Spooky Cream Cheese Brownies

It is midnight and officially Halloween! I am terribly late with all, or any of my recipes this season but here is a ooey gooey brownie recipe that is sure to make your Halloween even sweeter!

Ingredients:

1 c. sugar
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 c. veggie oil
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream Cheese Layer:

8 oz. whipped cream cheese
1/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Orange food coloring

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking dish with tinfoil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. In a medium size bowl, mix the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder together. Add in the eggs, oil and vanilla until well combined. Reserve 1/2 c. of the brownie batter and spread the remaining batter in the pan.

In another mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla. Stir together until most of the lumps are gone. Add in the food coloring and stir until you reach the color orange that you like. Pour the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownies and spread evenly. Dollop with the remaining brownie batter and swirl with a knife.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until the cream cheese mixture is firm. Let cool fully before cutting into bars. Top with pumpkin sprinkles if you need more decoration.

Carrot Cake Cheesecake

I love carrot cake, and I usually hate (for the most part) cheesecake. The combination of the carrot cake and cheesecake works well together because usually you see cream cheese with carrot muffins, cream cheese frosting on carrot cake, so why not cheesecake with carrot cake? This was a big hit at Easter, and if you don't have a large quantity of people that you are serving, it freezes really well. Many recipes that combine a cheesecake with a cake often frost the entire thing. In my opinion, everything is so sweet already that I don't think frosting the whole thing would add anything that would otherwise feel like it was missing. If you needed to decorate it for a birthday or special occasion, however, it would always look nice with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting on just the top of the cake, and a decoration piped out.

Cheesecake Ingredients:

2 blocks (116 oz.) cream cheese
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. flour
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. sour cream, lite

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch springform pan with baking spray with flour, and set aside. In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, eggs and flour together until smooth. Add in the vanilla and sour cream and stir by hand. Set aside.

Carrot Cake Ingredients:

3/4 c. oil (veggie)
1/3 c. brown sugar
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
2 large carrots, grated

In an electric mixer, mix together the oil and sugars together until smooth. Add in the eggs and vanilla and stir to incorporate. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients until just combined, and add in the grated carrots.

Spread half of the carrot cake batter in the bottom of the prepared pan. Dollop half of the cheesecake batter on top (do not spread!). Dollop the rest of the carrot cake batter on top of the cheesecake batter. Spread the remaining cheesecake batter on top with a spatula to even the top layer out. Pat down the cheesecake to remove all of the air bubbles.

Bake for 70-75 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the middle slightly springs back when you lightly press down. Let cool in the pan before removing the springform edges and serving. 

King Cake Mini Bites

If you love the flavor of King Cakes but don't like working with yeast, like myself, this is the perfect choice. The gooey cheesecake filling and loads of cinnamon and powdered sugar glaze makes these an amazing sweet little bite.

Ingredients:

1/2 pkg (4 oz.) 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
Ground cinnamon
2 (8 oz) cans refrigerated crescent rolls, reduced fat

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon juice together until well mixed. Unroll the crescent roll onto your work surface. Separate the crescent tubes into 8 rectangles. Sprinkle cinnamon on the insides of each crescent rectangle. Spread approximately a tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture down the middle of each rectangle. Bring both sides, lengthwise, of the dough over on top of the cream cheese. Cut each into 8 small pieces and place on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12-14 minutes.

While the king cakes are cooling, combine the glaze ingredients which include 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of milk together. When the cakes are cooled, drizzle the tops of each with the glaze and sprinkle with green, gold and purple edible glitter (or sprinkles). Let the glaze cool fully before stacking or packing.

Skinny Cheesecake Stuffed Pears with a Cranberry Orange Sauce

I love pears cooked in some sort of fruity liquid. They still hold their shape (which is perfect since these are stuffed with cheesecake), yet they become so soft that you can eat them like a pudding!

Ingredients:

3 pears, cut in half and cored
1 cinnamon stick
1 c. 100% cranberry juice
1 c. 100% orange juice
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Cheesecake filling:

1 c. light cream cheese, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 c. dried cranberries (Craisins)
1/2 c. sliced almonds

Place the pears in a very large saucepan. Add the cinnamon stick, juices, and scrape out the vanilla bean seeds and add both the seeds and the stems. Bring the pan to a boil and then reduce the heat. Cover the pan with a lid and let simmer for around 20 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the cream cheese, vanilla and almond extracts until you have a smooth creamy consistency. Stir in the cranberries and almonds.

Spoon the pears very carefully into a tupperware container in a single layer. Cover and refrigerate them until they are fully cool to the touch (at least a half an hour). While they are cooling, boil the liquid mixture until it is reduced to half the amount and is thicker in consistency. Remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean from the liquid mixture.

To serve, fill each cavity of the pears with the cheesecake mixture. If the cheesecake mixture is still too thick, add a few tablespoons of the reduced cooking liquid. Place the pear  on your serving plate and drizzle with the sauce.

Skinny Strawberry Cheesecake

This cheesecake recipe is perfect for Valentines Day that is right around the corner. It is creamy, smooth, and has just a touch of sweetness.

Ingredients:

7 sheets honey graham crackers
1 Tbs. salted butter, melted and cooled
1 egg white, room temperature
2 Tbs. milk, 1 %

Filling:

2 (8 oz.) 1/3 fat cream cheese
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg white, room temperature
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. sugar free strawberry preserves, melted and cooled

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until it forms fine crumbs. Mix in the butter, egg white and milk and stir together until smooth.

Spray a spring-form pan with non stick cooking spray and spread out the crust in an even layer. Bake for 8 minutes.

In an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Add in the cornstarch, egg white and vanilla. Spread the cream cheese on the cooled crust.

Pour the strawberry preserves in a random pattern on top. Use a toothpick and make a zigzag pattern through the preserves. Put into the oven and bake for 30 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool fully before slicing and serving.

Easy Cheesecake Mousse with Fresh Fruit

Sometimes for dessert it is nice to get away from the heavy dense cakes and frosted cupcakes and you just crave something with a silky smooth texture. Many mousse and custards involve tedious steps that you don't want to have to deal with and you just want something that can be thrown together in five minutes. This recipe is perfect for that. It involves three main ingredients, and then can be decorated and topped with whatever else you are craving at the moment.

Ingredients:

8 oz. Cool Whip, Lite
1 pkg. Jell-O Cheesecake Pudding, Sugar and Fat Free
2 c. milk, 1%

Mix the pudding and milk together according to packages until there are no lumps left. Let refrigerate for at least five minutes so that the pudding can set. Add half of the Cool Whip and gently fold in with a spatula. Add the remaining half and continue to gently fold until everything is well incorporated. And there you have it, you are done with the cheesecake mousse!

We had these for dessert at my moms house, and she had some white and milk chocolate dessert cups. I spooned about 1/4 cup of the mousse into each chocolate cup and then topped with raspberries, blueberries and white chocolate crisp pearls!

Savory Cheesecake Skulls

I am not a cheesecake girl. In fact, unless it is packed full of flavor or has a ton of chocolate in it, I usually won't eat more than a tiny sliver. Savory cheesecakes however, that are more of a dip than a dessert, I do like. This recipe was created using random leftover ingredients that I had from my Halloween party. I had many kinds of fresh vegetables left and decided heck with it, put it all in a food processor and see what happens! I also have had this 3D skull pan since last year and needed an excuse to make something, but I am over the sweetness of Halloween and wanted it to be something savory. Best skull Ive had the pleasure of breaking into so far....

Ingredients:

8 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
4 green onions, rough chopped
1 orange pepper, rough chopped
1/2 c. fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves
3 Tbs. liquid egg whites
1 c. shredded reduced fat cheddar cheese
1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Meanwhile, combine the cream cheese, onion, orange pepper, cilantro, garlic, egg white and cheddar cheese in a food processor. Combine on low until everything is mixed together and there are no large pieces left. If necessary you can stop and scrape down the bowl and just pulse a few times if there is anything that gets stuck towards the top. Set aside.

Spray the 3D mini skull pan with non stick cooking spray (you could use jumbo cupcake tins). Gently flour your work surface and lay the puff pastry sheet out. Cut into 6 equal size rectangles. Using a rolling pin, flatten and stretch each piece out until it is quarter of an inch thick or less. Place in a cavity in the pan and very gently try and push down. Place 1/3 cup of the cream cheese mixture inside (as it cooks, it will press the dough down into the more defined holes). Evenly spread out and fold the dough over the top (shown in picture below).

Bake in the oven for 30-33 minutes. The back will open up slightly, but that is not a concern as to they will be face up. Let cool in the pan for five minutes, then place a wire drying rack on top of the pan, and using both hands on either side (with hot pads...) flip them over so that the cheesecakes are facing upright. Remove the pan and let the cheesecakes cool for at least 5 more minutes before serving.

These are great as is, just using a dip spreader to break into pieces. You could also serve this with crackers and use it as a spread. 

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

Mmm red velvet. It is like a hybrid of vanilla and chocolate and happens to be one of my favorites. For some reason I never make red velvet flavored desserts unless it's around Valentines day, which makes no sense because other than the fact that it is died red, it isn't holiday specific. This recipe is a red velvet bar made with a box cake mix, and a small layer of cheesecake with mini chocolate chips mixed in. I am not a huge cheesecake fan but there is just enough to add the flavor of cheesecake without it being dense.

Ingredients:

1 box red velvet cake mix
2 eggs, divided
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. sour cream, light
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9 pan with tinfoil, and spray with non stick cooking spray. In an electric mixer, cream the butter, egg and cake mix. The dough will be thick like a cookie batter. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth out into a thin layer. In the electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, egg, sugar, sour cream and vanilla together until the cream cheese is whipped to a smooth consistency. Fold in or lightly mix in the mini chocolate chips. Spread out on top of the red velvet mixture.

Bake in the oven for 30-32 minutes until the edges are slightly golden brown. Let cool and then refrigerate overnight before slicing into bars (easier to cut).

Mexican Cheesecake

 

Ingredients:

1 c. crushed tortilla chips (I used scoops)
2 Tbs. melted margarine
3 pkg (8 oz) 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
1 c. ricotta, light
4 eggs
1 bag Sargento reduced fat shredded cheddar cheese
4.5 oz. can chopped green chiles
1/4 c. fresh cilantro

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a springform pan with a round piece of parchment and spray with non stick cooking spray (or just use spray). In a medium size Ziplock bag, crush the tortilla chips using a rolling pin. Add the melted butter to the bag, seal, and shake. Spread out and press the crushed chips onto the bottom of the prepared pan. In an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, ricotta and eggs together until you reach a smooth consistency. Add in the shredded cheese, green chiles with juice and cilantro. After everything is mixed well, pour out into the prepared pan and spread evenly over the crust. Bake for 50-55 minutes in the oven until the top is golden brown. Let cool fully before removing the ring and refrigerating.