Shortbread Cheesecake Cupcakes

★★★★

Quick Info:
Difficulty: Medium
Yield: 9 cup cakes
Cookie Type: Shortbread
Attribution: Gina Krull, local baker

Ingredients:
Crust
1 sleeve Shortbread Cookies, chopped fine
1 Tbsp Sugar
3-4 Tbsp Melted Margarine
Cup Cakes
1 package No-Bake Cheesecake
Variations
1 Tbsp Caramel Ice Cream Topping
Pecan Pieces
1 Tbsp Hot Fudge Ice Cream Topping

Directions:
Crust:
Mix cookies, sugar, and margarine well for crust.

Line 9 cupcakes with papers.
Put 1 spoonful of crust mixture on bottom of cupcake.
Press down with small cup.

Cup Cakes:
Mix 1 package of No-Bake Cheesecake according to package directions.
Scoop equal amounts into each cupcake.

Variations:
Put 1 Tbsp Caramel Ice Cream Topping in bottom, top with pecan pieces
OR put 1 Tbsp Hot Fudge Topping in bottom

Contains: Wheat, soy, milk, flour


May Contain: Peanuts

Variation Contains: Pecans

Irish Cream Thin Mint Cheesecake

★★★★

Quick Info:
Yield: 1 cheesecake
Cookie Type: Thin Mints
Attribution: Halverson's Supper Club

Description: Halverson's

Ingredients:
Cake
1 ½ cups Thin Mints, crushed
2 Tbsp Butter, melted
3-8 ounces Packages Of Cream Cheese, room temperature
1 ¼ cups Sugar
¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
3 Tbsp Flour
3 Eggs
½ cup Sour Cream
¼ cup Irish Cream Liqueur
Ganache Topping
8 ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate
½ cup Heavy Cream
2 Tbsp Butter
½ sleeve Thin Mints

Directions:
Cake:
Preheat oven to 450℉.

In large bowl, mix crushed cookies and butter together. Press into bottom of 9 in. spring-form pan. Put into refrigerator and cool for 15 minutes.

In another large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, cocoa powder, and flour. Beat at medium speed until blended and smooth. Add one egg at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add sour cream and Irish Cream, mixing on low speed. Pour over set crust.

Bake at 450℉ for 10 minutes. Then reduce oven temperature to 250℉ and continue baking to 60 minutes.

With knife loosen cake from rim of pan. Let cool, remove rim of pan. Chill before adding chocolate ganache topping.

Ganache Topping:
Break chocolate into small pieces and put into bowl.
Heat cream and butter until boiling. Pour over chocolate and let rest for 5 minutes. Then mix until smooth.

Pour over cake, then smooth over edges.

Coarsely crumble Thin Mints over top and chill for at least 2 hours, before serving.

Enjoy!

Contains: Wheat, soy, milk, cocoa, flour, egg

Caramel deLite Cheese Cake

★★★★

Description: Third Place winner, Susan at the Sunprint Café knew exactly what she wanted to make when I asked her to take on the girl scout cookie challenge. This delicious Caramel deLite Cheese Cake IS as great as it sounds.

Quick Info:
Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 1 cake
Attribution: Sunprint Café, Chef Susan

Cookie Type: Caramel deLites

Ingredients:
Crust:
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted plus more for coating pan
1 ¼ cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
2 Tbsp Sugar
Filling:
2 8 ounces packages Cream Cheese
1 cup Sugar
3 Large Eggs
¼ tsp Salt
3 cups Sour Cream, (not light)
1 box Caramel Delite Cookies, chopped
1 can Dulce De Leche

Directions:
For the Crust:
Preheat oven to 325F. Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 9 inch spring form pan. In a bowl, combine melted butter, graham cracker crumbs, and sugar and stir until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Transfer the crumb mixture to the springform pan and press evenly onto the bottom and about 1 ½ inches up the sides of the pan. Bake until the crust dries out a little, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack completely.

For the filling:
Turn the oven up to 350F.

Blend the cream cheese and sugar in a mixer, making sure to get out all of the lumps. Add the eggs, one at a time and blend well after each addition. Blend in the sour cream. Add ⅔ of the chopped cookies and ⅓ cup of the Dulce de Leche. Stir in by hand until just incorporated. Pour into prepared pan.

Prepare a water bath (boiling the water in a tea kettle works best). Fold a terry-cloth towel and place it in the bottom of a roasting pan, sticking out at least one inch all around the pan. Place the cake pan on the towel in the roasting pan.

Pull out middle shelf of oven slightly and place roasting pan on the shelf. Carefully pour enough boiling water in the roasting pan to come at least 1 inch up the side of the cake pan. Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in for 1 hour more. The cheesecake will not look done, and a 3 inch circle in the center should still wiggle. Remove it from the oven and refrigerate overnight.

Run a knife along the edges of the springform pan to fully separate the cake from the pan and remove the spring form. Pour the remaining Dulce de Leche on top of the cake (using a squeeze bottle gives a nice design) and sprinkle with the remaining cookies.

Contains: Wheat, soy, milk, coconut, eggs, cocoa


May Contain: Peanuts