I Wish You a Merry Cheesecake...

My sons are food maniacs. I think that comes with the territory since they are both approaching that ever-magical time known as 'becoming a teenager'. Their appetites are never-ending and their taste buds are evolving. Things they wouldn't have eaten in the past are now becoming their favorites. However, some of their favorites have remained unchanged. Cheesecake is at the top of both of their lists. That being said, I figured I'd share a few cheesecake recipes with you that they have enjoyed.


My oldest son could eat s'mores until his brain turned to marshmallow. So, when I came across a recipe for S'more Cheesecake I knew he'd love it. And he did! This recipe seems intimidating to make, but it is really simple. With marshmallows and chocolate chips baked inside the cheesecake and then topped with the same, this is a slice of cheesecake heaven!

My youngest son is my cookie monster. If I don't put the cookies on lock down, he will find them and eat them all. He's crazy like that, but I love his craziness! So, for him I found a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake recipe. When I mentioned to him what I was making he was immediately on board. Of course! Chunks of cookie dough are baked in the cheesecake and then it's topped with mini chocolate chips. So good!

Now, you're going to need springform pans to bake these. You can find them at Wal-Mart, on Ebay, on Amazon, and even at some of the thrift shops. I found a really good one at Goodwill for a dollar. If you don't want to buy them, ask your friends if they have any you can borrow. If you're a cheesecake maniac, it's worth investing in a set.

S'more Cheesecake

Ingredients:

CRUST:
2 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 35 squares)
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter

FILLING:
2 packages of cream cheese, softened (8 ounces each)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 ounces)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 cup miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup miniature marshmallows

TOPPING:
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shortening

Start by placing your graham crackers into a one-gallon Ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush the graham crackers into crumbs. In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and sugar. Stir in melted butter. Press the graham cracker mixture into the base of your greased 10-inch springform pan. Press crust 1 3/4 inch up the sides of the pan as well.  Place on baking sheet and set aside.                                                                                                    In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, milk and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs and beat on low just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and marshmallows. Pour over crust. Bake (on cookie sheet) at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until center is almost set. Sprinkle with marshmallows. Bake 4-6 minutes longer or until marshmallows are puffed.                                                                                                                                                                    Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips and shortening in small saucepan, stirring until smooth. Drizzle over marshmallows. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a butter knife around the edges of the cheesecake to loosen. Cool for one more hour. Then cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan, slice and enjoy. Refrigerate leftovers if there are any. 

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Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Ingredients:

CRUST:
1 3/4 cups crushed chocolate chip cookies (I used 20 Chips Ahoy cookies)
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

FILLING:
3 packages of cream cheese, softened (8 ounces each)
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

COOKIE DOUGH:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

Place chocolate chip cookies into a one-gallon Ziploc bag and seal, making sure to remove most of the air from the bag. Use rolling pin to crush the cookies. Place crushed cookie crumbs and sugar into bowl and combine. Add melted butter. Press mixture onto the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan and one-inch up the sides of pan. Place pan on a baking sheet and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, beat on low until just combined. Add sour cream and vanilla, beat until just blended. Pour over crust and set aside.

In a separate mixing bowl, prepare cookie dough mixture. Cream butter and sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add water and vanilla. Gradually add flour. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips (set the rest aside to use as topping for the finished cheesecake). Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls over filling, gently pushing dough below the surface. Dough should be completely covered by filling. (You'll probably have some cookie dough leftover)

Bake (on cookie sheet) at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a butter knife around edge of cheesecake to loosen it from pan. Let cool for one more hour then cover with foil and refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan and sprinkle cheesecake with the remaining 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips. Cut and serve. Refrigerate leftovers.
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There you have it. Two amazing cheesecake recipes to try. Once you get those springform pans and start making cheesecakes I think you'll really like it. I have three different sizes of the springform pans. I have two 3-inch pans I use to make personal cheesecakes. These come in handy for cheesecake bites. You just have to adjust the time for the size of the pan you're using. Pretty simple, really. If you have any questions, just message me and we'll figure things out.

I hope you give these a try. They'd make great treats to share this holiday. If you have any cheesecake recipes to share, I'd love to hear about them. You can email them to womaninthemancave@yahoo.com or share them with me on my Facebook page.

Thanks for reading and have a great holiday season!

NB