Cranberry and White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies

So I've made these with dried apricots many times, but I decided to try them with dried cranberries today. Completely different flavor, and loved them. Not sure which I like better. Maybe the apricot because they are more tangy... maybe the craisins because they go from tart to sweet. Now that I think of it dried cherries would be amazing. You could always do the traditional raisin oatmeal combo because the white chocolate still gives it a new spin.

Cranberry and White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Adapted from: Closet Cooking

1/2 cup butter (softened)
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries (finely chopped)
1/2 cup white chocolate (coarsely chopped)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and sugar in a bowl. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in another bowl. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet. Mix in the rolled oats, apricots and white chocolate. Place the dough onto a cookie sheet one table spoon at a time. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Lemon Mousse with Pound Cake and Berries

I revisited this luscious lemon mousse recipe for Aunt Jenan's visit. This time I paired it with Sara Lee pound cake and fresh berries.

While cooking the lemon curd over a double broiler, we also had potatoes roasting in the oven and risotto simmering away on the stove. I think the extra heat caused some of my egg whites to fry. I kept stirring constantly the whole 12 minutes, and then tasted it after it thickened. It was okay, I think the lemon zest saved the flavor. If it was vanilla, it might have tasted eggy. So I poured the curd into a sieve to take out those scrambled egg whites and then it was smooth again.

I do like this mousse with the whipped egg whites, but just to prevent raw egg consumption, I added the original cup of unsweetened whipped cream plus one more cup of sweetened whipped cream to substitute the whipped egg whites- and I think it actually comes out even better.

Awesome tip: Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap and make sure the edges come out enough on all sides so that you can lift the plastic out later. Pour the mousse into the loaf pan. Cover the top with the extra plastic hanging over the sides and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Later, you can take the mousse out of the loaf pan by lifting the plastic. It makes it very easy to slice perfect sized wedges of mousse, especially since I served this with pound cake that was also in a loaf pan.

Another tip: after washing your berries, sprinkle alittle sugar over your whole and sliced strawberries. After about 30 minutes, the strawberries will get juicier and sweeter - and taste naturally ripe.

Lemon Mousse
Adapted from: Ina Garten

3 extra-large whole eggs
3 extra-large eggs, separate the yolks and whites
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
Kosher salt
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup good bottled lemon curd, at room temperature
Sliced lemon, for garnish

Directions
In a large heat-proof bowl, whisk together the 3 whole eggs, 3 egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, the lemon zest, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 10 to 12 minutes until the mixture is thick like pudding. (I change to a whisk when the mixture starts to get thick.) Take off the heat and set aside for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours, until completely chilled.

Place half the egg whites and a pinch of salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and continue to beat until the whites are stiff and shiny. Carefully fold the beaten whites into the cold lemon mixture with a rubber spatula. Place the cream in the same bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (no need to clean the bowl) and beat on high speed until the cream forms stiff peaks. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the lemon mixture. Fold in the lemon curd, and pour into a 7-inch-diameter, 3-inch-deep souffle dish. Decorate with sweetened whipped cream and lemon slices that have been cut into quarters. Chill and serve cold.

Oatmeal Date Spice Cookies

Ramadan is approaching = a huge box of medjool dates now sitting on the counter.

Apricots, cranberries, and now dates in my cookies... I think I'm ready for fall!

When you eat these date cookies freshly warm from the oven, surrounded by the smell of oatmeal and cinnamon, and immersed in the fruity flavor of the dates thats intensified because of caramelization - sigh, only about 15 more years til Ramadan is in the winter! These cookies passed the test - soft and chewy on the inside, crisp texture and crunchy nuts on the outside.

I'm just happy that for once someone from food network didn't think of pairing bacon with dates.

Oatmeal Date Spice Cookies
Adapted from: Sandra Lee

1 (18.25-ounce) box classic yellow cake mix
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
1 cup chopped dates

Directions
Combine cake mix, melted butter, flour, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla in large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer for 1 minute, or until well blended. Stir in oats, walnuts and dates. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet, spacing cookies 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Cool cookies on cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer cookies to a cooling rack or platter.

Paula Deen's Banana Pudding

I've watched Paula make this but it wasn't until I saw Bake or Break's photos, as usual, that I had to save it under my favorites tab. Its been long over due for testing so I finally made it this week.

Actually, I've been wanting to make this for probably about a year and then I went to a house warming for my brother and Naven. She made a scrumptious fruit trifle with pudding that had cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and whipped cream.

This recipe is very similar. Except the title is misleading. The pudding isn't banana flavored... and it's more like mousse! It's dense, thick, and keeps its shape perfectly, and the only reason you'd call it pudding is because its so rich. I actually can't eat that much of it because so. It doesn't have banana flavor because its made with the french vanilla pudding mix but I would imagine this would be amazing in chocolate, banana, lemon - any flavor! I added some blackberries to my piece - fresh fruit really lightens it up.

Be sure to open both bags of cookies and check them out first. I bought two bags of Chessman cookies, and to my horror they were all crushed, save only 8 cookies from each bag. So thankfully taking pretty pictures was still possible. I just had to put those ugly cookies on the bottom. I only used 4 bananas because it looked like they already filled the dish, even when I neatly placed them around the edge so outsiders can drool when looking through the glass pan.

I have never used my kitchen aid mixer to whip up instant pudding before. It came out so much thicker than when I used to mix by hand. Use whole milk too!

I read the recipe wrong and only bought 8 ounces of whipped cream but it was fine. I guess it would have been a bit more airy. But, I liked how thick it was. Extremely easy, no bake recipe. Can easily serve 20.

PLEASE READ: the recipe says to add the whipped cream to the cream cheese and then add the pudding last. Thats wrong. If you watch Paula's video, (and just from common knowledge if you're a foodie) she blends the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk together, then adds the pudding, and lastly folds in the whipped cream.

**Edit 8-10-11: Made this recipe again for a girls iftar, but with chocolate pudding mix and topped it off with strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries! It was like chocolate mousse! Without raw eggs - awesome! The only thing I would suggest is to add the berries right before serving. I did it the night before and fridged it. The next night, the mousse was more liquidy because the fruit released water. Still tasty though. I'm calling myself stupid right now for not taking any pictures.


Paula Deen's Banana Pudding
Adapted from: Paula Deen

2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies
6 to 8 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 (5-ounce) box instant French vanilla pudding
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping thawed, or equal amount sweetened whipped cream

Directions
Line the bottom of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch dish with 1 bag of cookies and layer bananas on top.

In a bowl, combine the milk and pudding mix and blend well using a handheld electric mixer. Using another bowl, combine the cream cheese and condensed milk together and mix until smooth. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pudding mixture and stir until well blended. Fold in the whipped topping into the cream cheese mixture. Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas and cover with the remaining cookies. Refrigerate several hours before serving.

White Chocolate Cheesecake

The original recipe uses half the amount of white chocolate but I like to double it because even by doing so, you still only get a subtle white chocolate flavor that probably only a foodie can detect. The chocolate did however add a great dense texture.

They don't have a crust recipe so I used my own. A great tip so that your cheesecake doesn't crack: after its done baking, turn the heat off and open the oven door. Leave the cheesecake inside to gradually cool to room temperature- or at least for 30 minutes. I think it helps tremendously for the texture as well.

Again, forget that brandy sauce. I recommend raspberry sauce!

Also: I know I need to get a more exciting background. I'm tired of that white cloth that I'm too lazy to iron.

White Chocolate Cheesecake
Adapted from: Allrecipes
Crust
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
Combine graham cracker crumbs (crush it yourself in your blender) and melted butter in a bowl. Press into the bottom of a springform pan. Set aside.

Cheesecake
8 ounces white chocolate
24 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup heavy cream, room temperature

Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Wrap the outside of a 10-inch springform pan with foil.

Melt the white chocolate in microwave on 50% power for 1 1/2 minutes. Continue to melt if needed in 20-30 second intervals. Set aside.

Place the cream cheese, sugar, and flour in a mixing bowl and cream until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape bowl.

With an electric mixer on low speed, mix melted white chocolate into cream cheese mixture. Keeping electric mixer on low, slowly beat in the vanilla and 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Blend well. Pour mixture into the prepared springform pan.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until center of the cheesecake is just firm. Cool at room temperature for 1 hour. Refrigerate until set before removing from pan.

Raspberry Sauce
6 oz. bag of frozen raspberries
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoons cornstarch mixed in 1 teaspoon cold water

Directions
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring frozen berries to a slight simmer, DO NOT MIX (keep the fruit together as much as possible). Strain out seeds with a fine mesh sieve. Return sauce back to stove and add sugar and vanilla, simmer for a minute until dissolved. Add cornstarch mixture, simmer for one minute until thickened. Remove from heat and allow to cool. 

White Cake Strawberry Shortcake

This was a quick dessert to pull together. I've been hunting for a great white cake recipe, I tried this one. I thought it was going to be different but actually worked much better for a strawberry shortcake anyway. I thought it was going to be incredibly moist and have those tender crumbs just falling away from it. But actually, it was more of a cross between angel food cake and a dense white cake. It was not too spongy but still had alittle bounce to it. I'm glad it kept a firm shape which is great for layering- thus, perfect for filling with strawberry pie filling and topping with fresh strawberries and fresh cream.

Finally a vanilla cake that doesn't taste like pancakes!

Note: I halved the recipe, not sure if that had anything to do with the results. Also, my butter may have been too soft and I think I overmixed the batter. Next time, I would just add all the milk/eggs in at the same time instead of in two parts because thats when the batter looked thicker. I probably overbaked it too, which is bad for vanilla cakes!!

White Cake Strawberry Shortcake
Adapted from: Piece of Cake

2 1/4 cups cake flour, plus more for dusting the pans
1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, softened but still cold
1 can strawberry or cherry pie filling (optional, for filling)

Directions
To make the cake, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.

In a large measuring cup, whisk together the milk, egg whites and vanilla. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt at low speed. With the mixer running on low speed, add the butter pieces one at a time until the mixture resembles fine, even crumbs. Stop the mixer and add all but about 1/2 cup of the wet ingredients. Beat the batter at medium speed until it is pale and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. With the mixer running on low, slowly pour in the rest of the wet ingredients, then crank the speed back up to medium and beat for 30 seconds more. Scrape down the bowl and beat for 30 more seconds.

Divide the batter equally among the two cake pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean–do not overbake. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans, peel off the parchment and cool completely, right side up.

White Chip Lemon Streusel Bars

Revisited this recipe. Now I can add some pictures.

They were less lemony as usual and I think that's because I use bottled lemon juice instead of squeezing fresh lemons. I'll make the extra effort from now on.

<3

White Chip Lemon Streusel Bars
Adapted from: Hershey's Kitchens

1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S Premier White Chips, divided
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups regular rolled or quick-cooking oats
3/4 cup toasted pecan pieces*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon shortening

Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Combine sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and lemon peel in medium bowl; set aside. Measure out 1/4 cup and 1/3 cup white chips; set aside. Add remaining white chips to lemon mixture.

Beat butter and brown sugar until blended in large mixer bowl. Stir together flour, oats, pecans, baking powder and salt; add to butter mixture, blending well. Remove 1-2/3 cups oats mixture; set aside. Add egg to remaining mixture, blending until crumbly. Press egg/crumb mixture on bottom of prepared pan. Gently spoon lemon mixture on top, spreading evenly. Add reserved 1/3 cup white chips to reserved crumb mixture. Sprinkle over lemon layer, pressing crumbs lightly.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool in pan on wire rack. Place remaining 1/4 cup white chips and shortening in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at MEDIUM (50%) 30 seconds; stir. If necessary, microwave at MEDIUM 10 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, until chips are melted and mixture is smooth when stirred. Drizzle over bars. Allow drizzle to set; cut into bars. Makes about 24 bars.

*To toast pecans: Heat oven to 350°F. Spread pecans in thin layer in shallow baking pan. Bake 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden brown; cool.

Mini Key Lime Cheesecakes

My new mini muffin tin wanted me to bake these. I'm happy I found key limes too. I think they are a bit fruiter than regular limes.

So only two things went wrong. I'm guessing the lime juice helps cook these cheesecakes because the first couple of batches came out too tough. The last batch I was careful not to overbake- and the texture came out better. I tried baking the last of the batter in a ramekin (yes, I had to google the spelling) and it came out even creamier. So I think this recipe is actually better not in mini form. Hmmph.

Secondly, I wanted to top it off with lime swiss meringue buttercream. I was very careful not to overcook the egg whites. I was careful to keep whipping past soft peaks to fully stiff peaks. I made sure my butter was completely at room tempature and added it in, a half tablespoon at a time. It was beautifully smooth- the butter didn't make it soupy this time. And then, I added the lime juice. The buttercream curdled. I kept mixing but it didn't come together. Next time, I think it may be best to use lime extract, lime curd, or lime pudding or anything thats not too liquidy.

Last note: I didn't make the cheesecake healthy. I used regular fatty cream cheese and 3/4 regular sugar. But I didn't add any sugar in the crust- does that count? Again, don't over bake. I would bake it at 325 degrees for 45 minutes if using a springform pan and at 300 degrees for only 18 minutes in a muffin tin.

Mini Key Lime Cheesecakes
Adapted from: Taste of HomeCrust
3/4 cup graham crackers crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
In a large bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom of a springform pan.

Filling
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, cubed
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1/3 cup key lime or lime juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons grated lime peel

Directions
Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheeses, sugar substitute, sugar and flour until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in the sour cream, lime juice, vanilla, and lime peel. Pour filling onto crust.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Chill overnight. Refrigerate leftovers.

Lime Swiss Meringue Buttercream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
Pinch of coarse salt
1½ sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature (important, cannot be cold at all)
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice

Directions
To make the frosting, combine the sugar, egg whites, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer (or a heatproof mixing bowl) and set over a pot of simmering water.  Heat, whisking frequently, until the sugar has dissolved. If you rub the mixture between your fingers, it should feel smooth and not gritty.

Transfer the bowl to your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.
Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated.  If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (don’t worry, it will come together, though it may take a long time!)  Add the lime juice and mix until fully incorporated and smooth.

Mini Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecakes

I had this recipe saved on my favorites list for a few months. I was excited all week to make them and thought they'd be cute for brownie halaqa. Unfortunately it was cancelled but had so much fun at Sabrin's and was happy I still got to share them. :)

We didn't have cooking/baking spray so I lightly greased the bottom of the muffin tin and baked the first batch. The recipe says to bake the crust first (which I normally don't do for cheesecakes even if it says to) but I did it anyway to be sure the cheesecake came out easily from the tin. Well, the crust smelt and tasted burnt. I don't know if it's because of the crisco or because it was baked first and then baked again with the cheesecake batter so the next batch I washed the pans, did not grease it, and did not prebake the crust. Much better. And it still comes out easily from the tin. Just cool them and separate them from the pan with a thin knife.

I loved the ganache used as the icing - after it chilled up, it was so dense and smooth.

Adaptations: 

• No need to add sugar to the crust. Oreos are sweet.
• Don't grease/spray the pan.
• Don't prebake the crust. 
• It says to use 2-3 teaspoons of crumbs for each cheesecake. I found that you should only use one teaspoon for a better ratio of cheesecake to crust.
• Keep it simple and just add 2 eggs (or 3 eggs if you double the recipe like I did)
• Fill each cheesecake to the top of the pan. They will rise when baking, and collapse flat when cooled.
• After the ganache cooled to room tempature, I whipped it to add volume and then piped it.  

Rich Cheesecake Bars

Another recipe from that Taste of Home cookbook/magazine. I think I just wanted to try these because it was cake- but it had the word cheesecake in the title. Two birds. One stone.

Actually I made these with the thought that the cream cheese topping was going to seep into the cake batter as it baked, making these incredibly moist and gooey. Unfortunately, no seeping action occured.

I doubled the recipe because I've only seen cake mix come in 18 oz. boxes and made it in a 13x9 inch pan. I baked it for 30 minutes like the recipe says to but forgot that I used a larger pan so I think I overbaked it alittle.

It didn't taste like cheesecake and I wasn't expecting it to- the cream cheese is just used to make these into a gooey, buttery treat but they probably would have been a little softer if I didn't brown the edges so much. I think they taste like pound cake- but sweeter. Honestly, I probably won't make them again because they aren't exploding with chocolate but these bars would be great for a brunch dessert.