Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

I am sure you all know by now of my not-so-secret-sudden-obsession with Miss Martha Stewart!! I admit, I was a little stand-offish at first, but I have since learned to let all that go! She really has some fantastic cookbooks and magazines out there. I love her Everyday Food Magazine, and I especially love her two recent cookbooks!!! (Martha Stewart Cupcakes and Martha Stewart Cookies) I can't seem to stay away from her recipes. I really have yet, knock on wood, to be let down by one of her recipes! If you are like I used to be about Martha, maybe you too should take a step down and see what all the fuss is about...take it from me, it's totally worth it!

So this past weekend, I was going to someones house and needed to bring a dessert. I knew right away that I wanted to make something out of Martha's Cupcake Cookbook, I just wasn't sure what to make. I mean there are so MANY recipes I am dying to try out! That being said I flipped through the book and decided on her Mini Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes. They looked so cute and I loved the idea of the whole Oreo on the bottom acting as the "crust" of the cheesecake.

The cupcakes turned out perfectly! They had a great flavor and completely satisfied my sweet tooth (which can sometimes be difficult!). The cheesecake was smooth and creamy and the little bits of oreos swirled throughout was just enough. No glass of milk needed to dunk these oreos that's for sure!

Mini Oreo Cheesecakes

(recipe from Martha Stewart Cupcakes Cookbook)

42 Oreos, 30 left whole, and 12 coarsely chopped (this is almost 1 whole package of Oreos)

2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature (or 4 8 ounce packages)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten

1 cup sour cream

Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each lined cup.

With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat cream cheese until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Gradually add sugar, and beat until combined. Beat in vanilla.

Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time, beating to combine and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies by hand.

Divide batter evenly among cookie-lined cups, filling each almost to the top. I used my Pampered Chef Large Cookie Scoop to evenly fill my cupcake liners. (I also was able to make 32 cupcakes, the recipe says it makes 30.)

Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (or up to overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

I'm Meeeeelllllltiiiiiiing.....

I know that Halloween is over, but I couldn't resist not blogging about these little witches! They are so cute and so much fun to make!! I first made them for my husband to take to school for his kids and they loved them, so I decided to make them for my co-workers!!! I actually saw the recipe while I was at Lowe's!! My husband was off looking at stuff, so I went and looked at the cookbooks in the front of the store! The recipe was in the seasonal Halloween Taste Of Home magazine! I don't have the "actual" recipe, (because I didn't buy the book, and I couldn't find it online) but they looked like they would be so easy to make on my own without one. I do give all the credit to Taste of Home! (which I subscribe to and love!!)

I am sorry about my pictures...my camera broke a couple of months ago and I had to have something...so I just bought a cheap point and shoot camera! I guess you get what you pay for! I promise to get a better one soon!

MELTED WITCHES
courtesy of Taste of Home

What you need:

1 bag of Halloween Oreo's

1 Bag of stick pretzels

1 Bag Bugles

1 - 2 cups Shredded Coconut

Yellow Food Coloring

2 bags of White Chocolate Chips

Orange Food Coloring

1 bag of Milk Chocolate Chips

To Assemble:

First in a gallon size zip-lock bag combine your shredded coconut with a couple drops of yellow food coloring. (I kept adding drops until I liked the yellow color....and just seal and shake the bag to get the color all over the coconut) Set the yellow coconut aside. Next set your Oreo's out on wax paper. Take the bag of Milk Chocolate Chips and place the chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave until melted. Take a Bugle (I tried to use only the ones that were flat on the bottom and had a good circle to them...that helps them sit on the Oreo) and dip it in the melted Milk Chocolate Chips. I just used my fingers to get lots of chocolate on them. Make sure there is enough on the bottom to seal it to the Oreo. Once it is covered just place on the Oreo and let it dry. While the "Hats" dry, take the 2 bags of White Chocolate Chips and melt the chips in the microwave in a microwave safe bowl. Once melted take out and add a couple drops of orange food coloring to color the chocolate orange! Place the orange melted chocolate into a gallon size zip-lock bag. Snip off a small part of one corner of the bag. Be careful the chocolate is still warm. On another piece of wax paper, pipe a good amount of the chocolate (I would say a little bigger than a half dollar) onto the wax paper...repeat until you have used up your chocolate. Take your hats and push them into your "orange puddles". Then place one pretzel next to the hat for the broom stick. Sprinkle some of the yellow coconut on top of one end of the pretzel for the broom straw (make sure it is the end that has chocolate so it sticks!) Repeat until you are out of your Oreo hats! Cool until the chocolate sets ... I let mine cool over night. Once the chocolate is set, use a metal pie server to scrap them off the wax paper! ENJOY!!!