Brittany's PantryChocolate Cheesecake Bars: An ‘Old Reliable’
Brittany wrote this on 11 May 2012
chocolate, cream cheese
Wow! What a week. I think I need to unwind and treat myself. Chocolate cheesecake anyone?
This recipe brings to mind one of my husbands biggest complaints. I have mentioned before that while he enjoys the variety in my cooking, he kind of wishes that I would bring back the favorites more often. When I make a dish that was particularly fantastic, it often gets marked with approval and then added to the archives. I really like to browse through my cookbooks and data base and randomly pick out something new to try instead of choosing something I have made before. At least half of my weekly menu is made up of recipes I have never made, or my notes and scribblings about one that I am creating. As a result, Michel-and this happens every few months or so :)-begs me for the basics. When I get excited about making Indian butter chicken, Mike says, “That sounds great! Maybe tomorrow we can just have meatloaf.” When I tell him I made dark chocolate sable cookies with Chinese five-spice powder, he eats them, tells me they are wonderful and then mentions, “You know what we haven’t had in awhile? My favorite plain ol’ chocolate chip cookies.” And when the urge to experiment with minestrone hits me, I hear, “Remember that stew you made with the pork and the polenta? We really loved that. Can you make that again instead of something new?” The poor guy. He eats everything I make, never complains, and continues to be the biggest fan of my cooking. And since it is him and the kids who I love to cook for more than anything, I want to keep them happy! If Michel wants something familiar and simple, than that is what he gets!
Chocolate cheesecake is simple and familiar, right…?
In this case, it is. I made these bars a gazillion years ago for my Mother-In-Law because, if you remember from my previous ramblings, she is a chocolate fanatic! I try to indulge this feeling as much as possible because it gives me a reason to experiment with new chocolate recipes whenever she is visiting! Which reminds me…I should have made her the Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding when she was here last weekend…oh crumbs…Anyway, I did make her these bars and she liked them just as much now as she did then. I am not sure why, but I kind of stopped making them for a few years. Probably to try something new, heh heh. In some ways, these bars are similar to the Honey Cheesecake Bars in that they are simple and easy and a wonderful way to get your cheesecake fix without having to deal with all the effort a whole cheesecake requires. But that is where the similarities end. These are rich and creamy and oooooohhh so chocolaty. They need to chill until completely cold and this makes them the perfect make-ahead dessert.
So now that I have made something from the ‘old reliable’ category, tomorrow night? Soufflés!
One Year Ago: Strawberry Ice Cream & Sweet Veggie Pasta Salad
Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
Adapted from Kraft
When made in an 8X8 pan, I cut these bars into 16 portions or 4 by 4. I recently made them for a social gathering and I wanted smaller bites so I cut them 5 by 5 into 25 little bars. Either is great. Also, this doubles easily for a 9X13 pan if you are serving a large group. Just add another 15 minutes or so to the cooking time.
14 chocolate sandwich cookies (such as OREO) crushed
3 T butter, melted
Mix these together and press into the bottom of a sprayed 8X8 square pan. Glass works particularly well. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine in the bowl of an electric mixer, or with a hand mixer:
2 pkg cream cheese
1/2 c sugar
1 T flour
Add, with the mixer running:
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped and melted until smooth-Baker’s chocolate works great for this
After chocolate is beaten in, beat in:
2 eggs, one at a time
Combine until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl. Pour over crust, spread until even and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the center is just barely set, but not completely firm. Cool to room temp and then chill until cold, preferably overnight.
Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam & Books
Brittany wrote this on 4 May 2012 rhubarb, strawberries
This is the recipe I am sharing today. Looks good, huh? It is. But first a few words…
It has occurred to me several times over the life of this blog that I have been remiss in telling you about a passion of mine that has nothing to do with food. No, I am not talking about my love for synchronized swimming, underwater basket weaving, or sky-diving. I am of course talking about books.
OK. *cracking knuckles* Here goes. I am about to try and explain to you how much I love to read.
Hmmm. Ah…hmmm. Well…I…I mean, it is kind of like…um…
All right, so I don’t know how to word it-no pun intended! I just really love to read. How can I accurately convey how much I love the smell of books, the weight and feel of them in my hands, and the sound the paper makes when you turn the page? I love to see the ocean of words on a page and all the book spines lined up on a shelf. I love that sometime, somewhere, someone wrote those words just for me to read and I wonder where they were when they wrote them. When I read a particularly poignant, witty, or clever part of a book, I always wish I could turn to the author and say, “Did that just come to you? Or did you struggle with trying to word that just right?” Ninety-nine percent of the time I have a book with me and on my person when I leave the house. I used to use my eighth grade french class text book to hide what I was reading-which at that time was probably Exodus, by Leon Uris-and only escaped getting in trouble because my french teacher was also my English teacher (Yo Mrs. Lewis!) and she couldn’t bring herself to punish me for reading when she was always trying so hard to get her students to read in the first place. I spent most of my sophomore year of high school literature class in the hallway doing random homework because I had already read all of the semester content within the first few weeks of school. I often walk into a used bookstore-or Barnes & Noble-and leave empty handed because I am so breathlessly overwhelmed with joy, excitement, and anticipation that I can’t choose any one thing to purchase. I want everyone to love books as much as I do so I almost always give books, or gift certificates to buy them, to children as gifts. And that includes my own kids. When the Navy moved us from San Diego to Minnesota, they packed and moved more cases of books than they did anything else and that included 3 full cases of children’s books even though we didn’t have any kids at the time. I regularly buy books based entirely on the cover because I like the surprise of reading a story I know nothing about in a book I might not otherwise have picked up.
I love books. I love to read. Are you catching my drift? Are you picking up what I am puttin’ down? Are you buying what I am selling? Do you get it?
So with that, this is what I am reading right now:
Have any of you actually read this book? My cover looks a bit different because it is an older publication and was pulled from the 25 cent bin from a shop somewhere in the Smokey Mountains about 7 years ago. Unfortunately, I took it from my bookshelf with all the intent of finally reading it for the first time (this is one of those books I bought based entirely on the title and the phrase in the above book review, “An epic historical novel artfully constructed.” Doesn’t that sound interesting?) but went into labor the same day and haven’t had a chance to make it past the first few chapters. On my Kindle, I have this:
I just started reading it so this will be my I-have-two-minutes-before-my-daughter-gets-out-of-school-and-need-a-distraction-or-I-will-fall-asleep book. And by the way, I avoided getting a Kindle for years because I really do love the smell and feel of a book in my hands and generally deemed electronic books as kind of evil. But my husband got me one for Christmas in the hopes I would learn to love it and it has proved invaluable when traveling. It is also much easier to fit in my diaper bag. Easier, say, than my five pound, hard-cover copy of The Twilight Of Courage.
I am telling you all of this for several reasons and if you are not with me on this and you secretly just want to get to today’s recipe, then feel free to scroll ahead. As for the rest of you, I would LOVE to know what you are reading nowadays. A long and extensive conversation with my sister last week, that was actually over biscuits and jam, reminded me how much I love to get book recommendations from people. I really love older books and am always trying to get people to read them (Steph-PLEASE read A Girl Of The Limberlost-you will love it!) and as a result, often miss out on anything good published in the last 5 years. And yes, I have read The Hunger Games and Harry Potter. Other than that, hit me with your best shot!
So remember that jam I mentioned my sister and I were devouring? It is the same jam I mentioned in the last post. Strawberry rhubarb. Here. Just let your eyes just drink this in:
Seriously. I just may have to take a break and go eat some of this. As a matter of fact, that is exactly what I am going to do. Hold on a sec…
OK. Much better. You don’t mind if I type with my mouth full do you?
Anyway, about the jam. What can I say? It is super easy and amazingly scrumptious. You can taste the strawberry but the rhubarb shines through without being too sour and too…rhubarb-ey. I mean, I love rhubarb, but straight can be hard to take. This is BY FAR my favorite way to eat it. It is also, I discovered, a great way to introduce people to it if they have never had it before. Because rhubarb is kind of a developed taste, it can be a bit intimidating. But it is in season right now and the Farmer’s Markets and even the grocery stores are full of it! If you have never tried it before, now is your chance to totally fall in love. Then you can expand a bit and make rhubarb crisp, strawberry-rhubarb pie, rhubarb tea…all kinds of craziness!
Can you see the butter on the biscuit under the jam? Totally unnecessary. One bite and you will be instantly transported back to your Grandmother’s house. The flavor is reminiscent of something straight out of a farmhouse kitchen. Nostalgic yes, but too good to leave in the past. Nothing new fangled or tweaked or ‘updated’ with modern flavors. Just straight-up, good ol’ Midwest American jam. Might I suggest you enjoy some with a good book…
P.S. In regards to the activities mentioned in the first paragraph, I really do love synchronized swimming and used to swim in high school, as did my two sisters, and later went on to coach for a few years. Go Rangers! My husband and I went sky diving together when we lived in Hawaii-even though I am deathly scared of heights. And I was totally joking about the underwater basket weaving.
One Year Ago: Lemon Chiffon Pie & Grilled Pork Chops
Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam
Recipe from the talented kitchen of Mary Zeug-aka Aunt Mary
I should note that I usually do not process my jam in a water bath when I make it. The fruit is so hot, it always seals the jars without having to mess with it. If you prefer, you can absolutely process the jars for about five minutes.
6 c quartered, hulled, and lightly rinsed strawberries
8 c diced rhubarb
2 pkg Sure-Jell, low sugar or regular
1 c water
11 c sugar
In a small bowl, mix together the Sure-Jell and 1 c of sugar. Add this to the fruit and 1 c of water and stir all together in a large, heavy bottomed pot. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and add the rest of the sugar. Stir often to prevent scorching and bring back to a boil. Once it is good and boiling, let it go for a minute, remove from heat, and immediately pour into sterilized, pint canning jars, leaving one inch of head space. Wipe the rims clean and top with sterilized lids and rings. If desired, process in a water bath for 5 minutes. Let hot jars set out on the counter until completely cool. When they are room temperature check to make sure all the jars have sealed. Store any that haven’t in the fridge for several months. Alternatively, the jam can be poured into plastic ‘freezer’ jars and frozen for up to a year.
Yield 10 pints
Classic Buttermilk Biscuits
Brittany wrote this on 28 April 2012 buttermilk
I feel like I start posts like this a lot, but…well…here it is. This is another one of those recipes that I have been meaning to post for over a year now. Why? Several reasons. Is the suspense driving you crazy? Heh heh.
First of all, it is classically plain. Nothing fancy or complicated and there are no unnecessary ingredients. As much as I love variety, I am always looking to test out the basics. Second, it makes a big batch. I consistently get about 18 biscuits out of a batch so I have enough for a holiday or large group. The great thing is that I can also freeze them and do the work once, but have enough for our family for two or even three meals. Which brings me to reason number three: freezable. I have made these ahead for Thanksgiving, Easter, Sunday Brunch, and just general usage. Instead of baking them and defrosting and reheating them later, these are frozen unbaked. Just pull them out of the freezer and bake them off and booyah! Fresh baked, hot and flaky biscuits. Because fresh out of the oven is nearly always better when it comes to baked goods, am I right? Virtual high five! Just freeze the cut, unbaked biscuits on a sheet pan and once frozen solid, pack in a zip top freezer bag. Like so:
Yes, there is some labor involved. However, when it comes to a real, classic, buttermilk biscuit with rich, buttery flavor (drool, drool, drool) you are just going to have to suck it up and do it. While they don’t really take all that long to do, you will have to clean up the floury mess of rolling out dough. Totally. Worth it. In fact, make and freeze a double batch and you won’t have to make a big mess again for even longer! So really, what could be better? Rich, butter filled, flaky biscuits! *sigh* Wait. Whats that? Homemade jam could be better? Hmmm. OK. Stay tuned.
Classic Buttermilk Biscuits
Adapted from Martha Stewart
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse until combined:
4 c flour
2 T baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 T sugar
Add: 2 sticks of cold butter, cut into cubes
Pulse the until the butter is evenly distributed and the size of small peas.
Add 1 1/2 c cold buttermilk (I use low fat)
Pulse until the dough just barely starts to come together, 3 or 4 times. Dump the mixture out onto a clean counter and gather it with your hands, kneading it VERY gently a half a dozen times until smooth and even. With a floured rolling pin, roll until the dough is a half an inch thick. Cut out biscuits with a 2 or 2 1/2 inch wide round. Place on a baking sheet, brush lightly with melted butter and freeze till firm. Or bake immediately in a 450 degree oven for 12-15 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Cool slightly. If baking from frozen (no need to thaw), extend the baking time to about 20 minutes.
Alternatively, if you do not have a food processor, cut the butter into the mixture with a pastry blender and mix in the buttermilk by hand.
Love a Good Recipe?
Then you’ve come to the right place! I’m Brittany, and I share tested, trusted recipes you’ll love. I prepare & photograph food, obsess over the perfect recipe, and enjoy grins of delight when I serve up something awesome. Enjoy!
