Common Cuisine |

Chocolate Cookie Crust

• 12 chocolate sandwich cream cookies
• 3 Tbsp butter, melted

Crush cookies or spin them in a food processor until crumbly. Stir together with melted butter and press evenly into the bottom of a greased 9″ springform pan.

Milk Chocolate Filling

• 3-8 oz packages cream cheese
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 12 oz milk chocolate chips (plus extra for garnish)

Before beginning, set cream cheese and eggs on counter to come to room temperature. If you are in a hurry, set the cream cheese in a 200 degree oven for 10 minutes and set the eggs in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips in microwave by heating for 30 seconds on high, stirring, then heating for 30 seconds again.

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, making sure to incorporate each one before adding the next. Be careful, though, too much beating will result in a cracked cake. Add vanilla and melted chocolate, stir to combine.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Without opening the oven, lower the temperature to 200 degrees and allow the cake to continue baking for another 75 to 90 minutes. You will know it is time when the center loses its wet or shiny appearance.

Take the cake out, run a knife around the inside edge of the pan, and put the cake back in the oven. Turn the oven off and let the cake sit in the oven for 2-4 more hours to finish cooking while it slooooowly cools.

Refrigerate, uncovered, several hours to overnight. Consider slicing the entire cake into 12-18 slices before adding the topping. I slice with dental floss, or you may use a hot, dry knife.

Top with dollops of whipped cream and sprinkled milk chocolate chips.

8 oz sweet hot pepper jelly or jalapeno jelly
8 oz cream cheese
1 box crackers

Place the cream cheese on a plate. Pour pepper jelly over top. Serve with crackers.

• 1 C crushed pretzels
• 1 C granulated sugar
• 1 stick butter, melted
• 1 C powdered sugar
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 8 oz whipped topping
• 1 can pie filling (cherry, blueberry, blackberry, etc)

In 9″ x 13″ pan, combine crushed pretzels, granulated sugar and melted butter. Press firmly into pan to form crust.

In medium bowl, cream together powdered sugar and cream cheese. Fold in whipped topping and spread over crust.

Spread pie filling over cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate 2-3 hours before serving.

Makes 12-24 servings, depending how large you cut the pieces!

You can use any kind of cream soup here, for a variety of results. You can also add vegetables in the last 30-60 minutes, such as fresh mushrooms with mushroom soup, asparagus tips with asparagus soup, etc.

• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 1 onion, cut into slivers

Place chicken bites into slow cooker, then onion.

Stir together cream cheese and soup. Pour over top of chicken and onions, then mix gently.

Cook on low for 4-5 hours. High setting not recommended.

Serves 6.

These are mashed potatoes, Southern Style, and sized for a crowd!

• 5 pounds potatoes
• ½ cup butter (1 stick)
• 8 oz cream cheese (1 pkg)
• ½ cup half-and-half
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• seasoned salt

Peel potatoes (if desired) and cut into chunks or slices. Place in large pot, then fill it with water to 1″ above tops of potatoes. Turn on high heat until water comes to boil. Cook on medium high heat until potatoes are soft when poked with a fork. Drain out water.

Using a mixer, add in butter, cream cheese and half-and-half. Add onion powder, garlic powder, and seasoned salt to taste.

Makes a lot of potatoes!

from the kitchen of Valerie Mace

• ½ C flour
• ½ C butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp cocoa
• ½ C powdered sugar
• ½ C pecans, chopped
• ½ jar fudge topping
• 1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese
• 1 C powdered sugar
• 1 C cool whip
• 2 C milk
• 2 pkgs instant pudding (any chocolate flavor)
• 1 C. cool whip
• Chocolate shavings

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix flour, butter, cocoa, ½ C powdered sugar and pecans in medium bowl. Spread evenly in 9 x 13 dish. Bake 15 minutes. Cool completely.

Mix pudding powder and milk, and set aside.

Spread fudge topping over crust. Combine cream cheese, 1 C powdered sugar, pudding mixture and cool whip, and gently mix. Spread evenly over fudge topping.

Top with final 1 C cool whip and chocolate shavings.

Here is a delicious alternative to the traditional Pumpkin Pie, if you can give it up. Cheesecake is one of those desserts where you have to follow the directions to make sure you’re not compromising the quality of the final product. You also want to make sure you get a springform pan. You could probably bake it in a square baking dish, but it will be difficult to get out.

Filling:

• 3 pkg (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmet
• dash ground cloves

Crust:

• 2 cups finely crushed ginger snaps
• ½ cup finely chopped pecans
• 6 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted

Crust: Mix ginger snap crumbs, pecans, and butter; press onto bottom and 2 inches up side of 9-in springform pan.

Filling: Beat cream cheese, ¾ cup of the sugar and vanilla with electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Reserve 1 ½ cups of the plain batter. Stir remaining ¼ cup sugar, pumpkin, and spices into remaining batter. Spoon ½ of the pumpkin batter over crust; top with spoonfuls of ½ of the reserved plain batter. Repeat layers. Cut through batters with knife several times for marble effect.

Bake at 325 for 55 minutes or until center is almost set if using a silver springform pan. (Or, bake at 300 for 55 minutes if using a dark nonstick springform pan.) Loosen cake from side of pan; cool before removing side of pan. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Makes 12 servings.