A Labor of Love... a new found recipe and research that wasn't done in vain...

I was really hoping to jump back into cooking this week, but the doctor hasn't released me so hubby is going to try to make my recipes as he refuses to let me overdo in ANY way.  LOL This should be interesting!  What a week for my camera to be in the shop.

One of the things I've been doing while being forced to do nothing physical is trying to go through all the stacks of magazines and recycle!  If I have to sit still this seems so logical - except now I'm growing a stack of pages torn from magazines for recipes I must try!

I was going through an 1993 Country Living, yep 1993, and found a recipe for Lemon Cookie Cups.  The title sounded awesome and they called it a variation of classic lemon bars.  I decided to do an internet search and after much thought I am altering the original recipe from Country living and picking favorite ingredients from the dozens of other  recipes I found to brew up a new recipe and am introducing:

BLISSFULLY DECADENT LEMON CHOCOLATE LUSH CUPS ~ makes 24 cups

CRUST

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup all purpose flour

• Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add flour and beat until well blended. If dough is soft add an additional tablespoon of flour.
• Cover and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
• Either line your muffin tin with liners or spray extremely well with PURE.
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
• Divide dough evenly, about 1 tablespoon, into the 24 cups.
• Using your lightly floured fingertips gently press dough into the bottom and up the sides of each cup.
• Bake 15 minutes.

FILLING
1/2  cup granulated sugar
2  teaspoons finely  grated lemon rind
1  tablespoon  lemon juice
1  large egg
1  (8-ounce) cream cheese, cubed & softened

• In a small food processor process all ingredients until smooth, scraping sides of processor bowl occasionally. 
• Spoon 1 tablespoon filling into each prepared muffin cup. 
• Bake at 350° for 23 minutes or until edges are brown and filling is set. 
• Remove cups from pans immediately; cool on a wire rack. 

TOPPING
8 ounces good-quality milk chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup heavy cream

• Put chocolate into a heatproof bowl. 
• Bring cream to a simmer in a saucepan. 
• Pour over chocolate. Let stand for 10 minutes, then whisk until smooth. 
• Let cool, whisking occasionally. For piping, immediately transfer to pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain round tip.
• Use immediately.

Now pretend that I have a camera this week, but since I don't I went in search of pictures on google images that came close to making you feel like you were eating and seeing this decadent dessert.

or these

or even these

Now combine all 3 pictures, inhale deeply and smell the rich smooth lemony cream and luscious chocolate as they touch your tongue and your taste buds to combine and begin to explode and you are beginning to taste what we are eating.  I promise a real picture soon!

Dulce de Leche Cookies

Better late than never. I'm a day off this week and didn't realize it was Wednesday already!

Jodie of Beansy Loves Cake chose Dulce de Leche Duos aka Caramel cookies aka yummy delights aka gone around here. They were a big hit and alas I will have to make more. I didn't think we were going to like them as well as we did - boy was I wrong.

Plain old Cheesecake

For the crust:
1 3/4 cups ginger snap/vanilla wafer crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
2 pounds (four 8-ounce boxes) cream cheese, softened
1 1/3 cups maple sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons blackberry extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sour cream or heavy cream, or a combination of the two

To make the crust:

• Butter a 9-inch springform pan—choose one that has high sides. Mine is square.
• Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Pour over the melted butter and stir until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist.
• Turn the ingredients into the buttered springform pan and use your fingers to pat an even layer of crumbs along the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides. Don't worry if the sides are not perfectly even or if the crumbs reach above or below the midway mark on the sides.
  
• Center a rack in the oven, preheat the oven to 350°F and place the springform on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes.
• Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while you make the cheesecake.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
  

To make the cheesecake:

• Working in a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until it is soft and truly creamy, about 5 minutes.
  
• With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and continue to beat another 4 minutes or so, until the cream cheese is light. Beat in the vanilla and blackberry extract.
• Add the eggs one by one, beating for a full minute after each addition. Reduce the mixer speed to low and stir in the sour cream and/or heavy cream.
• Give the batter a few stirs with a rubber spatula, just to make sure that nothing has been left unmixed at the bottom of the bowl, and scrape the batter into the springform pan.
• Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, at which point the top will be browned (and perhaps cracked) and may have risen just a little above the rim of the pan. Turn off the oven's heat and open the door a crack.
• Allow the cheesecake to sit for another hour.
• After 1 hour, carefully remove from the oven and leet the cheesecake come to room temperature on a cooling rack.
• Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen sides.
• When the cake is cool, cover the top lightly and chill the cake for at least 6-8 hours, although overnight would be better.
  

Serving:

• Remove springform sides. The easiest way to cut cheesecake is to use a long, thin knife that has been run under hot water and lightly wiped. Keep warming the knife as you cut slices of the cake.

Storing:

• Wrapped well, the cake will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or for up to 2 months in the freezer. It's best to defrost the still-wrapped cheesecake overnight in the refrigerator.

♥

Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars ~ Tuesday with Dorie & What Did You Bake Today?

Today, after months of finishing the investment house and major kitchen renovations and then months of care taking my in-laws, is FINALLY my re-entry into the baking world we call Tuesday's with Dorie and I couldn't be happier to be back dusted with flour and making a mess of a kitchen. Today we are baking Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars which was picked by Lillian of Confectiona’s Realm. You can find the recipe over at her site.

Kristen from What Did you Bake? at OUR KrAzY kitchen offered up a January challenge mystery ingredient this month of Oatmeal. The timing couldn't have been better for me with Lillian having chose the wonderful Chocolate Oatmeal Almost-Candy Bars. In my new version I added blueberries, changed it to dark versus light brown sugar, change it to honey roasted versus salted peanuts and used peanut butter instead of butter in the chocolate layer. Next time I am going to try cashews.

My version of Dorie's recipe:
CHOCOLATE OATMEAL PEANUT BUTTER BLUEBERRY BARS
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking flour
1 teaspoon salt + pinch salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
2 JUMBO eggs
3 cups old fashion oats
1 1/2 + 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
2/3 + 1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts
1 /2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup dried blueberries
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons peanut butter
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  
• Sift together the flour, soda, teaspoon of salt and cinnamon.
• In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter.
• Add the brown sugar and blend well.
• Add eggs, one at a time, blending well after each one.
• Add vanilla and blend until light & fluffy.
• Add flour mixture and blend until smooth.
• Gently mix in oatmeal and 2/3 cup peanuts.
• Set aside 2 cups of mixture.
• Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 well greased baking dish.
• Scatter the blueberries randomly over the top of the oatmeal mixture.
• In a double boiler mix together the sweetened condensed milk, peanut butter and chocolate chips until melted and well blended.
• Stir in vanilla, raisins and remaining peanuts.
• Spread over the oatmeal layer.
• Working in small amounts flatten oat oatmeal dough and top chocolate mixture.
• With well greased fingers press gently on the top oatmeal dough to spread it out evenly over the chocolate layer.
• Bake 30 minutes.
• Cool completely before cutting.
  

I'm also offering these recipes for the oatmeal theme:

• Chocolate Oatmeal Bars
  
• Chocolate Oatmeal Logs
• Chocolate Oatmeal Raisin Bars

Smashed Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies ~ Smashed Banana Blueberry Chocolate Chip Cookies

hosted by Chaya & Min at OUR KrAzY kitchen

No story ~ just craved bananas and chocolate chips!

SMASHED BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon maple extract
2 JUMBO eggs
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 smashed bananas*

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Sift together the flour, soda and salt.
• Cream butter.
  
• Add bananas.
• Add sugars and vanilla, blend until smooth.
• Add eggs one at a time until well blended.
• Gradually add the flour mixture and blend well.
• Fold in nuts and chocolate chips. (And or blueberries at this point).
• Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 10-12 minutes.
• Cool.
  

*for the next batch I substituted 1 cup dried blueberries for 1 of the bananas.

Banana Nut Muffins & Banana Blueberry Nut Muffins

BANANA NUT MUFFINS
1 cup packed golden brown sugar
2 sticks of butter, softened
2 jumbo eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 VERY ripe bananas*
1 3/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup crushed walnuts

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  
• In a medium saucepan melt one stick of butter.
• Puree bananas.
  
• Add brown sugar, raisins and pureed banana. Stir until well blended and remove from heat.
• In a large mixing bowl cream together 1 stick of butter, eggs and sugar.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda and baking powder.
• Gradually add flour mixture into creamed mixture until well blended.
• Add in the brown sugar mixture until smooth and consistent.
• If making the Banana Blueberry version, fold in the blueberries last.
• Fill muffin tins 2/3 full.
  
• Bake for 12-15 minutes.
  

*to make Banana Blueberry Nut use one less banana and add 1+ cup blueberries.

Recipes shared with:
Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Jen over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Tuesdays at the Table is hosted by Cole at All the Small Stuff
Tempt my Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Lisa at Blessed with Grace
Try A New Recipe Day is hosted by Min at OuR KrAzY KiTcHeN
Vintage Recipe Thursday is hosted by Joy at Joy of Desserts
Foodie Friday is hosted by Michael Lee at Designs by Gollum
Save Room for Dessert is hosted by Joy at OuR KrAzY KiTcHeN
What Did you Bake Today? is hosted by Kristen at OuR KrAzY KiTcHeN

Apricot Rum Raisins

Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Housewife inspired me to make these a few weeks ago so I dug deep into the recipe archives to find grams recipe as I hadn't made them in years. Kristen's directions are much easier and clearer than grams as well as much more up to date. Thanks Kristen.

APRICOT RUM RAISINS

1 cup butter

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons yeast

4 eggs, beaten

7 1/2 cups flour

• In a saucepan melt butter.
• Add milk and water whisking until smooth consistency and JUST boiling.
  
• Cool 5-10 minutes so you don't kill the yeast.
• Add the sugar, salt and yeast to form a sponge like blob.
  
• Add the eggs until uniform consisitency.
  
• In a mixer with a dough hook attached, combine flour and yeast mixture.
  
• Knead well. Put in refrigerator for at least several hours, but overnight is better.

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  
• Roll a ball of dough the size of a golf ball into a rope and coil into a circle. Make sure the center is thinner than the outer edges to hold the filling in. Sometimes I prefer squares, but you just have to work with your dough after you have it coiled.
  
• Fill with a heaping tablespoon of filling per danish (recipe below).
  
• Let rise an hour in a warm place.
• Bake 15 minutes.
• Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting. If you prefer a drizzle thin out this frosting with a couple extra tablespoons of milk until desired consistency.
  

Cream cheese apricot raisin filling

1 bag large dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins, chopped

1/4 cup golden rum

• Soak apricots and raisins in rum for an hour or overnight.
• Drain off rum.
• Set aside.
  

8oz pkg cream cheese

1 egg

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tablespoons grated orange peel

• Blend cream cheese, egg, powdered sugar and orange peel together until smooth.
• Fold in apricots and raisins into the cream cheese mixture. Or my favorite is to fill them as 2 separate fillings with the cream cheese first and the apricot in the center of that.
  

Tasty Tuesday is hosted by Jen over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Tuesdays at the Table is hosted by Cole at All the Small Stuff
Tempt my Tummy Tuesday is hosted by Lisa at Blessed with Grace
Vintage Recipe Thursday is hosted by Joy at Joy of Desserts
Foodie Friday is hosted by Michael Lee at Designs by Gollum
Save Room for Dessert is hosted by Joy at OuR KrAzY KiTcHeN
What Did you Bake Today? is hosted by Kristen at OuR KrAzY KiTcHeN

BLACKBERRY SOUFFLES

They serve up great for a Sunday brunch buffet.

BLACKBERRY SOUFFLES
6 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 ounces cream cheese, cut into eight 2 inch cubes
2 cups sliced blackberries

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Spray 8 ramekins with PURE.
• Beat together eggs, water, and salt.
• Fill ramekins 2/3 full with egg mixture.
• Top each one with a cream cheese cube.
• Evenly sprinkle brown sugar on top of each ramekin.
• Top each one with blackberries.
• Bake 15 minutes or until brown sugar is melted and eggs are set.
• Slide out of ramekins (if you want), dust with powdered sugar and the rest of the blackberries.