Cappuccino Cheesecake

Human nature is such a funny thing. Why is it that when we know we can't have something, we want it that much more?

When I found out I was pregnant, I gave up coffee. Yes, I know it's considered safe to have one cup a day, but that's like telling an alcoholic to just have one drink--this would have to be an all or nothing approach. The withdrawals weren't too bad because I'd been slowly weening myself off the strong stuff in hopeful anticipation of that little pink plus sign, and for the first few months, I didn't miss it much at all.

Once morning sickness subsided and hunger was renewed, however, I began experiencing severe coffee envy every Sunday when my husband's fragrant mug wafted tantalizing aromas from the cup-holder next to mine on the way to church. Such a bummer.

I'd been craving cheesecake like crazy, too. Now cheesecake, as long as it's been cooked through and is fairly fresh, is not so much a pregnancy no-no. But I am lactose intolerant, and while not as bad as downing a glass of milk on an empty stomach, cheesecake has been known to make my tummy rumble both before and after consumption. Double bummer.

After a few weeks of experimenting with goat-cheese cheesecakes and ordering decaf soy lattes (both totally delicious but not entirely craving-curbing), I finally decided I had to risk a little tummy trouble and give in.

A cappuccino-inspired cheesecake was the answer to both callings, and it did not disappoint. With less than one serving of coffee spread among eight servings of cheesecake, I get all the flavor and none of the worry. And as for my lactose issues, well, that's my incentive not to eat all eight servings at once.

Cappuccino Cheesecake
8 oz plain chocolate sandwich cookies (I used Newman's Own, but homemade would be excellent as well)
2 T butter, melted
10 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature for at least 30 minutes
1/2 cup freshly brewed, dark-roast coffee or espresso
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
whipped cream, cocoa powder, and ground cinnamon for garnish

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Very lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 6-inch springform pan, and wrap the pan in a double layer of aluminum foil so that the foil comes up just under the outside rim of the pan, not extending to the inside.

Place the chocolate sandwich cookies in a food processor and process into fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and process or pulse to combine, making sure to scrape around the bottom at least once for even mixing. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan. Set aside.

Beat the softened cream cheese until completely smooth, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary to ensure even beating. With the mixer on med-low speed, VERY GRADUALLY stream in the warm coffee, pausing to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl about halfway through. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and beat until there are no visible lumps. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, just until completely incorporated.

Pour the cream cheese mixture into the prepared crust and place the springform pan inside a tall-sided roasting pan. Very carefully add enough water to the roasting pan so that it comes about halfway up the sides of the springform pan--be sure not to splash any water into the cheesecake.

Bake for 55 minutes at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow the cheesecake to remain inside the turned-off oven as it cools (at least one hour, up to two).

Very carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and lift the springform pan out onto a dry kitchen towel. Gently unwrap and discard the foil. Place a dry paper towel over the top of the pan (not touching the surface of the cheesecake) and cover with a clean sheet of foil. Place in the fridge to chill until serving, at least one hour, up to five days.

To garnish, dollop or pipe little stars of freshly whipped cream (sweetened to taste with powdered sugar and vanilla) over the top of the cheesecake. Place about 1/4 tsp cocoa powder and a dash of ground cinnamon in a fine mesh sieve and gently dust over the whipped cream.

Serves approximately 8.

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.

Savannah Smiles Pudding

It's that time of the year again--Girl Scout Cookie Season!

So in honor of those intrepid Girl Scouts, pushing wagons of cookies up and down our streets and bravely knocking on our doors, hoping we'll shell out four dollars a box, here's a little recipe inspiration featuring one of this year's tasty new flavors.

If you have fond memories of Lemon Coolers (a long-ago-retired cookie originally produced by Sunshine Biscuits), the Girl Scouts' crunchy, lemony, powdered-sugar-coated Savannah Smiles will be a pleasantly familiar indulgence.

You could easily adapt this recipe to work with any variety of Girl Scout cookie, but I just love the creamy-tart combination of lemon, cream cheese, and vanilla bean. Hoosband is generally in the "lemon is not for desserts" camp, but even he was pleasantly surprised with the results.

Finally, please don't judge this recipe by the photos. I made this dessert to take to dinner with friends and didn't have the opportunity to snap any glamour shots. But there wasn't any left at the end of the night, so that's a good sign, right?

Savannah Smiles Pudding
If you do not have a food processor, the cookies can be placed in a gallon-sized zip-top bag and crushed with a cast-iron skillet or rolling pin, and the cream-cheese mixture can be beaten with an electric mixer, or even a very sturdy whisk, as long as the cream cheese has been fully softened.

1 box Savannah Smiles Girl Scout Cookies
8 oz cream cheese (reduced fat is fine), softened for at least 30 minutes at room temperature (longer if not using a food processor)
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, divided
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean

Place the cookies in a food processor and pulse until the largest pieces are about the size of a pea.

Transfer the cookies to another container and set aside.

Wipe out the bowl of the food processor, and add the cream cheese, 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, sugar, and the seeds from the vanilla bean (split the bean lengthwise with a paring knife, and use the dull edge of the knife to scrape out the tiny seeds). Process until completely smooth, pausing to scrape down the bowl if necessary.

In a large bowl, use an electric mixer or a wire whisk to whip the remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream until very fluffy and capable of holding a soft peak when the beater or whisk is lifted out.

Add the cream cheese mixture to the whipped cream, and use a spatula to gently blend until smooth.

Evenly distribute 1/3 of the cookie crumbs within the bottom of a Pyrex loaf pan.

Top with half of the cream-cheese mixture.

Repeat with another 1/3 of the cookie mixture and the remaining half of the cream-cheese mixture. Finish with remaining crumbs. Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours, or up to 24 hours before serving.

Serves approximately 8.

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.

Mini No-Bake Irish-Cream Cheesecakes

The Setting: The end of a slow and lazy Sunday in the wintry Midwest.

The Soundtrack: King of the Hill.

On the Stovetop: Kale frittata.

The Scenario: Recalling the perfect ending to an Irish meal...or any meal, really.

My first meal in Ireland (September 2010) set the tone for an unforgettable culinary adventure: loads of brown bread and butter to start, creamy roasted vegetable soup and deliciously flaky salmon in the middle, and a lovely, individual Irish-cream cheesecake to end on.

The cheesecake was light and creamy with a subtle hint of coffee and a crumbly chocolate-chip cookie crust. I knew right away I wanted to re-create it at home, but I was afraid I wouldn't do it justice.

The cheesecake's mousse-like texture and lack of skin on top suggested it was of the no-bake, gelatin-set variety. I had never attempted this kind of cheesecake, but I had worked with gelatin in culinary school and hoped I could figure it out.

The basic rules to working with powdered gelatin are these:

1. Let the gelatin absorb a small amount of liquid for about five minutes. This is called blooming because the gelatin gets all puffy and swollen.

2. Melt the gelatin so that it can be incorporated into the remaining ingredients.

3. Mix the gelatin into the remaining ingredients while it's still warm and fluid. This is a critical stage. If the gelatin starts to solidify before it's fully incorporated into the base mixture, the cheesecake will have gelatin blobs running throughout, like tiny little gummy snacks--not the worst thing ever, but certainly not the smooth cheesecake texture we're going for.

4. Chill the mixture to let the gelatin set. These mini cheesecakes will set within about one hour, but the texture and flavor will be better after several hours and even better on day two.

Even the crust on these no-bake cheesecakes is un-baked. It's meant to be a little on the crumbly side and only uses 1 T butter to bind the crumbs together. The key is to really compact the moistened crumbs down in the muffin liners to make them stick together. The result is a crust that stays together when you take it out of the liner but crumbles easily under your fork.

The cheesecakes are fine unadorned--I ate several this way because I was feeling lazy and impatient. They will, however, look and taste a little like something's missing.

To dress them up, I tried to make a whipped topping out of coconut cream (the thick, fatty layer from the top of a can of coconut milk) but I couldn't get it to hold soft peaks. I had to add a hefty amount of actual cream to get it to whip up, but the subtle flavor from the coconut cream was nevertheless delightful. Whether you choose to go this route or stick to an all-dairy-cream approach, definitely go for a topping of some sort. For the final touch, I like to use a cheap veggie peeler to lightly grate flecks from a block of semisweet baking chocolate right over the top.

Mini No-Bake Irish Cream Cheesecakes
1 3/4 cups chocolate-chip-cookie crumbs (I used about six Gluten-Free Double Chip Cookies, processed to crumbs in the food processor)
1 T butter, melted
3/4 cup heavy cream, divided
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
8 oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp fine salt
1/2 cup Irish cream liqueur
whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings, for garnish

Combine the cookie crumbs and the melted butter, attempting to moisten the crumbs evenly.

Divide the moistened crumbs evenly among the 12 cups in a standard-sized muffin pan lined with muffin liners.

Use a spoon (or your hands) to press the crumbs very firmly into the bottoms and partially up the sides of the cups. Set aside.

Whisk together the gelatin and 1/4 cup heavy cream in a small, microwave-safe bowl.

Set aside and allow to "bloom" for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and salt on med-high speed till smooth and creamy. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the Irish cream and remaining heavy cream. Increase the speed to medium and beat till smooth and creamy, 1-2 minutes. scraping down the bowl as necessary.

After the gelatin has bloomed (basically absorbed a good bit of the cream) for 5 minutes, microwave the gelatin mixture for 25 seconds to melt the gelatin. Whisk in the espresso powder.

With the mixer on med-low, slowly pour the melted gelatin mixture into the cream cheese mixture. Increase speed to med-high and beat till fluffy and voluminous, about 2 minutes.

Divide the mixture evenly among the cookie crusts and refrigerate for at least one hour, optimally 6-8, before serving.

To serve, carefully remove the liner from one of the cheesecakes, place on a plate, and top with a dollop of whipped cream and a grating of dark chocolate for some finishing flavor and flair.

Makes 12 mini cheesecakes.

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.

Apple Butter Poptarts with Maple Glaze and Toasted Pecans

The Setting: Casa de mi madre.

The Soundtrack: "Milk! Milk! Up! Up!" and other baby babbles.

Steaming up the Oven: Nothing yet.

The Scenario: It's beginning to look a lot like breakfast.

In the event you're looking for something special to serve up Christmas morning, here's a festive spin on a childhood favorite, sure to please young and old alike.

With a light, flaky, butter crust, a filling made of spiced apple butter, cream cheese, and pecans, and a sweet maple glaze, these homemade poptarts are happy holidays in a pretty, pastry package.

Apple Butter Poptarts
1 recipe Butter Crust dough (using whole-wheat pastry flour, if desired)
1 cup apple butter
2 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup pecan halves
2 tsp cornstarch

~for the maple glaze~
1 T butter
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans, for garnish

Place the apple butter, cream cheese, pecan halves, and cornstarch in a food processor and process till completely smooth. Set aside. The filling can be made up to a week in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge until 30 minutes before use. Excess filling can be added to oatmeal or used as a filling for stuffed French toast.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/8-inch. Use a pizza cutter to trim the dough into a rectangle, using a ruler or tape measure to help divide into even, 2x3-inch rectangles.

Spread a heaping tablespoon of filling over half of the rectangles, leaving a 1/4-inch border.

Place a naked rectangle on top of each filled rectangle.

Use the tines of a fork to crimp and seal the edges.

Poke a few rows of holes in the tops of the tarts with the fork to create a steam release.

Re-roll and repeat with dough scraps.

Carefully transfer the tarts to a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 17 minutes or baked through and just golden around the edges.

Let cool a minute or two on the baking sheet; then carefully transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Tarts may be prepared ahead of time up to this point and frozen for up to one month if desired. Before freezing, wrap very well in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. To defrost, leave out at room temperature, still wrapped, for 3-4 hours or until thawed.

Toast the chopped pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat just until fragrant, being careful not to burn. Set aside.

To prepare the glaze, melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl or Pyrex measuring cup. Whisk in the remaining ingredients until smooth. Use a spoon to spread the glaze over the tarts, sprinkling each tart with the toasted pecans as you go (if you wait until they are all glazed, the pecans won't adhere as well). To reduce mess, you can place the cooling rack over a sheet of aluminum foil or the baking sheet lined with parchment before glazing.

Let the glaze set for a few minutes before trying to stack or layer on a platter.

Store leftovers tightly wrapped at room temperature. Best consumed within two days, with a room full of loved ones and a side of holiday cheer.

Makes about 12 breakfast pastries.

Note: For another festive alternative, make Pumpkin Pecan Poptarts by swapping out the apple butter with 1 cup pumpkin puree, plus 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp 5-spice powder (optional).

Thanks for reading! Here's to Being the Secret Ingredient in your life.