Caramel Walnut Cheesecake

Makes 32 servings

Ingredients

1 cup walnut or pecan pieces, divided
1 1/2 cup crushed vanilla wafers
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
3 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon vanilla
4 eggs
24 caramels pieces
1 Tablespoon water
3 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 13×9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Remove 1/2 cup of the walnuts/pecans; set aside. Finely chop remaining walnuts/pecans. Mix wafer crumbs, chopped walnuts/pecans and butter. Press firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream, flour and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust.

Bake 45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Place caramels in microwaveable bowl. Add water. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute or until caramels are completely melted when stirred. Pour over cheesecake; top with reserved walnuts/pecans. Melt chocolate as directed on package; drizzle over cheesecake. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Use foil handles to remove cheesecake from pan before cutting into pieces to serve. Store any leftovers in tightly covered container in refrigerator.


Source: adapted from Kraft Food & Family Magazine, Fall 2007

Dessert Recipes : Tropical Fruit Salad

Feel free to use this recipe as a general guide, substituting your favorite tropical fruit as desired.



Yield 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

* 2 cups (1-inch) cubed fresh pineapple
* 1 cup chopped peeled papaya or mango
* 1 cup sliced peeled kiwifruit (about 3 kiwifruit)
* 1 cup red seedless grapes
* 2/3 cup (1/4-inch-thick) slices carambola (star fruit; about 1)
* 1/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut
* 3 tablespoons honey
* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Preparation

Combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Chill at least 30 minutes.

Combine honey and juice in a small bowl, and toss with fruit just before serving.
Nutritional Information

Calories:
128 (13% from fat)
Fat:
1.9g (sat 1.3g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.2g)
Protein:
1.1g
Carbohydrate:
29.7g
Fiber:
2.9g
Cholesterol:
0.0mg
Iron:
0.6mg
Sodium:
14mg
Calcium:
24mg

Dessert Recipes : Vegan Cheese Cake

Ingredients

16 graham cinnamon graham crackers
1/2 cup vegan margarine
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
16 oz. (two tubs) Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
1/3 cup raw sugar
4 EnerG egg substitute “eggs” (no water)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions:

for the crust, crumble your graham crackers up finely and mix with corn syrup and melted margarine. press firmly into a round pie pan. for the filling, mix all remaining ingredients together, and pour onto crust. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes, until set (doesn’t jiggle when you move the pan). Let cool. Place in refrigerator and chill for a few hours. Serves 8-10.

i made this recipe twice in one day. the first time, i omitted the lemon juice, because i’m not a huge lemon fan. I also (without thinking) added water to my Ener-G egg powder. I followed the recipe otherwise, and what i found was that the cheesecake tasted off because i omitted the lemon (it tasted like eating straight up creamcheese)… and i also found it to be a little too tough on top (too long in the oven). also, the consistency of the inside was a bit mushy, which i think was due to the added water.

the second try, i used the juice from about 1/2 a lemon… and boy did that make a difference! take my advice and dont omit the lemon! i didnt add water to my ener-g egg replacer. i think this helped the consistancy firm up a bit. i added 1/2 tsp of extra vanilla extract, because i like things strong on the flavor side. I also only left it in the oven for about 20 minutes, and watched it pretty close. i supposed all you’re waiting for the heat to do is to ’set’ the creamcheese… so it’s ok to take it out early if it’s already set. it shouldnt brown on top, because it will turn out tough. plus, i found that the crust browns really fast, and you have to watch that as well, so it doesnt burn, too! once it cooled down, i immediately put it in the fridge… and the longer you leave it there, the firmer it gets. i suggest if you’re having problems with it being mushy, maybe pop it in the freezer for 30 minutes before you serve it?

i made a blackberry suace to go on top by mashing a handfull of fresh blackberries with some agave nectar…

overall, this recipe was really fast and easy. it would have been even easier if i would have used a premade crust. i found it was actually pretty hard to get the graham crackers as fine as i would have liked… i ended up having big chunks of graham cracker still in my crust. perhaps if you have a food processor, it would be helpful to grind it up in there… too bad i dont have one :( my boyfriend loved this cheesecake… i thought it was alright. I’m one of those people who doesnt take ‘cheese’ substitutes very well, unfortunately. i like tofutti when i make creamcheese icing, so i’m not sure why i dont like this more than i did. i think i’ll try a chocolate version and see if i like that more!

a side note:

from what i’ve read it’s best to use raw sugar, than substitute for granulated sugar or something different. the raw sugar apparently helps the cheesecake set more firmly and it alters the texture a bit.

Dessert Recipes : Dark Chocolate Pudding Cake

This is the yummy little cake I made for Jess tonight. I found the recipe online, but changed it a bit so that I could bake it in ramekins. I wanted to do this because the cakes taste best chilled and the ramekins come with handy dandy lids for storage in the fridge.

Here's the recipe:

Dark Chocolate Pudding Cake
yeilds two ramekin-sized cakes


Ingredients:

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp special dark cocoa
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup special dark cocoa
1 cup hot water

Directions:

Mix the first eight ingredients together. Pour into sprayed ramekins. Mix the brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa. Sprinkle over the batter. Pour hot water over the entire top surface. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.

The topping sinks through the cake to form a pudding layer at the bottom. Tastes best chilled, but can be served at room temperature or even warm (if you can't wait!).

I dressed it up with a little powdered sugar and two fresh strawberries.

Dessert Recipes : Banana Bread

What do you do with overripe bananas?

Some of you may throw them out, but my wife makes the best banana bread I’ve ever tasted. Topped with a little butter or cream cheese and you have a great breakfast or afternoon snack. Add a little ice cream and you have banana bread alamode for dessert.

Couldn’t be easier. Usually at least one of the girls volunteers to help. Best of all, we can pack a slice or two for the girls to take to school for snack time.



Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/2 cup shortening or try substituting vegetable oil
3 ripe bananas
1-teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
1-cup sugar
2 cups flour
Butter for greasing the loaf pan
chocolate chips, walnuts (optional)


How to Make Banana Bread at Home

Start by preheating you oven to 350F.

Combine the ingredients together in a mixing bowl (I use a cuisinart) in the order listed above. Mix by hand (or by cuisinart) until it forms a thoroughly blended batter.

Transfer the batter into a greased loaf or bread pan.

Bake until done, usually about one hour. A good way to tell if the bread is done is to stick it with a toothpick. If nothing sticks to the toothpick, it is done.

Simple and delicious.

Dessert Recipes : Vegan Pie Crust

This pie crust is made with oil, but is just as tender and flaky as a more traditional butter crust.



Yield 1 pie crust
Time 10 minutes

Tools

* bowls
* large fork
* rolling pin
* pie plate

Ingredients

* 1½ c cold flour
* ½ c cold canola oil
* 2-4 T cold nut milk or water

Directions

Place the flour in the bowl and drizzle in the canola oil (it will be very thick), while gently stirring with the fork, until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

Stir in nut milk or water, 1 T at a time, just until the dough holds together.

Roll into a ball, then roll out into a circle, about 12 inches in diameter and 1/8-inch thick.

Place in pie plate and use right away.

Notes

All of the ingredients need to be very cold in order for the crust to turn out correctly. The flour and nut milk or water can go in the fridge, while the canola oil should be placed in the freezer for at 30 minutes to an hour before use.