Pumpkin Cheesecake

I was in the mood to bake something festive and something I KNEW my dad would love. He LOVES cheesecake (as do I), but our stomachs hate us afterwords. SO I decided to make it a little different. I used organic cream cheese and organic sour cream, instead of the overly processed stuff (thank you mom for the idea). After I chilled it over night, I went into the kitchen in the morning and saw that a piece was taken out! Dad had some for breakfast! We both felt just fine after we ate it too (which was such a good thing!). Anyways, enough of this blabbering, here is the recipe!

Pumpkin Cheesecake:

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted

FILLING:
3 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 can (15 oz) solid-pack pumpkin
1 can (5 oz) evaporated milk
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs, lightly beaten

TOPPING:
2 cups (16 oz) sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Additional ground cinnamon (for garnish)

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up the sides of a greased 9 inch springform pan. Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes or until set. Cool for 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, brown sugar, pumpkin, milk, cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour into crust.
3. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes or until center is almost set.
4. In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla; spread over filling. Bake 5 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Chill overnight.
5. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before slicing. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Refrigerate leftovers.
Yield 12-14 servings

Things I want for my kitchen...

This apple timer from amazon is so cute!

and this double timer is fun too

These Odd Size measuring spoons from uncommongoods.com were cool, because they have EVERY teaspoon and tablespoon you could think of. I wish they came in stainless steel...

And I thought this recipe binder was ADORABLE!

http://www.zazzle.com/custom_name_recipe_binder_with_french_chef-127297075906483764

I would have put up a picture but the website wouldn't let me...

Halloween Cookies!!

My mother and I decided to make some sugar cookies. Now, I'm not a huge fan of sugar cookies so I altered the recipe a bit to make them taste better! I added vanilla AND lemon zest to the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Lemon Zest of half a lemon
• Powdered sugar, for rolling out dough

Directions:

Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric stand mixer and beat until light in color. Add egg and milk and beat to combine. Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl. Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Sprinkle surface where you will roll out dough with powdered sugar. Remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from refrigerator at a time, sprinkle rolling pin with powdered sugar, and roll out dough to 1/4-inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place cold cookie sheet on top for 10 minutes to chill. Cut into desired shape, place at least 1-inch apart on greased baking sheet, parchment, or silicone baking mat, and bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time. Let sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes after removal from oven and then move to complete cooling on wire rack. Serve as is or ice as desired. Store in airtight container for up to 1 week.

For the frosting I used this basic recipe. For the colors, instead of using the traditional watery food coloring, I used the gel food coloring by Wilton.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter
• 1lb powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together to make a stiff frosting. If it is still a little runny or if you just want it thicker add more powdered sugar. If it is too thick add more water.