Cheesecake - Lauren's Latest

No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake

Lauren's Latest — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 18:08:00 +0000

Need a delicious, no-bake refreshing dessert? Look no further and give this No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake a try! Based off of my original No-Bake Cheesecake and my ever-popular Classic Cheesecake Recipe, this is a delicious variation for all you cheesecake lovers out there.

Let’s Talk Cream Cheese

Just like my Classic Cheesecake recipe, you’ll only need a few basic ingredients for this. Nothing new and very obvious items. For the cream cheese, I prefer Philadelphia brand because I think its a little more tangy that the other no-name brands out there. Be sure this is at room temperature to avoid lumps.

How to Make No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake

Make the Crust

In a small bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs and melted butter together to moisten. Press into an 8 or 9-inch glass pie plate and refrigerate.

Do I have to Bake the Graham Cracker Crust?

While a traditional cheesecake does call for pre-baking the crust, I find it isn’t necessary for a no-bake cheesecake because the melted butter works as glue to hold the graham cracker crumbs together for neat and tidy slices. The melted butter hardens in the refrigerator and works perfectly. I wouldn’t bother baking the crust. It’s an extra step that I think is unnecessary.

Make the No-Bake Cheesecake Filling

In a large bowl, mix cream cheese and granulated sugar together until smooth and well combined. Scrape the sides and mix again to ensure there are no lumps. Stir in vanilla.

With the mixer on, add cream in four increments, letting it whip into the cream cheese after each addition. Whip 1 minute until thick and light. Scrape the sides to ensure even mixing and whip again if needed.

Refrigerate and Serve

Pour into prepared pie shell and smooth the top. Refrigerate anywhere from 2 hours to overnight, covered in plastic wrap. To serve, cut into pieces and top with two tablespoons of blueberry pie filling (or whipped cream) if desired.

My Filling Isn’t Thickening! What do I do?

If you are familiar with no bake cheesecake, you may know that getting a thick and luscious filling can seem harder than all us online folks make it look. It’s not hard, you just need to know how to make your filling properly.

Be sure to use room temperature cream cheese and blend with sugar and vanilla to get a smooth base to mix the whipped cream into. Next, using COLD heavy whipped cream, slowly incorporate it by thirds into the cream cheese mixture, letting it mix in completely and scraping the sides of the bowl after each addition. Once all the whipped cream has been incorporated, you want to whip it until its thick enough to hold its shape, completely smooth and creamy. You’re essentially whipping the cream within the cream cheese mixture.

Like I mentioned above, over mixing can turn your thick filling into soup. So once it’s thick, turn the mixer off and spoon it into your crust.

A Note About Whipping Cream

Using cold heavy whipping cream is an important ingredient that adds a light and airy texture as well as helps thicken the filling. “Heavy whipping cream” has a higher fat content (at least 36%) than just “whipping cream”, so be sure to find the containers that say “heavy whipping cream” for ultimate success.

Storing a No-Bake Cheesecake

Leftover cheesecake should be covered in plastic wrap or an airtight container and stored in the fridge for 3-5 days.

To Freeze: Cheesecake can be frozen as a whole or cut into individual pieces. Be sure to wrap in plastic wrap and then wrap in foil before placing it in the freezer. Cheesecake will stay fresh for up to 1 month.

To Thaw: Place Cheesecake in the fridge overnight. The foil can be removed, but leave the plastic wrap on it until ready to serve. You can also microwave individual pieces for about 30 seconds at a time and then check it. I wouldn’t microwave an entire cake though.

Other Cheesecake Desserts to Try:

No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake

No-Bake Cheesecake has never been so easy or delicious! A silky smooth cream cheese filling surrounded by a buttery graham cracker crust. Enjoy plain or with any desired toppings with no oven required.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword no bake cheesecake recipe, No-Bake Cheesecake

Prep Time 25 minutes

refrigeration 2 hours

Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 479kcal

Author Lauren’s Latest

Equipment

1 12" pie plate

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons butter melted

No Bake Cheesecake Filling:

16 oz cream cheese softened (two 8 oz packages)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream cold
2 cups blueberry canned pie filling

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

In a small bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs and melted butter together to moisten. Press into an 8 or 9-inch glass pie plate and refrigerate.
In a large bowl, mix cream cheese and granulated sugar together until smooth and well combined. Scrape the sides and mix again to ensure there are no lumps. Stir in vanilla.
With the mixer on, add cream in four increments, letting it whip into the cream cheese after each addition. Whip 1 minute until thick and light. Scrape the sides to ensure even mixing and whip again if needed.
Pour into prepared pie shell and smooth the top. Refrigerate 2 hours to overnight, covered in plastic wrap.
To serve, cut into pieces and top with two tablespoons of pie filling (or whipped cream) if desired.

Nutrition

The post No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake appeared first on Lauren's Latest.

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

Lauren's Latest — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 15:58:00 +0000

This decadent Lemon Meringue Cheesecake is ultra-creamy filled with pockets of lemon curd and topped with a billowy-soft Swiss meringue. This would be a perfect spring or summer dessert or try my original Cheesecake Recipe!

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake Basics

Just like any cheesecake, the base of this gem is a buttery graham cracker crust. The filling is a classic cream cheese base that is spiked with plenty of lemon but filled with pockets of lemon curd. (SO good!) After its baked, top the whole thing with a toasted meringue topping which takes this over the top. Get ready to live, people. It’s the perfect decadent, refreshing dessert for Spring.

Pro Tips and Tricks

Here are my biggest tips to make perfect Lemon Meringue Cheesecake! I have a whole lot of details about the art of cheesecake making on my Classic Cheesecake Recipe if you’re interested. But here’s the readers digest version.

Room Temperature. Use cream cheese and eggs that are absolutely at room temperature. This makes for a smoother filling.
Be Patient. Leave the cooked cheesecake in the oven for a good 6 hours (or overnight!) after baking to cool and avoid cracking, though a crack in a cheesecake never stopped me from eating it.
Plan Ahead. Just plan ahead because this is not a one and done kind of recipe.

How to Make Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

In a nutshell, this Lemon Meringue Cheesecake has three parts: the crust, the filling, and the topping. It is a bit of a long recipe, but the directions couldn’t be simpler. I promise it’s easier done than said! For full details see the recipe card down below!

Make the Crust

Preheat oven. In a small bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs with sugar and melted butter until combined and moist. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake and set aside to cool. Reduce oven temperature.

Make Lemon Cheesecake Filling

In a large bowl, stir cream cheese and sugar together. Stir in vanilla and lemon extracts. Add in one egg at a time and stir. Scrape edges and stir in lemon zest.

Add the Lemon Curd

Add lemon curd into the cooked crust by dolloping it around the edges and into the center. Pour prepared batter over top of the lemon curd and smooth the top.

Bake, Cool + Chill

Bake, then turn the oven off completely, leaving the cheesecake inside the oven to cool completely. Refrigerate cheesecake until completely chilled.

Make the Swiss Meringue

For the meringue topping, whisk egg whites, granulated sugar, and cream of tartar together in the top of a double boiler OR in a large, heat-safe bowl overtop of simmering water. Whisk until topping is very thick, glossy, and billowy. Fold in vanilla. Spread over top of the cheesecake and broil on low until topping has browned OR use a kitchen torch to brown meringue.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Storing Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

The best way to store leftover lemon meringue cheesecake is in an airtight container and back into the fridge for up to 3 days. If you are going to freeze this cheesecake, I recommend wrapping it well BEFORE adding the meringue topping. As long as it’s wrapped well, it will last up to 3 months in the freezer. To defrost, transfer cheesecake to the fridge until completely defrosted. 24-48 hours. Add meringue topping once you are ready to serve.

Love Lemon? Try these Favorites:

While I don’t have a lot of talents, making cheesecake is certainly one of them. I can make a mean cheesecake that tastes ultra-lemony, extra creamy, and super decadent. It’s a gift, what can I say? Whether you’re a passive cheesecake lover or at the addictive level, this is the kind of dessert that always gets finished, that always has people raving and that doesn’t get easily forgotten.

The printable recipe card is below. Enjoy, friends!

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

This Lemon Meringue Cheesecake is ultra-creamy, filled with pockets of lemon curd and topped with a billowy-soft swiss meringue.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Cool Time 6 hours

Total Time 7 hours 30 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 371kcal

Author Lauren Brennan

Ingredients

for the crust-

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons melted butter

for the filling-

32 oz cream cheese four 8 oz packages, completely at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon extract
4 large eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup lemon zest very loosely packed
2/3 cup cold lemon curd

for the Swiss Meringue topping-

3 egg whites
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs with sugar and melted butter until combined and moist. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes and set aside to cool.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl, stir cream cheese and sugar together until smooth and combined. Stir in vanilla and lemon extracts. Add in one egg at a time and stir in completely before adding in the next egg. Scrape edges and stir in lemon zest.
Add lemon curd into the cooked crust by dolloping it around the edges and into the center. (Using cold lemon curd with allow it to hold its shape while baking.
Pour prepared batter over top of the lemon curd and smooth the top. Bake 1 hour, then turn oven off completely, leaving cheesecake inside the oven to cool completely, about 6 hours.
Refrigerate cheesecake until completely chilled.
For the topping, using a hand mixer, whisk egg whites, granulated sugar and cream of tartar together in the top of a double boiler OR in a large, heat-safe bowl overtop of simmering water. Whisk 5-7 minutes or until topping is very thick, glossy and billowy. Fold in vanilla.
Spread over top of cheesecake and broil on low until topping has browned. OR use a kitchen torch to brown. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition

The post Lemon Meringue Cheesecake appeared first on Lauren's Latest.

Nutella Cheesecake

Lauren's Latest — Sat, 19 Mar 2022 02:38:00 +0000

Thick and creamy, this Nutella Cheesecake Recipe will completely knock your socks off! Based off my classic, highly rated Classic Cheesecake Recipe, but with a chocolatey-Nutella twist! A show stopping cheesecake for any holiday or special occasion.

Crust Options

We start the base of the cheesecake with a homemade traditional crust made from butter, sugar, and crushed graham crackers. If you really like cheesecake crust, I recommend doubling this part of the recipe!

You can also use a different kind of base for the crust such as Oreo cookies, chocolate graham crackers, Nilla wafers, shortbread, or even pretzels.

Nutella Cheesecake is Decadent For a Reason!

The filling in this recipe calls for butter, FOUR packages of cream cheese, an ENTIRE jar of Nutella and lots of whipped cream for garnish. Meaning: I’m not messing around. Of course, you’ll also need common ingredients like vanilla, sugar, and eggs which all comes together to create a creamy and rich finished cheesecake.

Topping Options

I like to top this cheesecake with homemade caramel whipped cream, a chocolate syrup drizzle, and some chopped nuts. Of course, you can sub out any of these toppings for ones you prefer. Here are a couple of ideas:

store-bought whipped cream (I’ve also got a simple and classic homemade whipped cream recipe)
crumbled Oreo cookies
extra graham cracker crumbs
caramel drizzle
Nutella drizzle
fresh fruit (strawberries, raspberries, bananas, etc.)

Love Cheesecake? Try these family favorites: Oreo Cheesecake, No Bake Cheesecake, Strawberry Cheesecake, Lemon Meringue Cheesecake, Pumpkin Cheesecake.

My Secret to Zero Cracks!

Getting no cracks in your Nutella cheesecake isn’t hard when you have the right method and I have just the way for you…no water baths are required! It’s so easy to ruin a cheesecake with a water bath if you don’t have the right pan, or enough foil wrapped around the bottom to ensure to water can seep into your crust or filling. So, I’ve developed my own nearly foolproof method without the water.

All my super-secret details about this fabulous treat are included below. The biggest takeaways would be:

use room temperature cream cheese to reduce lumps
and room temperature eggs (if you forget to pull your eggs out to be room temp, submerge them into lightly warm water for 10 minutes.)
Add the eggs in last– since eggs hold air, I like adding them last to reduce the number of air bubbles that get incorporated in the batter.
Tap the bowl on the counter to remove as many air bubbles as possible.
scrape the sides of your bowl as you mix! You want a silky smooth Nutella cheesecake batter.

How to Make Nutella Cheesecake

For full details on how to make a Nutella Cheesecake, see the recipe card down below

Preheat and Prep

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lock base and collar of 9-inch springform pan together and set aside.

Can I use a smaller/bigger springform pan?

No, you cannot use a smaller pan for this recipe! Because I’m using a 9-inch springform pan, this ends up being VERY full. If you’d like to use a 10- or 11-inch springform pan, be my guest. But just know that it won’t be quite as tall.

Make Graham Cracker Crust

Stir melted butter, sugar, and graham cracker crumbs in a small bowl until moist, similar to wet sand. Pour into the greased springform pan and press evenly into the bottom and up the sides about 1 inch using the bottom of a dry measuring cup {with a flat bottom}. Fingers work just as well too Set aside.

Make Nutella Cheesecake Mixture

In a large bowl, stir softened cream cheese together until smooth. Stir in granulated sugar until well incorporated. Add in vanilla and Nutella and stir until completely incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl well and stir again briefly to get a uniform batter.

Crack all eggs into a liquid measuring cup or bowl and whisk well. Pour eggs into the nutella cheesecake batter all at once and stir until just incorporated. Scrape the sides and edges of bowl to ensure a well mixed, smooth batter.

Tap the bowl on the counter for 30-45 seconds to remove as many air bubbles as possible. You should see them popping on the surface as you tap the bowl. Pour filling into the center of the graham cracker crust and gently smooth the top. Will be full!

Bake, Cool and Chill

Bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees. Reduce temperature to 250 degrees and continue cooking for 45 minutes more. Once this time has elapsed, turn oven off and keep cheesecake inside for another 30 minutes for some carryover cooking without opening the oven door. Crack oven door to let cheesecake cool slowly for one hour before removing. At this point, cheesecake should be slightly warm. Bring cheesecake to room temperature on the counter (3-4 hours) before covering with plastic wrap and transferring to the fridge.

Refrigerate until chilled completely (6 hours to overnight). To serve, open springform pan and remove collar.

Top and Serve!

Decorate as desired. I added another layer of Nutella with whipped cream and chopped hazelnuts. (It’s easiest to microwave about 3/4 cup of Nutella before spreading overtop of the whole cheesecake.) Dip a sharp knife into hot water, wipe off any excess water and slice. I like to dip my knife in water between each slice to get really clean-looking pieces. Enjoy!

Storing Nutella Cheesecake

Nutella Cheesecake is a fabulous make-ahead dessert because it stores so so well in the fridge and freezer! Here’s how to do it.

In the Fridge

After your fully baked Nutella cheesecake has come to room temperature, refrigerate covered for up to one week.

In the Freezer

If you are a kitchen expert, you’ll know cream cheese by itself doesn’t freeze well but baked it does! Cheesecake is a perfect candidate for freezing! First, un-mold Nutella cheesecake from the springform pan. Place into the freezer uncovered for about 4 hours or until it’s mostly solid. Remove the springform bottom and wrap the cheesecake well in two layers of plastic wrap or aluminum foil. It will stay good for up to 3 months in the freezer.

To defrost, simply unwrap and transfer to a plate. Cover gently with plastic wrap and transfer to the fridge to defrost. Once defrosted, cut into slices, garnish, and serve.

More Nutella Recipes to Try!

Be sure to pin/bookmark/print/save this Nutella cheesecake recipe because it’s a showstopper that is certain to turn a few heads at your next get-together.

Have a great day, friends!

Nutella Cheesecake

Thick and creamy, this Nutella Cheesecake Recipe will completely knock your socks off! Made with Nutella, makes it simply the best!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword chocolate cheesecake, Nutella Cheesecake

Prep Time 9 hours

Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Total Time 10 hours 20 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 460kcal

Author Lauren’s Latest

Ingredients

For the Crust-

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 tablespoons butter melted

For the Filling-

32 oz cream cheese* softened (four 8 oz packages)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
13 oz Nutella 1 container
4 large eggs at room temperature**

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Make the Crust

In a medium sized bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs together with sugar and melted butter until well incorporated and mixture looks like damp sand. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, press crust into the bottom and half way up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 7 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

Make the Nutella Cheesecake Batter

In a large bowl, stir softened cream cheese* together until smooth. Stir in granulated sugar until well incorporated. Add in vanilla and nutella and stir until completely incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl well and stir again briefly to get a uniform batter.
Crack all eggs into a liquid measuring cup or bowl and whisk well. Pour eggs into the nutella cheesecake batter all at once and stir until just incorporated. Scrape the sides and edges of bowl to ensure a well mixed, smooth batter.
Tap the bowl on the counter for 30-45 seconds to remove as many air bubbles as possible. You should see them popping on the surface as you tap the bowl. Pour filling into the center of the graham cracker crust and gently smooth the top. Will be full!

Bake Cheesecake

Bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees. Reduce temperature to 250 degrees and continue cooking for 45 minutes more. Once this time has elapsed, turn oven off and keep cheesecake inside for another 30 minutes for some carryover cooking without opening the oven door. Crack oven door to let cheesecake cool slowly for one hour before removing. At this point, cheesecake should be slightly warm. Bring cheesecake to room temperature on the counter (3-4 hours) before covering with plastic wrap and transferring to the fridge.
Refrigerate until chilled completely (6 hours to overnight). To serve, open springform pan and remove collar.
Decorate as desired. I added another layer of nutella with whipped cream and chopped hazelnuts. Dip a sharp knife into hot water, wipe off any excess water and slice. I like to dip my knife in water between each slice to get really clean-looking pieces. Enjoy!

Notes

*it’s really important that your cream cheese is completely soft at room temperature. This will ensure a completely smooth cheesecake filling {no lumps!}

**if you forget to pull your eggs out to be room temp, submerge them into lightly warm water for 10 minutes.

If you would like a thicker graham cracker crust, use 1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs, 5 tablespoons granulated sugar and 6 tablespoons melted butter. Press into the pan and bake for 8 minutes.

Nutrition

The post Nutella Cheesecake appeared first on Lauren's Latest.

Butterfinger Nutter Butter Cheesecake Bars

Lauren's Latest — Sat, 12 Mar 2022 18:57:00 +0000

Let me tell you, these Butterfinger Nutter Butter Cheesecake Bars are what dreams are made of. Glorious. Sweet. Addictive. A Nutter Butter base, cheesecake filling and chocolate topping work in perfect harmony to make these a fabulous treat! For a brownie cheesecake twist, my Cheesecake Brownies are a must try!

Butterfinger Nutter Butter Cheesecake Bar Basics

I’ve combined the most beloved treats in my house and turned them into a trifecta of dessert perfection. Nutter Butters, butterfingers, and cheesecake. All right here, baby.

Here is everything you’re going to need to make this amazing treat:

Nutter Butter Cookies + Butter – these two create the crust for these bars. If you can’t find Nutter Butters try to find another peanut butter-based sandwich cookie.
Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips + Butter – these two create the chocolate topping. The butter ensures that the chocolate doesn’t crack while cooling.

For the Cheesecake Filling

Cream Cheese – this is the main star of the cheesecake filling. Tangy and creamy!
Sugar – to sweeten.
Vanilla – to flavor.
Egg – for structure and richness.
Flour – for structure and texture.
Butterfinger Chocolate Bar – this is crushed up and added into the cheesecake filling. If you can’t find a butterfingers bar replace it with your fave chocolate candy bar.

How to Make Butterfinger Nutter Butter Cheesecake Bars

Start by grinding up the Nutter Butter cookies and then stir in melted butter. Press that into the bottom of your baking dish. Then, whip the 6 ingredients for the cheesecake filling together and pour that on top. Bake that puppy until it’s set and chill it in the fridge. Once it’s cool, top it with chocolate and cut it into bars. Easy peasy. For full recipe details on how to make Butterfinger Nutter Butter Cheesecake Bars, see the recipe card down below 🙂

Preheat + Prep

Preheat oven. Line a 9×9 square dish with foil or parchment and set it aside. {If you are lining your pan with foil, lightly grease with non stick cooking spray.}

Make the Crust

Grind Nutter Butter cookies in a food processor until the consistency of graham cracker crumbs. Pour in melted butter and pulse a few times to mix. Press into the prepared dish and set aside.

Make the Cheesecake Filling

In a large bowl, whip cream cheese, and sugar together until smooth. Stir in egg, vanilla, and flour. Finely chop butterfingers and fold into the cheesecake mixture.

Bake + Chill

Pour cheesecake filling over the top of the crust. Bake until the cheesecake has set. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until completely chilled.

*I wasn’t quite sure what the butterfingers were going to do. Would they stay crunchy? Would they get soggy? Well, here’s where the magic happens: the butterfingers practically turn into little pockets of caramel. Sweet, butterfingery caramel.

Top with Melted Chocolate + Chill

Pour chocolate chips and butter into a small bowl and microwave, stirring every 20-30 seconds. If your chocolate is almost melted, don’t put it back into the microwave! Just keep stirring- the residual heat will continue to melt the chocolate completely.

Spread melted chocolate over top of the bars evenly and place back into the refrigerator to harden the chocolate.

Note: If you leave the bars in the refrigerator longer than 10 minutes after you’ve topped it with chocolate, cutting into the bars might be more difficult and the chocolate is more likely to crack.

Cut + Serve

Remove from refrigerator and using the foil or parchment, remove the entire block of bars from the pan. Cut into bars and serve.

Can I Double This Recipe?

Yes! You absolutely can double this recipe! Instead of using a 9×9 baking dish, use a 9×13 sized dish. The baking time might increase a little bit too so make sure you check on the cheesecake filling.

Storing These Bars

Because the middle is basically cheesecake, you’re going to have to store these bars in the fridge! Cover in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a week.

Freezing Instructions

These bars can also be frozen for up to 3 months! Be sure to wrap them well in plastic wrap and then store in a freezer safe Ziploc bag.

More Chocolate + Peanut Butter Recipes to Try!

If you’ve never baked butterfinger into a cheesecake, now would be the perfect excuse! The peanut butter nutterbutter base and the chocolate top seen to work in perfect harmony with everything the filling has to offer. All in all a fabulous *and I mean fabulous* treat. You’re gonna want to make this one. The printable recipe card is below.

Happy Snacking! 🙂

Butterfinger Nutter Butter Cheesecake Bars

The nutter butter base and chocolate top work in perfect harmony to make these Butterfinger Nutter Butter Cheesecake Bars a fabulous treat!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword butterfinger nutter butter cheesecake bars

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings small squares

Calories 86kcal

Author Lauren’s Latest

Ingredients

for the crust-

16 whole nutter butter cookies
1/4 cup butter melted

for the cheesecake filling-

8 oz cream cheese softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 tablespoon all purpose flour
6 fun size Butterfinger chocolate bars

for the topping-

3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9×9 square dish with foil or parchment and set aside. {If you are lining your pan with foil, lightly grease with non stick cooking spray.} Grind nutter butter cookies in a food processor until the consistency of graham cracker crumbs. Pour in melted butter and pulse a few times to mix. Press into prepared dish and set aside.
In a large bowl, whip cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Stir in egg, vanilla and flour. Finely chop butterfingers and fold into the cheesecake mixture. Pour over top nutter butter crust and bake for 18-22 minutes or until cheesecake has set. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until completely chilled.
Pour chocolate chips and butter into a small bowl and microwave using the 'melt chocolate' function, stirring every 20-30 seconds. If your chocolate is almost melted, don't put it back into the microwave! Just keep stirring- the residual heat will continue to melt the chocolate completely. {If your microwave doesn't have this function, zap your chocolate at 50% power at 20 second intervals, stirring in between.}
Spread melted chocolate overtop of the bars evenly and place back into the refrigerator 5-10 minutes to harden the chocolate. Remove from refrigerator and using the foil or parchment, remove the entire block of bars from the pan. Cut into bars and serve.

Notes

If you leave the bars in the refrigerator longer than 10 minutes after you’ve topped it with chocolate, cutting into the bars might be more difficult and the chocolate is more likely to crack.

Nutrition

The post Butterfinger Nutter Butter Cheesecake Bars appeared first on Lauren's Latest.

Cheesecake Brownies

Lauren's Latest — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 09:58:00 +0000

These Cheesecake Brownies are my Brownies and Cheesecake recipes baked together! Delicious at room temperature or served cold, these brownies are a decadent dessert that you can’t go wrong with. Yum!

A Note About Chocolate

I’d highly recommend seeking out the best baking chocolate you can find for this brownie recipe. The better the quality of chocolate, the more decadent, rich, and delicious these become. Also, I’m a big believer in GO BIG OR GO HOME. Ghirardelli and Scharffen Berger are great brands.

If you don’t have three kinds of chocolate and are in a pinch, you can use semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Can I Make this Recipe with a Boxed Brownie Mix?

While you certainly can make the brownie portion of this recipe with a box mix I prefer making it homemade. This ensures a fudgy rich brownie base every time while boxed mixes differ in quality depending on the brand.

Consider Adding…

These cheesecake brownies are killer on their own but you might want to add a couple of extra goodies just because. Consider adding nuts, coconut shreds, toffee, chocolate chips, or even crushed candy canes!

How to Make Cheesecake Brownies

For full recipe details on how to make Cheesecake Brownies, see the recipe card down below Ok, let’s get started!

Prep and Preheat

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick cooking spray and parchment paper and set aside.

Can I use an 8×8 or 9×9 pan?

I would not recommend using a smaller pan for this recipe. These brownies aren’t crazy thick but they make up for it in their richness. If all you have is a smaller pan I’d cut the recipe in half.

Make Brownie Batter

In a large pot over medium-low heat, melt butter, oil, chocolate, and cocoa together until fully melted and smooth. Remove from heat.

Pour in sugar and vanilla extract. Add in eggs, 1 at a time, stirring vigorously before the next addition. After all four eggs have been mixed in, the batter should be thick and smooth without that granular look to it. Add in the remaining dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Do not over mix.

Fold in chocolate chips if using and pour batter into prepared pan. Smooth the top. Set aside.

Make Cheesecake Topping

In a separate bowl, mix cream cheese together with sugar, vanilla, and egg until completely smooth. That’s it!

Can I double the amount of cheesecake topping?

If you want a thicker cheesecake topping you can absolutely double this part of the recipe. Just note that you might need to bake it for a little bit longer so it sets correctly.

Swirl

Dollop the top of the brownies with the cheesecake mixture and use a butter knife or wooden skewer to swirl the cheesecake into the brownie batter.

If your cream cheese was too warm, your cheesecake mixture might be a little loose (like mine shows in the photos). If this is the case, simply drizzle across the top and drag it through using a butter knife or wooden skewer.

Bake and Cool

Bake 30-35 minutes. Cool at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving. I prefer to cool my brownies to room temperature, then refrigerate them before cutting and serving. I just prefer them cold

Storing Cheesecake Brownies

If you aren’t going to be serving these cheesecake brownies within a couple of hours I would highly suggest refrigerating them! This is to prevent bacteria from growing at room temperature. Cover and store for up to 5 days. Feel free to enjoy cold or reheat individual slices in the microwave until warm.

Can I Freeze This Recipe?

If you want to store these cheesecake brownies for longer than a few days, cut each piece individually and wrap well in plastic wrap, store them all in a Ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

To reheat, simply microwave in 20-second bursts until warmed.

More Decadent Desserts to Try!

Be sure to make these soon! They’re so good and so easy, you’ll probably make them more than once

The printable recipe card is down below. Have a good day!

Cheesecake Brownies

These Cheesecake Brownies are made with my triple chocolate brownie recipe with a swirl of tangy cheesecake right on top! Such a decadent dessert, you really can't go wrong here.

Course Desserts

Cuisine American

Keyword brownie recipe, brownies, cheesecake brownies

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings pieces

Calories 354kcal

Author Lauren Brennan

Equipment

1 9×13 baking dish

Ingredients

For the Brownies:

3/4 cup salted butter
1/4 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
4 oz. milk chocolate chopped
4 oz. dark chocolate chopped
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips optional

For the Cheesecake Swirl:

8 oz cream cheese softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 pan with nonstick cooking spray and parchment paper and set aside.
In a large pot over medium-low heat, melt butter, oil, chocolate, and cocoa together until fully melted and smooth. Remove from heat.
Pour in sugar and vanilla extract. Add in eggs, 1 at a time, stirring vigorously before the next addition. After all four eggs have been mixed in, the batter should be thick and smooth without that granular look to it. Add in the remaining dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Do not over mix.
Fold in milk chocolate chips if using and pour batter into prepared pan. Smooth the top. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix cream cheese together with sugar, vanilla and egg until completely smooth.
Dollop the top of the brownies with the cheesecake mixture and use a butter knife or wooden skewer to swirl the cheesecake into the brownie batter. If your cream cheese was too warm, your cheesecake mixture might be a little loose (like mine shows in the photos). If this is the case, simply drizzle across the top and drag it through using a butter knife or wooden skewer.
Bake 30-35 minutes. Cool at least 15 minutes before cutting and serving. I prefer to cool my brownies to room temperature, then refrigerate before cutting and serving. I just prefer them cold

Nutrition

The post Cheesecake Brownies appeared first on Lauren's Latest.

10 MUST TRY Cheesecake Recipes

Lauren's Latest — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 18:50:32 +0000

If you’re new here, you might not know that Cheesecake is one of my specialties! While you can browse the entire archive of my cheesecake recipes, I thought I’d pick the top 10 that are not only my favorites but have become reader favorites as well.

My Top 10 Cheesecake Recipes!

I’ve been making and perfecting cheesecakes for quite some time now and today I’ve decided to share with you my top 10 cheesecake recipes on the blog. Some are easier and quicker to make than others, however, they are all well worth the effort. Take a gander and happy baking

Classic Cheesecake

This is literally the best cheesecake recipe ever. Seven simple ingredients. No water bath. No cracking ever. It is the only recipe you’ll ever need for classic, jaw-dropping, super creamy cheesecake. Follow my directions and it is simply fail-proof!

No Bake Cheesecake

No Bake Cheesecake has never been so easy or delicious! A silky smooth cream cheese filling surrounded by a buttery graham cracker crust. Enjoy plain or with any desired toppings with no oven required.

Oreo Cheesecake

Mini Cheesecakes

The easiest, most delicious way to make Mini Cheesecakes. Made with vanilla beans, Golden Oreos all in a muffin tin. Perfect every time.

Strawberry Cheesecake

Hello Strawberry Cheesecake! The most glorious, delicious, classic dessert is here! This is a showstopper no matter who you serve it to or when you serve it. This recipe is a variation of my classic cheesecake recipe and is one of my favorites. You only need a few simple ingredients and a little bit of time to make this amazing cheesecake.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Elevate your Thanksgiving meal this holiday season by combining pumpkin pie and the silky texture of cheesecake to get this creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe! Smooth, tangy, and creamy, it’s one of the best desserts you can make this Fall.

Mini Turtle Cheesecakes

These irresistible Mini Turtle Cheesecakes are layers of Oreos, cheesecake, nuts, chocolate chips, and caramel all in one delicious serving. Truly one of the easiest cheesecake recipes out there.

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

This decadent Lemon Meringue Cheesecake is ultra-creamy filled with pockets of lemon curd and topped with a billowy-soft Swiss meringue. This would be a perfect spring or summer dessert!

Nutella Cheesecake

Mile-high, super creamy, Nutella Cheesecake. With pecans! And chocolate sauce!! And caramel whipped cream!!! This Nutella cheesecake recipe is super similar to the kinds you’d find at The Cheesecake Factory. Extra-large, very decadent, with no cracks in the entire thing whatsoever!

Blackberry Cheesecake

Out of all the cheesecake recipes listed here, this is last but certainly not least! Blackberry Cheesecake is a decadent dessert for all occasions. Plus it’s easier to make than you think and is so so so delicious!

The post 10 *MUST TRY* Cheesecake Recipes appeared first on Lauren's Latest.

Oreo Cheesecake

Lauren's Latest — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 06:50:00 +0000

This Oreo Cheesecake will have you swooning. Simple ingredients and simple directions (with no water bath required) means a fantastic show stopping dessert that is perfect for any holiday or special occasion. Based off my Original Classic Cheesecake Recipe, this is made with an Oreo cookie crust, whole Oreos baked into the cheesecake filling with whipped cream and whole cookies as decoration. Be sure to see all my cheesecake recipes here from my archive.

Quality Ingredients with Delicious Results

While this Oreo Cheesecake recipe doesn’t really have a super long ingredients list, each ingredient is important! As long as you’re using good quality products, you will have results just as good as mine.

Use Philadelphia Cream Cheese. I test all my cheesecake recipes with Philly cream cheese because it is the best cream cheese. It’s just the right amount of creamy and tangy and widely available to you, so you can make this exactly how I did.
Classic Oreo Cookies. Please go for name brand Oreo Cookies with the classic amount of filling. No double stuff or mega stuff. Original is best! Also, I do grind the cookies WITH the creme filling to make up the crust. Some stores do carry Oreo crumbs, but I can usually never find so I grind them myself with a blender or food processor.
Good Quality Vanilla Goes A Long Way. While I’m certainly not against imitation vanilla, for a decadent dessert like cheesecake that has very few ingredients to begin with, you’re going to want to use the good stuff because it makes a difference. This vanilla is a great one.

A Few Basic Cheesecake Making Tips

Use Room Temperature Everything. Eggs, cream cheese, sour cream. This will help create a smooth, lump-free filling.

Add in the Eggs Last. Whisk your eggs separately before adding them into the cheesecake batter. Eggs hold air and air can cause cracking in a cheesecake so adding them in last and stirring them in until *just incorporated is a great way to give you a perfectly smooth cheesecake.

Tap Out Air Bubbles. Before pouring the cheesecake batter into the Oreo crust, tap the bowl on the counter for a good 45 seconds to remove as many air bubbles as you can. Removing air bubbles means less cracking.

Bake Low and Slow Without A Water Bath. I personally hate water baths (see my post here all about that), so I have come up with a great way to bake a cheesecake WITHOUT a water bath. Water baths help bake any cheesecake gently and evenly all the way through without cracking. However, you can also achieve this by baking it slowly without one! See the recipe card for full details.

How to Make Oreo Cheesecake

Like I mentioned above, this recipe for Oreo Cheesecake is really quite simple. It has minimal ingredients and is pretty no fuss. The only thing you need to know is it takes some time to make. Time to let your ingredients come to room temperature, time for baking and time for chilling. I recommend making this in an afternoon, chilling overnight and enjoying over the next few days.

Make the Oreo Crust

Start by grinding the Oreo cookies with the creme centers to create crumbs. Pour into a bowl and stir together with melted butter. Press this mixture into a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 7 minutes and set aside to cool.

Make the Filling

Add blocks of room temperature cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer and stir until smooth. Add in granulated sugar and stir again to incorporate. Scrape sides to ensure even mixing. Mix again briefly. Stir in sour cream and vanilla. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl. Continue mixing and scraping until the filling is completely smooth. (It shouldn’t take long if you are using room temperature ingredients.)

In a separate bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk eggs together. Pour entire contents into the cheesecake filling mixture and stir until just incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer and scrape the sides and bottom ensuring everything is evenly mixed. Tap the bowl on the counter 45 seconds to 1 minute to remove air bubbles. Gently pour filling into Oreo crust.

Add in the Cookies

Using a toothpick or the bottom of a wooden spoon, slowly sink whole Oreo cookies into the cheesecake about halfway down. Spread filling evenly across the top and bake.

Bake and Chill

The most important step in the baking process is leaving the cheesecake in the oven without opening the door to peek. It needs a slow and steady temperature for baking and opening and closing the door to check on it can affect the outcome. Start by baking at 325 degrees F and then reduce temperature to 250 degrees F for the remainder of the time. Then leave the cheesecake in the oven for carryover cooking and so it can slowly come down in temperature; another way we reduce cracking. You may get small brown circles on the top of your cheesecake from where the Oreos were sunk down into the filling which is totally normal! We can cover these with decorations. Once it has completely cooled, cover gently with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely chilled 4 hours to overnight.

Decorate and Serve

Remove springform pan collar and add tall whipped cream rosettes. Top with whole Oreo cookies and serve!

Other Cheesecake Toppings

While I’m a bit of a plain Jane when it comes to cake decoration in general, feel free to up my game. A chocolate ganache would work beautifully as a shiny glaze! Cool whip would be pretty piped onto the top, chopped Oreo cookies are always a welcome addition as are mini Oreo cookies. Melted peanut butter is a different (delicious) twist as a topping but hot fudge sauce or Hershey’s chocolate syrup is a more classic choice. As long as it’s chocolatey, it will be delicious.

Freezing Directions

This is one of the best make ahead desserts ever because it stores so well for up to 7 days in the fridge or for up to 3 months in the freezer. You can freeze it whole or in slices.

Freezing A Whole Cheesecake. Once the Oreo Cheesecake has been chilled, remove the collar and freeze for about 1 hour, wrapped gently with plastic wrap. After it’s firm but not quite frozen, pop the bottom of the springform pan off, wrap in a layer of plastic wrap and then two layers of foil. Freeze for 3 months.

Freezing Cheesecake Slices. Once the Oreo Cheesecake has been chilled, remove the collar and cut into slices. Wrap each slice in wax or parchment paper, then aluminum foil. Store in freezer for up to 3 months. To defrost, simply transfer to the refrigerator for 24-48 hours before serving. Garnish after defrosting.

Other Cheesecake Recipes You Will Love

Classic NY Cheesecake
Blackberry Cheesecake
Mini Cheesecakes (made with Oreos in a muffin tin!)
Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Nutella Cheesecake

Anyways, I hope you love this recipe as much as me and my family did! It’s an amazing, jaw dropping treat everyone loves! Have a great day, friends!

Oreo Cheesecake

Course Dessert, Desserts

Cuisine American

Keyword Cheesecake, Cheesecake Recipe, oreo cheesecake

Prep Time 9 hours 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time 10 hours 45 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 618kcal

Cost $15

Equipment

9" Springform Pan

Ingredients

For the Oreo Crust:

2 cups oreo crumbs
5 tablespoons melted butter

For the Cheesecake Filling:

40 ounces cream cheese at room temperature (5-8 oz. packages; 2 1/2 lbs total)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs at room temperature
7 whole oreo cookies
any desired cheesecake toppings whipped cream, more cookies, etc..

Instructions

Place oven racks in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium sized bowl, stir oreo crumbs together with melted butter until well incorporated and mixture looks like damp sand. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, press crust into the bottom and half way up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 7 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix cream cheese 30 seconds 'til smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and add in granulated sugar, sour cream and vanilla. Mix again until incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again briefly.
Crack eggs into a liquid measuring cup and using a fork, beat until well scrambled. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the eggs into the cream cheese mixture and stop stirring once egg has been incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer and scrape the sides and bottom again, ensuring the entire mixture is smooth. If there are a few small lumps, try to fold in using the rubber scraper.
Once the batter is completely smooth and ready, tap the bowl on the counter for 30-45 seconds to remove as many air bubbles as possible. You should see them popping on the surface as you tap the bowl. Pour filling into the center of the graham cracker crust and gently smooth the top. Will be very full!
Sink 7 whole oreo cookies into the cheesecake filling, 6 around the edges and one in the middle. Only press them in half way down using a toothpick or bottom of a wooden spoon. Smooth the top again.
Bake for 40 minutes at 325 degrees. Reduce temperature to 250 degrees and continue cooking for 45 minutes more. Once this time has elapsed, turn oven off and keep cheesecake inside for another 30 minutes for some carryover cooking without opening the oven door. Crack oven door to let cheesecake cool slowly for one hour before removing. You may see some brown spots on the cheesecake from where you sunk the Oreo cookies into the filling. This is totally normal and can get covered with whipped cream.
At this point, cheesecake should be slightly warm. Bring cheesecake to room temperature on the counter (3-4 hours) before covering with plastic wrap and transferring to the fridge.
Refrigerate until chilled completely (6 hours to overnight). To serve, open springform pan and remove collar. Decorate as desired.
Dip a sharp knife into hot water, wipe off any excess water and slice. I like to dip my knife in water between each slice to get really clean-looking pieces.

Nutrition

The post Oreo Cheesecake appeared first on Lauren's Latest.

No-Bake Cheesecake

Lauren's Latest — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 23:17:00 +0000

No-Bake Cheesecake has never been so easy or delicious! A silky smooth cream cheese filling surrounded by a buttery graham cracker crust. Enjoy plain or with any desired toppings with no oven required. The perfect summer dessert. Or if you’re looking for my classic cheesecake recipe <– see here!

But First, What is No Bake Cheesecake?

Just as the name suggests, a no bake cheesecake doesn’t require any baking whatsoever. It’s the perfect dessert for hot weather, if you need a quick treat for a crowd or if you don’t want to take the time to make a traditional New York Style Cheesecake.

The graham cracker crust nor the filling requires any baking which means there are no eggs in this recipe and there is no extended baking or cooling times required. A no bake cheesecake is truly the fail-proof way to make cheesecake. No cracking, no baking, no water bath, no worries!

A Note About Cream Cheese

How to Make No Bake Cheesecake

There are only a few steps and a little fridge time standing in between you and this no-bake cheesecake recipe! As easy as can be!

Make the Crust

Stir melted butter together with graham cracker crumbs and a touch of sugar. Be sure every crumb is coated in butter to have a crust that sticks together. Press into a pie pan and refrigerate.

Do I Have to Bake the Graham Cracker Crust?

Make the Filling

In a stand mixer, stir room temperature cream cheese together with granulated sugar and a touch of vanilla. Slowly incorporate the cold heavy cream into the cream cheese filling being sure to scrape the sides after each addition. Once all the whipped cream has been added, whip the filling for 30-60 seconds or until very thick and it holds its shape easily. Be sure to not over beat! If you beat it too long, it will go from thick back to thin and won’t set.

My Filling Isn’t Thickening. Now What?

Like I mentioned above, over mixing can turn your thick filling into soup. So once it’s thick, turn the mixer off and spoon it into your crust.

Also, using cold heavy whipping cream is important and helps thicken the filling. (Heavy whipping cream has a higher fat content than just whipping cream, so be sure to find the containers that say “heavy whipping cream” for ultimate success.)

Of course this cheesecake is delicious as in with no toppings whatsoever, though I am a little partial to a little lemon curd.

Pour Filling into Crust + Chill

Spread that thick and creamy filling into the chilled crust, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours (or up to a few days).

Serve With Any Desired Toppings

Serve with any desired toppings. From canned cherry or blueberry filling to fresh fruit or chocolate sauce, the sky is the limit!

Crowd-Pleasing Cheesecake Toppings

Since this is a very basic, beautiful and delicious cheesecake recipe, try to find delicious toppings that will help enhance the flavor. Here are a few classic ideas:

cherry pie filling (what most no-bake cheesecakes call for)
fresh strawberries or raspberries
strawberry or raspberry sauce
chocolate shavings
chocolate sauce
melted nutella
whipped cream
lemon curd
chocolate ganache
salted caramel sauce

Storage Directions

Leftover cheesecake should be covered in plastic wrap or an airtight container and stored in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Other Cheesecake Desserts:

This recipe is certainly one of my favorites and I know you are sure to love this easy no bake cheesecake too With the holidays quickly approaching, be sure to bookmark, pin, save or print this recipe so you don’t lose it. It’s another great one to add to your repertoire! Enjoy, friends.

No Bake Cheesecake

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword no bake cheesecake recipe, No-Bake Cheesecake

Prep Time 10 minutes

refrigeration 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 479kcal

Author Lauren’s Latest

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons butter melted
16 oz cream cheese softened (two 8 oz packages)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream cold
1 cup canned pie filling cherry, blueberry, etc.

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

In a small bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs and melted butter together to moisten. Press into an 8 or 9-inch glass pie plate and refrigerate.
In a large bowl, mix cream cheese and granulated sugar together until smooth and well combined. Scrape the sides and mix again to ensure there are no lumps. Stir in vanilla.
With the mixer on, add cream in four increments, letting it whip into the cream cheese after each addition. Whip 1 minute until thick and light. Scrape the sides to ensure even mixing and whip again if needed.
Pour into prepared pie shell and smooth the top. Refrigerate 2 hours to overnight, covered in plastic wrap.
To serve, cut into pieces and top with two tablespoons of pie filling (or whipped cream) if desired.

Video

Nutrition

The post No-Bake Cheesecake appeared first on Lauren's Latest.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Lauren's Latest — Mon, 25 Oct 2021 07:25:00 +0000

Elevate your Thanksgiving meal this holiday season by combining Pumpkin Pie and the silky texture of a classic New York Cheesecake to get this creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe! Smooth, tangy, and creamy, it’s one of the best desserts you can make this Fall.

A Crack-Free Pumpkin Cheesecake With No Water Bath!

While I used to have a Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe that called for using a water bath, I have since updated and created a fail-proof method for making and baking perfect cheesecakes without any water bath whatsoever. (I know that is the traditional way to make one, but I abhor water baths.) While my Original Cheesecake Post covers this topic pretty in depth, I’ll just cover the basics:

Use Room Temperature Ingredients For a Lump Free Batter

lumps in your cheesecake batter is one of the main reasons cheesecakes can crack. Using room temperature cream cheese, eggs and pumpkin is key. Also, don’t forget to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl frequently.

Add In The Eggs Last

If you are familiar with baking, you’ll know that eggs can hold and trap air bubbles. It’s great for making light and airy cakes but not so much for dense cheesecake. Air bubbles are another big reason cheesecakes can crack. So, to combat any extra air, scramble your eggs, pour them in all at once as the last ingredient and then stop stirring as soon as they are incorporated.

Tap Out Any Air Bubbles

Removing extra air bubbles out of the batter before you pour it into your graham cracker crust is probably my biggest secret to getting that perfectly smooth, crack-free pumpkin cheesecake. Tap the bowl on the counter 45 seconds or so, then pour into the crust and smooth the top.

Bake and Cool Slowly and Gently

The point of a water bath is to hold the cheesecake at a steady and gentle temperature until its completely baked. While they work great, they are unnecessary because you can get the same results by baking low and slow and then cooling it down really gently. See my temperature changes and cooling directions in the recipe card below.

How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake

Any Cheesecake is a labor of love! While the ingredients list is filled with really common things that are readily available, it takes some time to make! But, of course, you make this well in advance of Thanksgiving and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve. Storage directions are listed below.

1. Make the Graham Cracker Crust

In a medium-sized bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs together with sugar and melted butter until well incorporated and the mixture looks like damp sand. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, press crust into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 7 minutes at 350 degrees F.

2. Make the Pumpkin Cheesecake Batter

In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix cream cheese for 30 seconds until smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then add in granulated sugar. Stir until smooth. Stir in vanilla, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again to ensure the cheesecake batter is getting evenly mixed.

Eggs Go In LAST

Crack eggs into a liquid measuring cup and using a fork, beat until well mixed. With the mixer on low, slowly pour the eggs into the cream cheese mixture and stop stirring once the egg has been incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer and scrape the sides and bottom again, ensuring the entire mixture is smooth. If there are a few small lumps, try to fold in using the rubber scraper.

3. Tap Air Bubbles Out–Don’t Skip This Step!!

Once the batter is completely smooth and ready, tap the bowl on the counter for 30-45 seconds to remove as many air bubbles as possible. You should see them popping on the surface as you tap the bowl. Pour filling into the center of the graham cracker crust and gently smooth the top. Will be very full!

4. Bake, Cool & Chill

Bake for 40 minutes at 325 degrees. Reduce temperature to 250 degrees and continue cooking for 45 minutes more. Once this time has elapsed, turn the oven off and keep cheesecake inside for another 30 minutes for some carryover cooking without opening the oven door.

Crack oven door to let cheesecake cool slowly for one hour before removing. At this point, cheesecake should be slightly warm.

Bring cheesecake to room temperature on the counter (3-4 hours) before covering with plastic wrap and transferring to the fridge.

Refrigerate until chilled completely (6 hours to overnight).

My Cheesecake Cracked! What Do I Do?

Even if you did follow the directions super closely, there’s still a chance that your cheesecake can crack. It really is a science sometimes. You can read my newer cheesecake post here where I talk all about the reasons why cheesecakes can crack, but the main thing to remember is DON’T STRESS about the crack. Your cheesecake will taste just the same!

The solution to this cosmetic problem is either to not let it bother you or covering the crack! Whipped cream will cover a multitude of sins as will chocolate ganache.

My favorite thing to do is cutting up individual slices (cutting around or avoiding the crack) and garnishing each separate piece. Add some whipped cream, a drizzle of chocolate or caramel sauce, some chopped nuts, etc. Pretty those pieces up and no one will know.

How to Decorate Pumpkin Cheesecake

Speaking of cracks, here are some delicious garnish options that are specifically chosen for a pumpkin cheesecake! When I made this recipe I topped it with fresh whipped cream and a good quality caramel sauce plus a sprinkling of cinnamon. I kept it pretty simple. But if you’re wanting to jazz it up for Thanksgiving, here are some other ideas:

Chopped Pecans or Walnuts – this adds a delicious nutty crunch.
Graham Cracker – save some crumbs from your crust and sprinkle on top to tie the whole dish together.
Gingersnaps – crush some of these cookies and sprinkle on top for a different type of flavor combo.
Rum Whipped Cream – just sub out the vanilla extract for rum extract. The result is rum flavor without the alcohol.
Cinnamon Whipped Cream – add some cinnamon to your whipped cream! This is also super good on apple pies.
Chocolate Ganache– melt equal parts of chocolate chips with heavy cream and drizzle over the top. Milk chocolate chips are my favorite, but dark chocolate would also be delicious!

How to Get Perfect Slices

Dip a sharp knife into hot water, wipe off any excess water, and slice. I like to dip my knife in water between each slice to get really clean-looking pieces. Also, if there is some cheesecake residue stuck to the knife, scrape off, then dip in water and then wipe.

Making Pumpkin Cheesecake Ahead for Thanksgiving

The best part of this recipe is being able to make it ahead and have it taste just as good on day three as it did fresh out of the oven. If you are wanting to make this for the Holidays, you can make and bake it up to a week ahead of time. Make the Pumpkin Cheesecake according to the recipe card below, then cover and store in the fridge, keeping it in the springform pan the entire time to keep those edges fresh.

To serve, unlatch and remove the collar, decorate as desired, and serve. For clean slices, dip your knife into hot water, wipe off excess water and then slice.

Freezing Directions

If you want to make Pumpkin Cheesecake well in advance and freeze, simply make this recipe according to the recipe card below, remove the collar, wrap well in plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months.

To freeze slices of cheesecake, once the cheesecake is made, fold long pieces of parchment paper in half. Slide the parchment paper onto a knife and cut, leaving the parchment paper in between each slice of cheesecake. Wrap in several layers of plastic wrap and foil and freeze for up to 3 months.

More Pumpkin Recipes to Try!

Enjoy this delicious addition to your dessert table this holiday season! This recipe is something you’re not going to want to lose, so be sure to pin/bookmark/save/print it. Have a great day, friends!

Pumpkin Cheesecake (no water bath)

Elevate your Thanksgiving meal by combining pumpkin pie and the silky texture of cheesecake to get this creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe.

Course Dessert, Desserts

Cuisine American

Keyword Pumpkin Cheesecake, Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

Prep Time 9 hours 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time 10 hours 45 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 494kcal

Cost $15

Equipment

9" Springform Pan

Ingredients

For the Graham Cracker Crust:

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs see note below on using gingersnaps
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter melted

For the Cheesecake Filling:

32 ounces cream cheese at room temperature (4-8 oz. packages); Philadelphia brand preferred
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup 100% pure pumpkin Libby's brand preferred
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 large eggs at room temperature
any desired cheesecake toppings

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Place oven racks in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium sized bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs together with sugar and melted butter until well incorporated and mixture looks like damp sand. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, press crust into the bottom and half way up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 7 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix cream cheese 30 seconds until smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and add in granulated sugar. Stir until smooth.
Stir in vanilla, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl and mix again to ensure the cheesecake batter is getting evenly mixed.
Crack eggs into a liquid measuring cup and using a fork, beat until well scrambled. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the eggs into the cream cheese mixture and stop stirring once egg has been incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer and scrape the sides and bottom again, ensuring the entire mixture is smooth. If there are a few small lumps, try to fold in using the rubber scraper.
Once the batter is completely smooth and ready, tap the bowl on the counter for 30-45 seconds to remove as many air bubbles as possible. You should see them popping on the surface as you tap the bowl. Pour filling into the center of the graham cracker crust and gently smooth the top. Will be very full!
Bake for 40 minutes at 325 degrees. Reduce temperature to 250 degrees and continue cooking for 45 minutes more. Once this time has elapsed, turn oven off and keep cheesecake inside for another 30 minutes for some carryover cooking without opening the oven door. Crack oven door to let cheesecake cool slowly for one hour before removing. At this point, cheesecake should be slightly warm. Bring cheesecake to room temperature on the counter (3-4 hours) before covering with plastic wrap and transferring to the fridge.
Refrigerate until chilled completely (6 hours to overnight). To serve, open springform pan and remove collar. Decorate as desired.
Dip a sharp knife into hot water, wipe off any excess water and slice. I like to dip my knife in water between each slice to get really clean-looking pieces.

Notes

*If you’d like to substitute gingersnap cookies for graham cracker crumbs, grind up cookies using a food processor or blender to create crumbs. Measure out 2 cups and stir with 6 tablespoons melted butter. (You do not need to add any granulated sugar). Press into springform pan and bake as directed.

Nutrition

The post Pumpkin Cheesecake appeared first on Lauren's Latest.

Strawberry Cheesecake

Lauren's Latest — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 17:02:00 +0000

Hello Strawberry Cheesecake! The most glorious, delicious, classic dessert is here! This is a showstopper no matter who you serve it to or when you serve it. This recipe is a variation of The Best Cheesecake Recipe and is one of my favorites. It’s a thick and creamy classic cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries and homemade strawberry-vanilla sauce. It’s truly the perfect summer dessert.

Only 8 Ingredients

This recipe for Strawberry Cheesecake is made with very few ingredients when mixed together give you an amazing finished product. I do recommend certain brands because I have found the most success with them, but feel free to use no-name brands if you prefer them better or would like to save a few dollars. Cheesecake is notoriously labor intensive and expensive for dessert standards, but I try to streamline this process to make it as simple and straightforward as possible with the best ingredients.

Some Important Notes Before You Begin:

I recommend using Honeymaid graham cracker crumbs and Philadelphia cream cheese for this recipe. These are the brands I use when testing all my cheesecake recipes, so I know your finished results will be good.
Use a good quality vanilla extract when possible. Obviously if you only have artificial vanilla extract, use that, but I’d recommend a good one.
Don’t forget to have all your ingredients at room temperature before you begin. Everything incorporates easily when it’s all the same temperature, giving you a smooth, thick cheesecake batter. I’m mainly talking about the cream cheese, eggs and sour cream.
You will use two full pounds of fresh strawberries. I know that seems like a lot, but half is for the sauce and half is for the garnish. This is a strawberry cheesecake, after all.

That is it! While there is nothing HARD about this recipe, it does take some time. Do your best to follow my instructions for making the batter and baking and you too will have a gorgeous strawberry cheesecake, just like my pictures show.

Love Cheesecake? Try these other favorites: Classic Cheesecake, NY-Style Nutella Cheesecake, Amazing No-Bake Cheesecake, Perfect Pumpkin Cheesecake.

How to Make Strawberry Cheesecake

I know there are a lot of steps, but following this method exactly will give you a big, thick crack-free cheesecake. And, don’t forget this list is just the bare bones of the recipe. The FULL recipe is in the printable recipe card below.

Make the Graham Cracker Crust

Start by stirring graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter together and press into a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 7 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Set aside to cool.

Do I have to use a Springform Pan?

The short answer is not necessarily, but I would highly *highly* recommend using one. The best baking pan for this cheesecake recipe is a 9-inch springform pan and I don’t have a suggestion for the optional pan to use instead. You can definitely put this into a 10-incher but definitely won’t fit into an 8.

Also, I know you can buy larger 9″x 3″ cake pans without the springform option, but just don’t see any good way to remove the whole cheesecake without ruining it. Moral of the story? Splurge and get the springform pan. Or find a friend and borrow one (I find that this is super easy when you are willing to share some of your strawberry cheesecake).

Can I use any other pan to make this Strawberry Cheesecake?

I have had great success making this strawberry cheesecake in a 9×13 pan and serving as cheesecake bars. None of the ingredients, directions, or baking times are changed. Simply just replace the springform pan with a 9×13. You will need more strawberries for garnish (about 1/2 pound), but that is the only change.

Make the Cheesecake Filling

Make the filling by stirring the very soft cream cheese together with the granulated sugar. Stir in the vanilla and sour cream. Scrape the sides really really well and stir again to ensure there are no lumps.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs together and slowly add to the cheesecake filling with the mixer on. Once eggs are incorporated turn mixer off. Scrape the sides really well to ensure a very smooth batter. If there are lumps, stir them in by hand.

Remove Air Bubbles

Tap bowl on the counter for 30-45 seconds to remove air bubbles. Air bubbles can contribute to why cheesecakes crack, so we definitely want to prevent that.

Bake, Cool, Chill

Pour batter into graham cracker crust, smooth the top and bake. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 250 to finish cooking. Let the cheesecake sit in the hot oven with the oven closed for 30 minutes before cracking the door and letting it continue cooling for another hour. Remove from oven and bring cheesecake to room temperature.

Refrigerate Your Cheesecake

Once the cheesecake has cooled to room temperature, cover and refrigerate until completely chilled. The great thing about cheesecake is that its a wonderful dessert to make in advance because it stores so well in the fridge.

Make the Strawberry Sauce

Wash and hull and slice 2 pounds of strawberries. Reserve half of the berries for garnish.

Place the other half the berries, sugar, and water in a small saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes or until berries are very soft. Place into a blender and blitz until smooth. Refrigerate.

The homemade strawberry sauce recipe that makes this cheesecake quintessentially strawberry is only 4 ingredients. After you cook those ingredients together, you blend them until smooth. You will still have seeds! If you’d prefer the sauce to be seedless, strain out the seeds using cheesecloth.

After you strain the sauce, refrigerate until completely chilled before topping the strawberry cheesecake with it. After the sauce has chilled, it should thicken slightly.

Of course, you can definitely just buy strawberry sauce from the store if you’d prefer to not make it. Ain’t nothing wrong with that.

Slice + Serve Strawberry Cheesecake

To serve, top with the fresh berries and drizzle half of the strawberry sauce overtop. Slice strawberry cheesecake into pieces and serve with remaining strawberry sauce.

*Dip a sharp knife into hot water, wipe off any excess water and slice. I like to dip my knife in water between each slice to get really clean-looking pieces.

A Few Tips to Prevent Your Cheesecake From Cracking

There are several reasons why cheesecakes can get a giant crack down the center but through my recipe testing and research, I’ve found the main three reasons are: air bubbles, lumps in the batter and baking and cooling. Here’s how I’ve dealt and adjusted my recipe to ensure these three things don’t cause any issues:

Make sure the batter is lump-free-using room temperature cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream makes everything incorporate easier, thus more of a lump-free batter. Also, be diligent in scraping the sides of the bowl. You want to ensure the cheesecake batter is lump-free before adding in the eggs.
Stir in the eggs last– When you are using a hand or stand mixer, it has a tendency to incorporate air into any batter you make, not just cheesecake. Particularly after you add in eggs. When eggs get whipped, they hold that volume. So, we want to reduce the mixing time after we add in the eggs and remove any extra air bubbles. How do we do this? Crack all four eggs into a bowl and whisk with a fork before adding them into the cheesecake batter. Then, stir in the eggs last and mix until they are just incorporated.
Tap the bowl on the counter to get rid of the air bubbles– before pouring the batter into the graham cracker crust, tap the bowl on the counter for 30 to 45 seconds to remove as many air bubbles as possible.
Cool it gently and slowly…without using a water bath- baking a cheesecake in a water bath helps moderate oven temperatures not only for baking but for cooling too. Since I hate water baths and think they should go die, I had to MacGyver this whole cheesecake recipe to ensure it was baking at a lower oven temperature for a longer period and also cooling very slowly. Once baking is finished and the oven gets turned off, you’ll notice the cheesecake still spends over an hour in the hot oven, not only to help finish baking it (called carryover cooking) but also to cool it gently and slowly. This is what gets you that beautiful, crack-free top.

In love with this strawberry cheesecake flavor combo? Check out these other recipes: Strawberry Cheesecake Milkshake, Strawberry Cheesecake Tart, and Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies.

Storing Strawberry Cheesecake

Like I mentioned above, cheesecake in general makes a great make ahead dessert because it does so well in the fridge and freezer!

In the Fridge

After your fully baked cheesecake has come to room temperature, refrigerate covered for up to 1 week.

In the Freezer

If you are a kitchen expert, you’ll know cream cheese by itself doesn’t freeze well, but baked it does! Cheesecake is a perfect candidate for freezing!

First, un-mold cheesecake from the springform pan. Place into the freezer uncovered for about 4 hours or until its mostly solid. Remove springform bottom and wrap the cheesecake well in two layers of plastic wrap or aluminum foil. It will stay good for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Love Strawberries? Try these recipes:

If you loved this strawberry cheesecake, you’re going to devour these other strawberry recipes. The printable recipe card is below! Enjoy, friends!

Strawberry Cheesecake

This Strawberry Cheesecake is a showstopper You only need a few simple ingredients and a little bit of time to make this amazing cheesecake.

Course Dessert, Desserts

Cuisine American

Keyword Cheesecake, Strawberry Cheesecake, Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe

Prep Time 9 hours 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time 10 hours 45 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 606kcal

Author Lauren’s Latest

Cost $15

Equipment

9" Springform Pan

Ingredients

For the Graham Cracker Crust:

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter

For the Cheesecake Filling:

40 ounces cream cheese at room temperature (5-8 oz. packages; 2 1/2 lbs total)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs at room temperature

For the Strawberry Topping:

2 pounds fresh strawberries divided
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Place oven racks in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium-sized bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs together with sugar and melted butter until well incorporated and the mixture looks like damp sand. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, press crust into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix cream cheese 30 seconds 'til smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and add in granulated sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix again until incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again briefly.
Crack eggs into a liquid measuring cup and using a fork, beat until well scrambled. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the eggs into the cream cheese mixture and stop stirring once the eggs have been incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer and scrape the sides and bottom again, ensuring the entire mixture is smooth. If there are a few small lumps, try to fold in using the rubber scraper.
Once the batter is completely smooth and ready, tap the bowl on the counter for 30-45 seconds to remove as many air bubbles as possible. You should see them popping on the surface as you tap the bowl. Pour filling into the center of the graham cracker crust and gently smooth the top. It will be very full!
Bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees. Reduce temperature to 250 degrees and continue cooking for 45 minutes more. Once this time has elapsed, turn the oven off and keep cheesecake inside for another 30 minutes for some carryover cooking without opening the oven door. Crack oven door to let cheesecake cool slowly for one hour before removing. At this point, cheesecake should be slightly warm. Bring cheesecake to room temperature on the counter (3-4 hours) before covering with plastic wrap and transferring to the fridge.
Refrigerate until chilled completely (6 hours to overnight). Open springform pan and remove the collar.
For the Strawberry Sauce, wash and slice 1 pound of strawberries and place into a small saucepan. Sprinkle in sugar and water. Heat over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook strawberries for 10 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour into a blender and blitz until completely smooth. Chill in the freezer for 10-15 minutes in a shallow dish.
Wash and slice the remaining pound of strawberries and decorate the chilled cheesecake with them. (Pile them high!) Pour half of the strawberry sauce over top of the entire cheesecake.
Cut into slices** and serve with remaining strawberry sauce.

Notes

**Dip a sharp knife into hot water, wipe off any excess water and slice. I like to dip my knife in water between each slice to get really clean-looking pieces.

Nutrition

The post Strawberry Cheesecake appeared first on Lauren's Latest.