I don’t think that I would have ever thought to try white chocolate and sweet potatoes together before, but I’m definitely intrigued now:

White Chocolate & Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Filling
1½ pounds cream cheese
8 ounces granulated sugar
5 eggs
1 cup sweet potato puree (roast potatoes, then peel and pass through food mill)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 ounces white chocolate, melted over double boiler
Pinch salt

Crust
1 cup pecan halves or pieces, finely chopped
2 cups vanilla wafers, finely ground
¾ cup melted butter
½ cup sugar
Pinch salt

~ Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine all the crust ingredients and press onto bottom and sides of a 10-inch cake pan. The filling should be even throughout and pressed firmly to the pan.

~ For the cake filling, cream the cheese and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add the potato puree, eggs, salt and vanilla and mix until combined well.

~ Stir in the melted chocolate, then pour into the cake pan, place this in a larger pan and fill the outer pan with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the cheesecake

~ Bake until the middle is just set, 1-1¼ hours. It will feel slightly soft in the middle, but will finish cooking even once the cake is out of the oven. Let chill overnight before serving.

~ Makes one 10-inch cheesecake.

[image: flickr]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

This would be very easy to make with your own homemade chocolate chip cookie dough — in fact, that’s what I’d do instead of using store bought. Simply make the dough, roll it into a log and wrap in plastic wrap and then cut as directed in the instructions.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
from Mr. Food

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 (16.5-ounce) rolls refrigerator chocolate chip cookie dough

~ Preheat oven to 350°.

~ In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until well mixed; set aside.

~ Slice cookie dough rolls into 1/3-inch slices. Arrange slices from one roll over bottom of a greased 9″ x 13″ baking dish; press together until there are no holes in dough.

~ Spoon cream cheese mixture evenly over dough; top with remaining slices of cookie dough.

~ Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until golden and center is slightly firm. Remove from oven, let cool then refrigerate. Slice when well chilled.

~ Serving tip: Serve the cheesecake plain, with chocolate or fudge sauce, or whipped topping – whatever is your favorite.

[image: flickr]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

This cheesecake is easy to assemble and would be perfect for a desert after a casual weekend dinner, or for a nice alternative to pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.

Chocolate Delight Cheesecake
from thedailyjournal.com

1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
3 tablespoons plus 1 cup sugar, divided
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

~ Butter the bottom of an 8-inch or 9-inch springform pan or line it with a parchment paper circle.

~ In a small bowl, mix together the chocolate wafer crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar and the melted butter.

~ Press the mixture onto the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the sides of the prepared pan.

~ Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and let it cool.

~ Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

~ Meanwhile, prepare the filling. In a small saucepan, heat the whipping cream with the chocolate chips over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the chips are melted. Remove from the heat.

~In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and the remaining 1 cup of sugar until the mixture is smooth.

~ Add the cocoa powder and beat well. Add the eggs and beat on low until the mixture is just blended.

~ Stir in the vanilla and the reserved chocolate mixture until they are blended in. Pour the filling over the cooled crust.

~ Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the center is almost set (it should still jiggle somewhat).

~ Remove the cheesecake from the oven and let it cool completely.

[image: flickr]

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

Oh you guys, I think I’ve found the most decadent chocolate dessert I’ve ever made. These bars are amazing. Over the weekend I was doing a search over at Food Network and this was on the front page. On a whim I decided to give them a shot because wow, that’s a lot of chocolate and I needed to try it!

So they were originally called Chocolate Cheesecake Candy Cane Bars. Here’s the thing: I’m not terribly crazy about hard candy — and especially candy canes — crunched up on top of softer desserts. I like them on their own if I’m in the mood, but otherwise no, leave my desserts alone!

So I substituted chopped walnuts instead and I honestly cannot imagine these with anything else. I really don’t think the candy cane would have worked as well unless you added a touch of peppermint extract to the top layer, but honestly even that I think would be overdoing it.

I think I’d also add just a touch more melted butter to the crushed Oreo crust because it crumbled more than I’d like after it was baked.

Anyway. On to some pictures!

My two eight-year-olds helped me with the “action shots” (in actuality it was nearly a fight to the death over who would get to take which shots, but as you can see it all worked out in the end. Yay kids in the kitchen!)

I didn’t take a picture of the crushed Oreos but this works. This is added to the cream cheese/sour cream mixture in the next picture:

I was so happy when I read that the recipe called for sour cream — I love cheesecakes with sour cream. Don’t mind the messy counter in the background – it was grocery day.

The processed cheesecake mixture was very thick and gloppy and heavenly and delicious.

The chocolate topping. Need a closer look?

That’s better.

After the cheesecake bakes you drizzle the chocolate topping on while the cheesecake is still warm. Let the whole thing cool down a bit more before putting it in the fridge and then let it stay in there until it’s completely chilled and set through.

My top chocolate layer cracked a bit after sitting in the fridge for a couple of days but of course that didn’t affect the taste at all!

Now that is a thing of chocolate beauty. The foil lining the pan makes it extremely easy to lift the whole thing out for cutting, and then it plops back into the pan with no problem when you’re done.

Want some?

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

Everyone know how to make s’mores – roast a marshmallow, slap it on a graham cracker with a bit of chocolate and smoosh another graham cracker on top.

However, the variations are really pretty endless and can be tailored to fit anyone’s tastes. You can try:

• S’mores bars
• Ditch the graham crackers altogether
• Turn it into a cake
• Add bananas, raspberries, or even cherries
• S’mores cheesecake!
• Minty s’mores
• Use Peeps!
• Make the whole thing from scratch

And check this out – Mexican s’mores!

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

All day tomorrow, Cheesecake Factory restaurants across the US will be offering up slices of their yummy cheesecake for only $1.50 each for their 30th Anniversary Celebration and for National Cheesecake Day!

In addition to that, a limited edition cheesecake, the 30th Anniversary Chocolate Cake Cheesecake, will be unveiled and $0.25 from the sale of each slice sold this year will benefit the national hunger-relief organization, America’s Second Harvest.

If you don’t live near a Cheesecake Factory, making cheesecake yourself is not hard! The video above features Nigella Lawson making her “Chocolate Heaven Cheesecake,” and you know what, I’m going to have my husband stop at the grocery store on his way home!

Post from: Chocolate Bytes

Giada’s Orange and Chocolate Cheesecakes

1/3 cup finely crushed chocolate wafers
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
1 orange, zested
1 egg
Butter, for greasing

Special equipment: mini muffin tin

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the crushed chocolate wafers and the melted butter. Place a tightly packed teaspoon of the wafer mixture into each mini-muffin cup and press down firmly.

In a food processor combine the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, 1/4 cup of the sugar, half of the orange zest, and the egg. Blend until smooth. Lightly grease the sides of the mini muffin tin with butter. Fill the cups with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the cheesecake mixture. Place the mini muffin tin in a baking dish and pour enough hot water in the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the mini muffin tin. Bake for 25 minutes. Transfer the mini muffin tin to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Use a small knife to gently pop the cheesecakes out of the cups.

Just before serving, combine the remaining orange zest with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Top each individual cheesecake with about 1/4 teaspoon of the orange zest mixture and serve.

Post from: Chocolate Bytes