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.

Cookie Crust:

• ¾ cup flour
• 2 ½ Tbsp sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• ¼ cup softened margarine
• ½ tsp vanilla

In a medium bowl stir together flour and sugar. Add egg, butter, and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Carefully press dough evenly into the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan.

Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside.

Key Lime Filling:

• 24 ounces cream cheese
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 5 Tbsp sour cream
• 5 tsp flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ cup frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
• ¼ cup lime juice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• green food coloring (optional)

In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and flour. Beat with an electric mixer till smooth. Add eggs and egg yolk, one at time, beating well after each addition. Beat in limeade concentrate, lime juice, and vanilla extract. Stir in green food coloring, if desired. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust.

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 200 and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until the center no longer looks wet or shiny. Remove the cake from the oven and run a knife around the inside edge of the pan.

Honey Lime Glaze:

• ½ cup frozen limeade concentrate, thawed
• 4 tsp lime juice
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp finely shredded lime peel
• Fresh lime slices

In a small saucepan stir together limeade concentrate, lime juice, cornstarch, honey, and lime peel. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Pour over cheesecake. Garnish with lime slices. Chill till serving time. Makes 12 to 18 slices.

Diana Dyer is a Registered Dietitian and cancer survivor. She pursues a cancer-fighting diet that is chock-full of veggies and other healthy foods, including flaxseed. This is one of her recipes.

• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• 1 can (15 oz) pureed pumpkin
• 1 cup freshly ground flaxseed

Preheat oven to 350. Coat 3 mini-muffin pans with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pumpkin into a smooth, slightly stiff batter. Drop 2 Tbsp bater into each muffin cup and sprinkle generously with flaxseed. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.

Makes 36 mini-muffins

This is one of those fun recipes that could serve as a breakfast or dessert. It’s also a great dish for kids to help with. Have them roll the apples in the dough for you, and they will feel as if they created the dish themselves.

• 2 medium Granny Smith apples
• 1 package (6 large or jumbo) refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
• 4 Tbsp butter
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup orange juice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup very finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 8” square baking dish. Peel and core apples. Cut each apple in 6 pieces.

Unroll crescent roll dough. Separate triangles, then cut each in half from the point to the wide end. Starting at wide end, wrap each apple section in a dough triangle and place in pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

Combine butter, sugar and orange juice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over dumplings. Sprinkle pecans over top.

Bake 30 minutes until golden and bubbly. Serve warm, spooning some of the syrup from the baking dish over dumplings. Serve with ice cream, if desired.

Serves 12.

• 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!

• 2 cups quick or old fashioned oatmeal, uncooked
• 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt (necessary)
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to temperature 375°F. Combine all ingredients, except applesauce and nuts, in a bowl. Mix until crumbly. Reserve 1 cup mixture. Press remaining mixture onto bottom of greased 13×9 inch baking pan. Bake 13-15 minutes. Cool. Spread applesauce over partially baked base and sprinkle with nuts. Sprinkle reserved 1 cup oatmeal mixture over filling. Bake 13-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and cut into 2 inch squares.

Source: Chefs.com

I grew up calling these Texas Sheet Cake. Last year I moved to Texas and discovered they just call them brownies here. Doesn’t matter what they are called, frosted bars of chocolate cake are divine.

• 2 C flour
• 2 C sugar
• 1 stick (½ C) butter or margarine
• 1 C water
• ¼ C cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ cup buttermilk or sour cream
• 1-2 tsp vanilla, to taste

Frosting:

• 1 stick (½ C) butter or margarine
• 6 Tbsp milk
• ¼ C cocoa powder
• 1 lb powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Generously grease and flour a 12″ x 18″ (jelly roll) pan, or line with foil and grease foil. Sift together flour and sugar.

In small saucepan, heat ½ cup butter, water and ¼ cup cocoa powder to a boil; add to flour and sugar.

Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk; add to flour mixture. Stir in eggs and vanilla.

Bake 20-30 minutes until done.

Meanwhile, mix frosting: In small saucepan, combine ½ C butter, milk, and ¼ C cocoa powder and bring to a boil. Stir in powdered sugar. Frost cake while still hot.

Makes about 2 dozen 3″ squares.