Tag: Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Pies · Uncategorized

Baked Apple Pie Cheesecake

Chocolate Castles1 Comment

Years ago when I lived in Corpus Christ, TX, one of my favorite dessert memories was from Luby’s Cafeteria. Sometimes, when we would go, they would have a cinnamon apple topped cheesecake. It was delicious and so different from other cheesecakes. Very creamy and the flavor combination of apple, cinnamon with the cream cheese was just awesome. On the back cover of Nov 2016 Taste of Home I found a recipe that resembled that wonderful memory.

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
2 teas cinnamon, divided
1 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup old fashioned oats or quick cooking oats
2 tables butter, melted
4 packages (8 oz ea so total 32 oz) softened cream cheese
1 teas vanilla
4 eggs

Cook apples with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teas cinnamon in saucepan until apple slices are tender. cool
Heat oven to 325. Combine graham cracker crumbs, oats, butter, remaining cinnamon and 2 tables of the sugar, press onto bottom of a 9″ springform pan.
Beat cream cheese, vanilla and remaining sugar in medium bowl with mixer until blended. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each, just until blended.
Spread half the apples over bottom crumb crust to within 1/2″ of edge. Cover the slices with the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate remaining apples until ready to serve.
Bake cheesecake 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 min, or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Place in fridge for 4 hours.
Drain remaining apples that you had placed in the refrigerator, just before serving. Arrange apples on top of cake as shown in photo.

Thank you Taste of Home for another trip down memory lane and a great recipe.

Cakes · Desserts · Fruit · Uncategorized

Lemon-Blueberry Crumble Bars

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

In the middle of August, when we struggle to find a spot of shade and a refreshing cold drink, our thoughts go to anything light and cool. On the outside of the Philadelphia Cream Cheese box ,(the 3 lb box)this recipe caught my eye.

We are having some new friends over tomorrow night for dessert and since Randy mentioned that he is in the mood for a pecan pie, I found a recipe for a pecan pie cheesecake. So thus the 3 lb box of cream cheese. Will be posting that new recipe after I get it baked this afternoon and can take a picture. In the meantime, this crumble bar sounds easy and yummy, so wanted to post it this morning. After I make it back to Costco for more cream cheese, will be making this.

1/2 cup butter

1 box (2 layer size) yellow cake mix (I love Duncan Hines brand)

2 eggs, divided and at room temperature

16 oz softened cream cheese

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon zest

3 tablespoons juice from 1 or 2 lemons (usually takes me 2 to get that much)

2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, washed and allowed to dry on paper towels

Heat oven to 350.

Line a 13×9″ baking pan with foil, with ends extending over sides. Microwave butter in large bowl until melted. Add dry cake mix and 1 egg to melted butter; beat with mixer until blended. Press 2/3 of this cake mixture onto bottom of baking pan.

Beat cream cheese and sugar with mixer until blended. Add remaining egg, zest and juice. Pour over crust; top with blueberries. Pinch small pieces of the remaining dough between your fingers; press lightly into cream cheese layer.

Bake about 55 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool completely . Use foil handles to lift dessert from pan before cutting into bars.

Makes 12-15 servings (or if you are in our family, would make about 4)

 

Cakes · Daily Thoughts · Desserts · Fruit · Holiday Fare

Pumpkin, Caramel & Pecan Cheesecake

Chocolate CastlesLeave a comment

What better way to celebrate Fri than with a new recipe! It has been a very stressful morning. Decisions, decisions. We are going to some friends home for dinner and guess who volunteered to bring dessert? Knowing that I wanted to make something “fallish” two different recipes came to mind. This new recipe from Philadelphia Cream Cheese or one of my fall favs, fresh apple cake with brown sugar frosting.

Peter Pumpkin and I seem to load up on apples each and every week, thinking that what better time to begin eating healthy? Each time we come back from the grocery determined to load up our bodies with fresh fruit; thus the apples and bananas that we take out of the reusable bags. The only problem with this new resolution (actually it isn’t new, it’s something we’ve resolved to do since January, 1996, but never find the right time to begin) is that as the week goes by with the fruit still sitting there, staring back at us, it becomes apparent that it is no longer “fresh fruit” and is begging to be used in some delicious baked good that thrives on over ripe fruit to make it moisturie (I know I know, but it just seems to be the right word). So since I had apples laying out looking ever so “please use me, please use me” I decided to make a fresh apple cake tonight. But because that recipe is already on the post, I wanted to give you the other dessert that was the 2nd option for tonight. Will make it when I have used up all our over ripe fruit. Will start again on Mon with new fresh fruit. Who knows, maybe by next Fri, I will have found new recipes that use really ripe apples and bananas? In the meantime…..

Makes 16 Servings

Prep Time: 15 min (now that should catch your eye)

1/2 cup chopped pecans, divided

18 Nabisco Ginger Snaps, finely crushed

1/4 cup butter, melted

4 packages ( 8 oz ea) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 can (15 oz) pumpkin

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teas vanilla

1 teas vanilla

 4 eggs

25 caramels

1/4 cup milk

Heat oven t0 325. Chop 1/4 cup of the pecans very fine in a bowl. Add ginger snap crumbs and butter; mix well. Press crumb mixture onto bottom of a 13×9″ pan. Set aside.  Beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl. With hand mixer, beat until blended. Add pumpkin, spice and vanilla, mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust.

Bake 45 min or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Microwave caramels and milk in microwavable bowl for 1 1/2 min or until caramels are completely melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Add the other 1/4 cup chopped pecans and spoon over individual servings of cheesecake. Top with whipping cream if desired.