Five Cheesecake Ideas To Try

Summer is almost over and now it's time to start thinking about the holidays and family gatherings. During these times, one of my "go to" treats is cheesecake. I simply love the creamy and sweet taste of cheesecakes.

Here are five ideas on what I'll possibly make for the holidays. Most recipes are from online, but I learned a few things in the process, so there are some changes.

(1) Mini Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon margarine, melted

Filling:

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg

Direction:

See it at http://allrecipes.com/recipe/mini-cheesecakes-iii/detail.aspx

(2) Chocolate Chips Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 cup Crushed Vanilla Wafers
• 1/2 cup Confectioners Sugar
• 1/3 cup Baking Cocoa
• 1/3 cup Unsalted Butter (melted)

Filling:

• 3 packages (8 oz) Cream Cheese (softened)
• 1 can (14 oz) Sweet Condensed Milk
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• 2 cups (12 oz) Semisweet Chocolate Chips
• 4 Whole Eggs

Direction:

Preheat oven at 325 deg F.

In a medium bowl, make the crust by combining crushed wafers, sugar, and cocoa. Mix in melted butter. When the mixture becomes doughy, press onto the bottom of a greased 9 inch pie pan. Then set aside.

In a large bowl, make the filling by, first, combining cream cheese, condensed milk, and vanilla extract and beating them till smooth. Second, use a mixer on low speed, add chocolate and eggs until the mixture is thoroughly blended. Pour the filling over the crust.

Place pie pan on a baking sheet. Then for 40-45 minutes. Check with a toothpick to make sure that pie is cooked. Then remove from oven and cool for 15-20 minutes. Refrigerate overnight before serving.

(3) Chocolate Cheesecake

For this heavenly chocolate delight, I followed the recipe from the Kraft website.

Ingredients:

• 18 OREO Cookies, crushed (about 1-1/2 cups)
• 2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
• 3 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 pkg. (4 oz. each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, broken into pieces, melted, cooled
• 3 eggs

Instructions:

Direction to make is best seen at the Kraft site: http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/our-best-chocolate-cheesecake-74552.aspx

For chocolate overload, I used semi-sweet chocolate chips and a layer of ganache instead of strawberries and Cool Whip as originally recommended. I probably won't be diverging from the original recipe in the future.

(4) Twix Mini-Cheesecakes

Another "Fun with Oreos" treat is combining it with Twix, another well-known brand of dessert, to make bite-size cheesecakes. I followed the recipe from The Recipe Diva. This batch is from the first and only time I tried it. Overly sweet. And I should avoid it since diabetes run in my family, e.g. my aunt. But it should be ok once in awhile, as in once a year during Christmas holidays.

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1/2 package Oreos
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake Batter:

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 12 mini Twix bars, chopped into small pieces

Directions:

See http://www.therecipediva.com/recipe/twix-cheesecake-47275

(5) Minute Microwave Cheesecake

Cheesecake cooked in a microwave! Didn't know you can do that until I saw it from Pinterest. YourLighterSide.com has a recipe on how you can make cheesecake quickly within minutes. Of course, you'll have to chill the cheesecake for 1 hour, but that still cuts down the overnight wait that is a standard for most recipes.

To make one serving, all you'll need are

• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 Tbsp sour cream
• 1 egg
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• ¼ tsp vanilla
• 2-4 Tbsp sugar replacement sub (taste as you go)

For direction, see http://yourlighterside.com/2012/08/minute-microwave-cheesecake/

But see the pic below for the texture you expect to see when making this dessert.  For the crumbs, I crumbled oatmeal cookies on top to give an "upside-down cheesecake" vibe which is what others call this treat.