Peanut Butter Cup Cheesepake

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesepake

No, that’s not a typo. Remember my obsession with pake, the pie-cake hybrid? Well, the love continues with this cheesecake in a pie crust. Behold the cheesepake!

This one is special, folks. While I say I don’t like to play favorites with my desserts, this one is too good for me to lie about. It’s ridiculous. If you’re a peanut butter and chocolate addict, making this cheesepake is not even optional. Get into your kitchen. Now!

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Chocolate Birthday Cupcakes

Chocolate Birthday Cupcakes

My baby is two! I can’t believe it. And I know that’s something everyone says, but really, my youngest is tiny. She’s very small for her age and always has been, so I am a little shocked every time I realize how old she’s getting.

Despite her smallness, my daughter can really eat. Every day when I get home from work, she looks at me and says, full of hope, “Want chocolate.” And you know what? I give it to her. Because I totally understand her, and because she’s cute. And because she’ll throw a mean tantrum if I don’t. That’s good parenting in action, people.

So for her birthday, I took the most intense chocolate cake recipe I could think of and made cupcakes out of it. Minnie Mouse cupcakes, to be exact. Because the only thing my daughter loves as much as chocolate is Minnie Mouse.

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Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Ah, the gluten-free life. It comes with so many challenges. My husband eats a mainly gluten-free diet, and he tends to try some baked good or other and then say, “It’s missing…something.”

To which I reply, “Um…wheat?”

Yep, it’s hard to make him forget just how great that gluten is. Which is why I’m so grateful that along with the recipes I make for him from scratch, there are people out there who make really good gluten-free refrigerated cookie dough. The Immaculate Baking brand is his (and my) favorite. The ingredients are free of chemicals and the cookies are nice and chewy. If you can’t find that brand at your local store, you can substitute two packages of your favorite gluten-free refrigerated cookie dough in this recipe.

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Sunshine Lemon-Lime Tart

Sunshine Lemon-Lime Tart

This is the best time of year. As soon as Cinco de Mayo hits, the weather gets sunnier and spending time outside is nothing but a sheer pleasure. Lazy days, frosty margaritas, flip-flops…and lime-infused desserts!

I still remember my first slice of key lime pie. It was quite a special moment. My husband and I were dating and we went on vacation to Florida, and in a restaurant overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, I had my first slice. I think that moment was perfection. And I’ve been trying to recreate it ever since. This particular tart, though not a key lime pie, manages to bring back that happy feeling effortlessly.

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Peanut Butter Cup Bark

Peanut Butter Cup Bark

Oh, come on. You knew this was coming, didn’t you?

You don’t get to my level of peanut butter and chocolate dependence easily. It takes hard work. Daily doses of Reese’s, for instance. That’s a must. So why should it surprise you that I decided to make this bark?

It’s just…lovely. Sigh. So much lovelier than any bark ever. Have I mentioned that I like to exaggerate from time to time? But really, look at those peanut buttery swirls, all dotted with little peanut butter cups. It’s just pretty. A very attractive dessert, which dessert should be if it possibly can. Yes, I’m paraphrasing Jane Austen. I’m an English teacher.

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Brownies And Blondies (Passover)

Brownies and Blondies (Passover)

Folks, Passover Week is drawing to a close on Just About Baked. Come Wednesday morning, I will be back to posting regular baked goods. Thank the lord and all the powers up above! I can’t take much more of this…

See, I miss the forbidden foods. Like pizza. And sushi. Oh my lord, a week without sushi is a very dark time in my life. You can imagine how well I got through three pregnancies without raw fish. It was a horrible time. So I guess I shouldn’t complain about one week. Especially when I can have brownies!

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