Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake

Alright friends, this dessert, oohhh this dessert. It is everything it promises to be and so much more.  This is the first time I have perfectly (in my opinion) cooked a cheesecake that had no cracks AND I successfully made caramel from scratch! What a day!


The recipe I used was originally for a cheesecake more along the lines of a Turtle Cheesecake, but since we had some company with some extreme nut allergies we decided to forgo the pecans in favour of more caramel and more chocolate ganache. A pretty favourable exchange if you ask me!

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake {No Bake}

Yup, I went there. One of my favourite fall drinks crossed with one of my favourite desserts!  Since I made a double batch of the Pumpkin Spice Syrup from Sugarcrafter.net for the Pumpkin Spice Latte's, I decided to see what else I could whip up with it.  I saw a recipe on the Philadelphia website for a no bake pumpkin cheesecake and realized that it could only get better with the addition of the syrup and some expresso!

I added the syrup and the expresso to taste, so feel free to add more or less of each as you mix it up, it's all about what you like!

I decided to portion the cheesecake into some small jars because, well, desserts just look cute in these jars!  If you want to make a whole cheesecake, you can make the filling and pour it into a graham pie crust and it should fit perfectly.

This recipe was adapted from the Philadelphia No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe, and makes enough for 6 jars.

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cheesecake (No Bake)

• 1 package (250 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup pureed pumpkin
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tbsp Pumpkin Spice Latte Syrup
• 4 - 6 tbsps strong coffee or expresso, cooled
• 1 tub (500 mL) cool whip whipped topping, thawed
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• 1/2 tbsp sugar
• whipped cream for topping, if desired

1. Combine the melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, and 1/2 tbsp sugar in a bowl (if not using a pre-made graham pie crust)
2. Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of 6 jars or small serving dishes and place them in the refrigerator until the cheesecake is ready
3. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, pureed pumpkin, syrup, and expresso until smooth
4. Carefully fold in the whipped topping until well mixed
5. Divide the cheesecake evenly between the 6 jars
6. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving
7. Top with whipped cream if you are feeling snazzy
8. Enjoy!

Strawberry Cheesecake Pretzel Bites

Here is the amazing dessert that I was talking about on Friday! Right now there is a couple left sitting in my refrigerator, just calling my name, tempting me to eat them all at 11 o'clock at night.


I just might too, they are hard to ignore!

I saw this recipe from Amy on www.doyouknowthemuffinpan.com and they looked like everything a summer dessert should be. They had fresh strawberries, a delicious pretzel crust, and an amazing light cheesecake centre.  Amy is definitely someone to follow, not only does she make amazing desserts like these, but she also makes all sorts of other amazing food in her muffin tin! That's right, she muffin-izes all sorts of things by modifying them so they can be made in a muffin pan and they are so fun and delicious every time. How cool is that? 

She took this recipe and made it in her mini-muffin pan which would be the perfect size to serve at a party or a BBQ!

Random aside: When do people do their best blogging? I find that my 'best' work (at least, the posts I am most proud of) happens at completely random times.  I feel like I can tell which of my posts were done all in one sitting, and which ones were written in pieces while at work, on my phone on the LRT ride home, etc. Odd eh? If only I could magically produce my laptop at any time of the day when a random thought hit me, who knows what would end up on this blog! 

I do love how this blog has given me an outlet for both my love of baking and cooking, as well as an amazing way to meet awesome people and release my random thoughts! Food, friends, and free therapy? Awesome.

If you need a delicious dessert that will impress a crowd, these are perfect! You can also mix up the fruit depending what is in season, and adjusting the jello flavour to your tastes.   Another bonus is that you can take out any aggression from the day on the pretzels in order to get them to that crushed state!

I made this in my regular muffin pan (instead of a mini-muffin pan) and we loved them.

Strawberry Cheesecake Pie Bites

• For the crust:
• 1 box refrigerated pie crusts (I used Pillsbury and one was the perfect amount)
• 1 cup crushed pretzels
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 6 tbsp melted butter
• For the cream cheese filling:
• 2 pkgs (250 grams each) softened cream cheese
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
• 3 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 lb fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup ice cubes
• 1 box strawberry Jello

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F 
2. Roll out one pie crust and use a round cookie cutter or a glass to cut out circles (slightly larger than the bottom of the muffin pan cups)
3. Press each circle of pie crust into the muffin cups
4. In a small bowl mix together the crushed pretzels, melted butter, and 1/4 cup sugar
5. Press the pretzel mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup
6. Bake the crust for 10 - 12 minutes or until golden brown
7. Remove and let cool completely before adding the fillings
8. While the pan cools, cream together the cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla
9. In a second bowl whip together the heavy cream, icing sugar, and remaining 1 tsp of vanilla until stiff peaks form
10. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture until well mixed
11. Spoon the cream cheese mixture into each of the muffin cups, leaving about 1 cm of room at the top (I had some of this leftover, so I set it aside to use as a delicious fruit dip!)
12. Press the sliced strawberries on top of the cream cheese mixture
13. In a small bowl mix together the boiling water and jello mix. Stir in the ice cubes until melted
14. Pour the jello mixture over each of the muffin cups
15. Place the tray in the refrigerator and let set for at least 4 hours
16. Enjoy! 

Triple Citrus Cheesecake

I had a serious craving for cheesecake the other day, so I checked out the cookingwithphilly.ca website for some ideas.  I absolutely love citrus desserts, so this recipe quickly made it to the top of my 'recipes to try' list! I modified it a little bit, and it turned out unbelievably delicious.


I was surprised at how easy it actually was to make a cheesecake, it had always seemed like such a daunting task.

While mine did have a crack along the edge, I think it turned out pretty amazing! I love how you can see the different citrus zest's in the cheesecake.


One thing that I did (which was recommended on the cookingwithphilly.ca site) is to put a 13" x 9" pan half full of hot water below the sprinform pan.  I think this helped keep a moist environment in the oven and reduced my chance of having major cracks develop on the surface of my cheesecake.


Triple Citrus Cheesecake

• 1 1/4 cups oreo crumbs
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 3 packages of cream cheese (250 grams each)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• Juice of 1 lemons, 1 limes, and 1 oranges
• Zest of 2 lemons, 2 limes, and 2 oranges

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F
2. Mix together the oreo crumbs and the melted butter
3. Press the oreo crumb mixture onto the bottom of a pan, using your hands or a glass to press it down
4. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth
5. Add the eggs to the cream cheese mixture, one at a time
6. Add the citrus juices and zest's, and mix them in carefully (you do not want to introduce too much air into the batter)
7. Pour into the pan, and smooth to create a flat surface
8. Bake for 45 - 50 minutes (the cheesecake will be done when a small circle in the middle of the cake still looks soft)
9. As soon as the cake is removed from the oven, run a butter knife along the edge to separate it from the pan
10. Let cool for 45 - 60 minutes before removing the rim of the pan
11. Place in your refrigerator for 4 hours (minimum) to fully cool and set
12. Garnish with whatever you like! Berries, chocolate, fruit slices, anything!
13. Enjoy!