from oven and allow to thoroughly cool.

Cheesecake Filling
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon Frangelico (or other hazelnut liquer)
2 tablespoons Nutella

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium-low for one minute. Add sugar and beat on low until smooth. Scrape sides of bowl and beater blade. Add egg and continue beating until combined. Scrape sides of bowl again, add Frangelico, and beat until incorporated.
2. Transfer approximately half of filling to another small bowl. Stir the Nutella into half of the filling. Drop spoonfuls of each batter over the prepared crust, and lightly swirl.
3. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.

Frangelico Ganache
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon butter, unsalted, room temperature
1 tablespoon Frangelico

1. Combine chocolate and whipping cream in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on medium-low heat in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. DO NOT ALLOW MIXTURE TO BOIL. Allow chocolate to cool slightly, and them whisk in butter and Frangelico until incorporated.
2. Allow mixture to thicken to piping consistency. This may take several minutes. You may wish to place the ganache in the refrigerator or freezer to speed cooling, but be sure to whisk the mixture and check consistency at least every 10 minutes.
3. Transfer thickened ganache into a piping bag fitted with either a large open or closed star tip, depending on the pattern that you desire. Pipe ganache on top of cakes in desired pattern.

Linked to: Foodie Friday, Comfy in the Kitchen, Fusion Fridays, Flaunt it Friday, Sweet Tooth Friday, It's a Hodgepodge Friday, Shine On Fridays, Sweets for a Saturday, Mouth Watering Monday, Market Yourself Monday, Just Something I Whipped Up, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Making the World Cuter, Creative Me Monday, Show Me How, Tempt My Tummy, Tea Party Tuesday, Trick or Treat Tuesday, Tasty Tuesdays, Mrs Fox's Sweet Party, Midweek Fiesta, Sweet Treats Thursday, Famous Linkz, Tastetastic Thursday, Sweet Temptations, One Stop Shoppe, Kitchen Fun and Crafty Friday, Ingredient Spotlight