Silky Amaretti Cheesecake

When learning to bake there's always that recipe that seems too hard for an amateur. You may only be following instructions but the anxiety of messing up a classic dish is still there. That for me was cheesecake. I'd heard so many horror stories about how difficult it was to perfect and get it right that I never even attempted it -- until I found the perfect recipe with a good enough twist to it that I couldn't resist taking the plunge and trying my hand at it. I followed Laura Vitale's recipe and made a few little alterations.

Serves 8 to 10

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:For the Base:
2 cups of Amaretti Cookie Crumbs (about 8oz of cookies)
2 Tbsp of Sugar
1/4 cup of Melted Butter

Filling:
2 8oz Packages of Cream Cheese
2 8oz Containers of Mascarpone
1 cup of Granulated Sugar
1 tsp of Vanilla Paste or Vanilla extract
1/4 cup of Amaretto Liqueur
4 Eggs
3 Tbsp of Flour
1/2 tsp of Salt

For the Topping:
1 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Tbsp of Powdered Sugar
¼ tsp of Almond Extract
¼ cup of Toasted Almonds

 I didn't have Amaretto Liqueur or almond extract so I omitted them but I found that the almond flavour was subtly still there because of the almond cookies used for the crust. I have to say that this recipe make for a delicious, silky smooth cheesecake. Sometimes I find that cheesecake can be a little too rich but the incorporation of mascarpone with the cream cheese made for a light texture that made all the difference. I'm definitely guilty of having eaten far too many slices of this (who could blame me?) and everyone who tried it said that it was great. 
Next time though I'll definitely have to look up tricks to avoid having my cheesecake crack at the top while cooling down. That is probably the biggest sign of a good cheesecake but overall I think I did a pretty good job for my first try. Plus the whipped cream definitely hid any evidence of mistakes I made!
Give this recipe a try and tell me what you think? Are there any recipes that you're scared of trying?

Christmas Cookies All Year Round

Being the mini Martha Stewart that I am, I baked a lot during the holidays and tried quite a few new recipes. One of my favourites I attempted was the Chewy Molasses Spice Cookie by Martha Stewart.One word: DELICIOUS! This recipe was uber simple to make and takes no time at all. Although the recipe says it takes 1 hour and 30 minutes, that includes the time to let the cookies cool.... but of course I shortened that time significantly. I realize that it's a seasonal recipe but these are so good that I'll probably make them all the time. It's the epitome of all things Christmas and deliciousness and who doesn't need that in their life 24/7?!  Here's how they turned out! (is it obvious I'm not over Christmas yet?)

Cozy S'mores Hot Chocolate

If you're a chocolate lover like me (which if you aren't, what is wrong with you?!), any recipe that basically calls for you to drink liquid chocolate is worth a try. Last night I decided to put a bit of a spin on some hot chocolate recipes I had found and make my own version (inspiration from: Martha Stewart and Chocolate Moosey! The first cup I made was wayyy too decadent, even for me, so I lowered the chocolate dosage and it was much better. Here's how it went down:

Ingredients (Servings: One)

1 cup milk

1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate (or a little less, if you prefer)

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Large marshmallows

Graham crackers

Directions:

Step One: Pour milk into a saucepan. Warm up on medium heat until milk becomes slightly frothy, stirring occasionally. 

Step Two: Chop up the chocolate into smaller pieces. Stir chocolate into milk until completely dissolved and add in the vanilla and salt. Take off of the heat.

Step Three: Place marshmallows on a baking sheet to broil. (Watch carefully, this only takes a minute! Any longer and your smoke detector will go off!)

Step Four: Pour hot chocolate into a mug. Place marshmallows on top and sprinkle with graham cracker crumbs. Now enjoy!

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! Hope you have a wonderful time with family and friends. Don't forget to say Happy birthday to Jesus ;)

Fun & Festive Recipes

One of my favourite things about Christmas is getting to try out new recipes once I finally have some down time. I've loved baking for such a long time and last year I seriously went all out. I'm talking sugar cookies, gingerbread men, pies galore and delicious cakes. Yes, it was hectic but I baked until my heart was content, so this year I'd like to share with you some recipes I've been saving up to try this holiday season. As soon as my last exam is done, it's time to head to the kitchen and bake up a storm!

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These are just a few recipes that I've found that I definitely want to attempt in the next couple of weeks. Praise the Lord, Monday I'll finally be done this semester so you can expect to see some posts very soon of my recipe attempts and some sweets that I've come up with! 
What are your favourite Christmas recipes?
Verse of the day: "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" - John 3:17