cheesecake | Just About Baked

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownie Bars

November 22, 2015
Mir
Bars n' Brownies, Cupcakes and Cheesecakes
38 Comments

Oh, lord. Here I go with the cheesecake again.

I mean, it’s pretty much impossible not to love cheesecake, so why not one more push for pumpkin? Or wait…I might have yet another post in the pipeline with that lovely form of orange squash. Can you take one more after this?

Either way, this one is quite a literal winner. I entered these bars in a D.C. top chef-style contest a few years ago, and they cleaned up. I won not only the dessert category, but also the overall grand prize. So believe me, you want to make these.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars

October 14, 2015
Mir
Bars n' Brownies, C is for COOKIE!, Cupcakes and Cheesecakes
32 Comments

Everyone loves cheesecake. Everyone loves chocolate chip cookies. Let’s make them a duo like peanut butter and chocolate. You dig?

Seriously, when you love something, you don’t set it free. You keep it in your life and obsess over it. I’ve never been able to turn down cheesecake, especially if it’s packed with milk chocolate chips. I’ve never been able to turn down a chocolate chip cookie, unless something is majorly wrong in my life.

Putting them together just equals total happiness. If anyone wants to be unhappy, stop reading.

Snickers Cheesecake Loaf

August 31, 2015
Mir
Cupcakes and Cheesecakes, Let Them Eat Cake
42 Comments

Who knew that cheesecake could be made in a loaf pan? I never even realized that was an option.

That is, until I read the narrative baking book Saved by Cake by Marian Keyes. If you’re not familiar with her work, she’s an Irish chick lit author. Her books are funny, honest, and have some fantastically complex characters. I’ve been a huge fan for quite a while.

So when she wrote a baking book a few years back, I couldn’t wait to buy it. This cheesecake loaf is an adaptation of one of the recipes in her book. I’ve changed it, but it’s the same idea. Sorry, Marian. I reserve the right to tinker. That’s what baking is all about!

S’Moreo Cheesecake Bars

July 14, 2015
Mir
Bars n' Brownies, Cupcakes and Cheesecakes
32 Comments

Well, it only took a month to get here.

Seriously, I bought these s’more-flavored Oreos a month ago. And I was all excited about making something with them with the vague intention of having it be s’moreo cupcakes. Life got in the way, and it didn’t happen. The cookies just sat in my cabinet until a few days ago, when fate intervened.

I was trying to make cheesecake bars and realized after I began (hate it when this happens) that I was out of both graham cracker crumbs and graham crackers. But instead of giving up, which is not what a baker does, I remembered the s’moreos. And suddenly, these cheesecake bars crystallized in my head and came to life!

Strawberry Cookie Chips Icebox Cheesecake

June 17, 2015
Mir
C is for COOKIE!, Cupcakes and Cheesecakes
30 Comments

It just hit me: July 4th is a few short weeks away. How did this happen?

Well, that’s a dumb question. It’s not like I didn’t work hard for July 4th to become a reality. Months of commuting to work in the dark, sometimes in the ice, often in the rain. Months of teaching teenagers the difference between “it’s” and “its.” Months of wrapping myself up in a blanket at my desk when the heat in my classroom, once again, failed to deliver.

I mean, it dang well better be July 4th. And it better be icebox cheesecake weather. Because no-bake is definitely the way to go right now! Especially when this holiday-themed, easy dessert is filled with delicious Hannah Max cookie chips!

Cheesecake Brownie Chunk Ice Cream

June 15, 2015
Mir
Bars n' Brownies, We Scream for Ice Cream!
37 Comments

Whatever ice cream you love, whatever your favorite is, that is about to change. That’s how (over)confident I feel about this. Prepare yourselves!

Years ago, I tried Ben and Jerry’s Cheesecake Brownie flavor. And it was such a great flavor. After all, what could be better than cheesecake ice cream with brownie chunks? I asked myself that very question while I made this ice cream.

Answer? Cheesecake ice cream with BIGGER brownie chunks and chocolate chunks to boot! You’re welcome. Feel free to send me an award of some kind.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Chips Mini-Cheesecakes

June 10, 2015
Mir
C is for COOKIE!, Cupcakes and Cheesecakes
37 Comments

That name is quite a mouthful, no?

So are the cheesecakes. In a really good way! Because in addition to being li’l bites of heaven, they’re not too heavy on the sugar. And they’re also completely full of Hannah Max chocolate chip cookie chips, i.e., my favorite flavor.

I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love a chocolate chip cookie. When you put them into crispy cookie chips, they’re that much more addictive. Add cheesecake and I’m not really surprised that people’s eyes lit up at work when they saw me bring these in.

Brownie Mix Cheesecake

May 29, 2015
Mir
Bars n' Brownies, Cupcakes and Cheesecakes, Gluten-Free Goodness
32 Comments

This one is for all of you who love mixes. Don’t worry: you’re not alone!

From time to time when I bake for people, they ask if I used a mix. I’m never sure how to take that question, other than to find it rude. The thing is, I bake mostly without mixes, or as a layperson would put it, “from scratch.” But when I use mixes, I usually doctor them or put them into a form for which they weren’t intended.

Butterscotch Cheesecake Bars

April 22, 2015
Mir
Bars n' Brownies, Cupcakes and Cheesecakes
30 Comments

How do you start your day?

Mine always begins with the biggest physical shock possible to my system. I stumble out of bed (no snooze, get right up), throw on my workout clothes, and immediately start moving. It’s always a little odd knowing, as I lie in bed for those last precious seconds, that within a few minutes I’ll be moving at top speed.

It sounds awful to almost everyone I know, but I love getting my body going before my mind. As I do my routine, my mind slowly wakes up and catches up with the rest of me. And there’s something really gratifying about getting all those muscles firing before most people are even awake.

Tagalong Cheesecake Bars

February 23, 2015
Mir
Bars n' Brownies, Cupcakes and Cheesecakes
24 Comments

It finally happened. Here in DC, we broke a record. Apparently, it hasn’t been this cold in over 100 years.

Why don’t I feel good about breaking that record?

Maybe because if I’m going to be a witness to record-breaking, I’d rather there be something more fun involved, like cheesecake eating. Has anyone ever broken a cheesecake-eating record? I’m sure. I’d like to be told about it, but please don’t send me any videos.