Dessert Recipe: Rich Vanilla Cheesecake

If there is one dessert that screams decadent, it's cheesecake. It's also one of those desserts that when the craving strikes, nothing else quite hits the spot. That's why today's recipe is devoted to creating this perfectly creamy treat.

A vanilla cheesecake is certainly one of the most basic and versatile versions of this dessert. Its flavors are simple enough, and it's just waiting for a great topping like a chocolate or strawberry sauce, or even some salted caramel. As pictured below, we just decided to plate with a simple chocolate sauce, but feel free to serve a variety of options to guests or experiment with your own personal favorite. Keep reading below for this delicious cheesecake recipe...

Vanilla Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup crushed Nilla wafers
• 2lbs cream cheese
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Line the bottom of a 9" springform pan with foil, tucking the foil tightly underneath the pan bottom. Assemble the pan, then unfold the foil from the bottom around the side of the pan (a quick look at what the end product should look like. It's to prevent leaking during the water bath). Brush the bottom and sides of the pan with butter. Sprinkle the Nilla wafer crumbs over the bottom of the pan, coating evenly. Place a clean dish cloth in the bottom of a roasting pan, and place the cake pan on top. Start a kettle of water boiling.
2. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese in a bowl until smooth (I'd recommend using an electric mixer if you have one, but if you don't just work it hard with a wooden spoon). Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the sugar dissolves. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until you have them fully incorporated, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the zest and vanilla and beat until just incorporated. Fold in the cream and sour cream until the mixture is smooth and evenly incorporated.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared springform pan. Set the roasting pan on the oven rack and pour just enough boiling water to come about halfway up the side of the springform pan. Bake for about 55 to 60 minutes, or until the perimeter is set but the center still juggles when tapped. Turn off the heat and leave the oven door ajar for another hour.
4. Remove the springform pan from the water bath and set on a wire rack to cool to room temperature. Cover then refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours. Serve cold.
5. Enjoy!

Zesty Dessert Recipe: Coconut Key Lime Bars

Lemon bars are probably one of my favorite desserts, but I recently started to wonder if I could do something similar with limes. I wanted to enjoy the taste of fresh limes in pastry form, and I was not about to be denied. Naturally, I set to work finding the perfect recipe to fill that craving.

To start off, we took a look at the crust. Many recipes call for graham crackers, but we actually found crunchy gingersnaps were a much better replacement, adding even more complexity to the dish. For the filling, we combined cream cheese, egg yolks, condensed milk, and some lime juice with zest. We also combined it all with a little shredded coconut to finish off these bars. Keep reading below for our favorite recipe...

Coconut Key Lime Bars

(makes 16 bars)

Ingredients

CRUST

• 2 cups finely crushed gingersnap cookies
• 3 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

FILLING

• 4oz cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 4 large egg yolks
• 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup finely shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup key lime juice
• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9"X9" baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving an overhang on the sides, and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Mix together the melted butter and brown sugar. Set aside.
2. To make the crust, pulverize the crunchy gingersnap cookies into a fine crumb with a food processor. Pour into a medium sized bowl and mix with melted butter and brown sugar mixture. Press firmly and evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes.
3. While the crust is baking, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the egg yolks until incorporated. Beat in the condensed milk, coconut, lime juice, lime zest, and salt until combined. Pour into the warm crust once it's done baking.
4. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the edges of the bars begin to brown. Allow the bars to cool at room temperature in the pan or on a wire rack. Once cooled, place in the fridge to chill completely (at least 2 hours).
5. Once chilled, lift the bars out of the pan using the foil overhang. Cut into squares. Garnish with confectioners' sugar.
6. Enjoy!

Cookies & Cream Recipe: Oreo Cheesecake

Did anyone else besides us crave Oreo cookies at lunch or snack time growing up? These cookies were gold on the playground, used as bartering chips or guarded carefully so as to not draw attention to their yummy presence. It's a been a while since those playground days, but our love for Oreos has not faded and we thought it would be cool to find a way to elevate their consumption-- not that it's even necessary! This cheesecake is the perfect way to do it. A classic cake with a classic cookie—and it’s easy to make—could it get any better?!   

Oreo Cheesecake

(Serves 12)

Ingredients

• 24 Oreo cookies, divided
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 3 packages (8 oz) brick cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 eggs

 Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
2. Place 16 Oreos in food processor and begin pulsing until finely ground. Drizzle in melted butter and pulse. Press this Oreo crust into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan/spring form pan. (If you don’t have a food processor, place Oreos in a plastic bag, squeeze out all air and seal, run a rolling pin over the bag to break up the pieces.)
3. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until well blended. Add eggs individually, making sure to blend mixture fully before adding the next egg.
4. Break up remaining Oreos (saving some if you want to ground them up and sprinkle on top as garnish) and mix into cake batter. Pour mixture into the pie pan. (Optional: add leftover cookies on top.)
5. Bake for 45 minutes, or until almost set. Remove from oven and refrigerate for 4 hours (or overnight).

Low-Fat Dessert Recipe: Simple & Sweet Strawberry Cheesecake

Cheesecake is a deliciously rich and creamy dessert that hits the spot day or night, all year round. One of the reasons why it’s so good is because it’s not overly sweet; the cream cheese gives it a slight bite, but when served with fresh berries and strawberry purée, it’s heaven.

In order to get that flavor, however, the traditional recipe calls for a lot of heavy ingredients, so it ends up being a dessert that’s not awesome for people watching their figures. Don’t worry, though, we’ve got a solution; this recipe is low-fat, but still tastes like the original! Now you can indulge without worry—you won’t even taste the difference!

Strawberry Cheesecake

Yields 1, 9-inch pie

Ingredients 

• 1 cup reduced-fat graham crackers, crushed
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• 4 cups fat-free cottage cheese
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 (8 oz) packages fat-free cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 eggs whites
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup sugar-free strawberry jam
• 1/2 cup low-fat, plain, Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1-2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• fresh berries, garnish
• cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325º F and coat a 9x3-inch springform baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Pulse graham crackers in food processor and drizzle in melted butter. Should become a sand-like mixture. Press graham crackers into the bottom of pie pan in a thin layer.
3. Drain cottage cheese in a cheesecloth-lined sieve for 10 minutes before using. Discard liquid. Place in food processor and blend until smooth.
4. In a mixer on low-medium speed, beat sugar, vanilla and cream cheese until smooth.
5. Slowly add in flour, yogurt, eggs, lemon zest and salt. Mix until smooth and add cottage cheese.
6. Pour mixture into pie pan and bake for 90 minutes, or until almost set. Turn heat off and let cool in closed oven for 1 hour. Remove and refrigerate for 4-8 hours.
7. In a saucepan, heat strawberry jam on medium-low until it liquefies and reduces, around 10 minutes. Pour jam through a strainer to remove seeds. Place cheesecake on serving dish and drizzle strawberry purée on top. Garnish with fresh berries.

Autumnal Appetizer Recipe: Cheesy Pumpkin Dip

We love taking advantage of various seasonal ingredients and pumpkin is definitely one of our favorites! This cheesy pumpkin dip is a tasty snack that is perfect for entertaining or hanging out with the family on game night; it’s like the cool, older sibling to your run-of-the-mill cheese and crackers! You can make it on the stove or in a food processor (we prefer melting it down so it’s gooey and delicious), and with it you’ll never be at a loss for what to serve when you need a quick and fun dip recipe! 

Cheesy Pumpkin Dip

Yields 1-1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• salt and pepper, as needed
• crackers, for serving
• dried red pepper, minced, optional

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt and blend together your cream cheese and cheddar cheese.
2. Stir in pumpkin puree and mix well. Add in cinnamon, salt and pepper.
3. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
4. Pour into heatproof serving bowl and garnish with peppers. Serve with crackers and enjoy.