Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

I don't dread Monday mornings.  It's hard to complain when my week starts with baking club treats. At KIPP AIM Academy our previous 6th grade non-fiction teacher came up with the brilliant baking club idea. Every week, two baking club members are assigned to bake a specific type of dessert. On Monday morning they anonymously put their entries in the teacher's lounge. Baking club members then sample and vote to determine which item is the best overall. Alicia and I made this recipe for bar week, and they won! They involve several layers, making them time consuming to prepare. It's definitely worth the time though. Chocolate chips, cookie dough, cheesecake and graham cracker crumbs all in one recipe is sure to please everyone.






Crust Ingredients
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Cookie Dough Ingredients
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325°. Butter a 9″-square baking pan. Line pan with parchment paper, leaving enough to extend over the sides. Butter the parchment paper.

Filling Ingredients
10 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crust Directions
Combine graham cracker crumbs and butter until crumbs are moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Press crust mixture into bottom of pan and 1 inch up sides. Bake for 6 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool

Cookie Dough Directions
Using an electric mixer , mix butter, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract at medium speed until smooth. Decrease mixer speed to low and add flour. Mix just until incorporated. Stir in chocolate chips. Set aside.

Filling Directions
Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar just until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract, beating just until blended. Pour batter into baked crust. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls over the top of the filling.

Bake about 30 minutes, or until set. Transfer to wire rack. Cool bars in pan completely, about an hour. To make the bars extra firm, harden them in the freezer. Using the edges of the parchment paper, remove bars from pan. Cut into bars and serve.

Roasted Pear Salad

I'm not a big salad person. I prefer heartier ways of consuming my leafy greens, but every once in a while I crave a refreshing salad. This combination of dried fruit, toasted walnuts, creamy blue cheese with the soft roasted pear is delicious. It has such an elegant feel, yet it doesn't require many ingredients and is so easy to prepare. Liven up salad nights with this easy concept.

Ingredients

3 pears

3 lemons, juiced

3 oz blue cheese

1/4 c dried cranberries

1/4 c toasted walnuts then chopped

Olive oil for drizzling

Mixed greens 

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375.

2. Cut pears in half lengthwise, core center at seeds. 

3. Rub pears with a cut lemon to prevent browning.

4. Mix together cheese, cranberries and walnuts

5. Fill pear core with mixture.

6. Place in a baking dish.

7. Bake for 30 minutes.

8. Top the greens with your favorite dressing and a roasted pear half.

Mushroom Pea Risotto

One thing that annoys me is going to a restaurant, enjoying a delicious meal, and feeling like I can’t recreate it at home. I hate accepting that a restaurant can prepare something better than I can. Back in May, Carmen organized my bachelorette weekend in New York City. The weekend started with a food tour of Greenwich Village, where we sampled delicious food from well-known New York City restaurants. The Mushroom Pea Risotto at Centro Vinoteca was memorable, and this past weekend I was determined to recreate the dish at home. Although I could not compete with Centro Vinoteca’s truffle butter, my risotto was smooth, creamy and comforting. Yes, I spent a good 30-40 minutes stirring on the stove, but it was well worth the wait.

centro vinoteca's risotto

my risotto

Ingredients 

6-8 cups low sodium chicken broth 

1/2-ounce dried porcini mushrooms 

1/4 cup unsalted butter 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

2 cups finely chopped onions 

10 ounces white mushrooms, chopped 

2 garlic cloves, minced 

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

2/3 cup dry white wine 

3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed

2/3 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Bring the broth to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan. Add the porcini mushrooms. Set aside until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Keep the broth warm over low heat. Melt the butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the white mushrooms and garlic. Move the porcini mushrooms to a cutting board. Chop the mushrooms and add to the saucepan. Sauté until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and let it toast for a few minutes. Add the wine; cook until the liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of hot broth; simmer over medium-low heat until the liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 3-5 minutes. Continue to cook until the rice is just tender and the mixture is creamy, adding more broth by cupfuls and stirring often, about 30 minutes (the rice will absorb 6 to 8 cups of broth). Stir in the peas. Mix in the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis.

Cranberry Walnut Granola

Greek yogurt, strawberries, honey and granola, yum! We made this granola for a Rally to Restore Sanity brunch here in Washington DC. I wish I could say this was the best dish at the brunch. The prosciutto strata, pumpkin muffins, and artichoke sausage pie were incredible, but this granola served as a light and refreshing palate cleanser. It has crunch, just right sweetness, and spice. Make sure to watch your oven while baking. All ovens cook differently, and burnt granola is no fun.

 

Nonstick canola oil spray
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup egg whites (about 2 large egg whites)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground pumpkin spice (or allspice)
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup walnut halves, broken in half
1 cup dried cranberries

Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 325°F. Generously coat heavy large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Stir 1/4 cup sugar and syrup in heavy small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves, occasionally brushing down sides with wet pastry brush. Pour into large bowl; cool to lukewarm. Whisk in egg whites, extract, and spices. Add oats, nuts, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar; toss well.

Spread mixture in even layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake 35 minutes. Using metal spatula, turn granola over (bottom will be brown). Bake 10 minutes. Sprinkle cranberries over; bake until dry, about 10 minutes longer. Cool granola completely in pan.

Tomato, Mozzarella and Pesto Panini

Brent and I made these sandwiches on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Brent took one bite, and immediately  turned to me and said, "This has to go on your food blog." Brent is my food critic :) He is completely honest when recipes aren't blog-worthy, which is why you will not be seeing a calzone post anytime soon. He knows good food when he tastes it, and this sandwich is worth the hype. It is such a simple concept, and so delicious. Switch it up with sun dried tomato pesto, heirloom tomatoes, avocado, or crusty bakery bread. With a combination of tomato, mozzarella, pesto and bread, you are sure to have a delicious result.

2 large beefsteak tomatoes
1 (16 oz) ball fresh mozzarella
12 slices whole wheat bread
1 cup pesto
Salt
Unsalted butter at room temperature

Heat a large skillet over medium heat or preheat a panini grill. Core the tomatoes so that they don't make your sandwiches soggy, and slice tomatoes and mozzarella ¼ inch thick.

Spread each slice of bread evenly with pesto. Place two slices of mozzarella on half the bread and cover with a layer of tomato. Place the remaining slices of bread, pesto side down, on top. Spread the top and bottom of each sandwich with softened butter. Grill the sandwiches in batches on the grill or in the pan for 2-3 minute, until the mozzarella starts to ooze. Cut each sandwich in half and serve warm.

Lemon Bars

My favorite part of the school day is reading with my two learning teams. The fifth graders are divided into groups of ten, based on their reading level, and we meet for thirty minutes a day to read as a book club. It is such a relaxing class, and takes minimal preparation, and so rewarding for myself and the kids. It feels like a college seminar, sitting around with a small group of kids reading and discussing a book. This past week one of my reading groups finished Junebug, by Alice Mead. It is the story of a young boy growing up in a rough neighborhood in New Haven who dreams of becoming a boat captain. We've now moved on to a more challenging text. To celebrate finishing Junebug, and moving on to Al Capone Does My Shirts, we indulged in these yummy lemon bars. Here's how my learning team described them:
Gooey, sweet, sticky, buttery, lemony, powdery, and my personal favorite, goody.



Ingredients: For the crust:
1/2 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups  flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt


For the filling:
6 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest (4 to 6 lemons)
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup flour
Powedered sugar for dusting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the crust, cream the butter and sugar until light. Combine the flour and salt, then add to the butter until just mixed. With floured hands, press the dough into a 9 by 13 by 2-inch baking sheet, building up a 1/2-inch edge on all sides.
Bake the crust for 15 to 20 minutes, until very lightly browned. Cool. Leave the oven on.


For the filling, whisk together the eggs, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and flour. Pour over the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the filling is set. Cool. Cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar.


Adapted from Ina Garten

Guacamole Salad

The beautiful colors in this dish brightened up my mood on a gloomy fall day. The taste is fresh and light, making it the perfect complement to a heavy Mexican entree. Try turning this salad into an appetizer by dicing everything even smaller, and serving with tortilla chips. Guacamole Salad is easy to prepare. Make sure you have a good knife, and are ready to chop, chop, chop!   

Ingredients
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 can reduced sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
2 minced jalapeno peppers, seeded
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
Lime juice from 2 limes
1/4 cup good extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 ripe avocados, seeded, peeled, and diced

Directions
Place the tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno peppers, and lime zest in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper and pour over the vegetables. Toss well.

Just before you're ready to serve the salad, carefully mix the avocados into the salad. Check for taste, and add more salt if necessary. Serves six.

Banana Muffins

I hate throwing away food, and bananas just seem to go bad all the time. I modified dozens of recipes and came up with this yummy healthy treat. Now I always buy extra bananas, wait for them to get super ripe, make muffins, freeze them and use them as a replacement for granola bars in my lunch box. Warning: Don't expect super sweet muffins. They are sweet, but not dessert style muffins.

Ingredients
3 or 4 very ripe bananas, smashed
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup sugar (or 3/4 cup if you are looking for a sweeter muffin)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
A handful of chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups of whole white wheat flour
Chopped walnuts or oatmeal to top the muffins

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix apple sauce into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour and chocolate chips last, mix. Pour mixture into muffin tins. Top each muffin with a few walnuts. Bake for 20-25 minutes. 35-40 minutes for mini-loaves. Allow to cool, then enjoy!

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

This sun-dried tomato pesto recipe delicious, takes zero skill, and has wow factor. This pesto will easily turn boring paninis, pasta and mozzarella crostini into dishes bursting with flavor. For what else do you use pesto? Please share!

Ingredients
1 (8.5-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
2 garlic cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions
Blend the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, garlic, salt and pepper, to taste, and basil in a food processor and blend until the tomatoes are finely chopped. Transfer the tomato mixture to a large bowl. Stir in the Parmesan.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese is my absolute favorite food. I've loved it since I was a little kid who pronounced it "skabetti." Making skabetti from scratch is fun because it is so easy, and gives you bragging rights.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 celery stalk, finely chopped (I use a food processor because I don't like chunky celery in my bolognese)
1 carrot, finely chopped (I use a food processor for the carrot too)
1 pound ground lean beef or turkey
1 (28-ounce) can Italian crushed tomatoes
8 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped (you don't want big green chunkies in your bolognese)
1/4 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley, finely chopped
Red Pepper Flakes, as much as you like
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano or italian seasoning
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Directions:
In a wok or large skillet, heat the olive oil. When hot, add the onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until the onions are soft, usually about eight minutes. Add the celery and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Raise heat to high and add the ground meat. Saute, stirring frequently and breaking up any big chunks of meat. Cook for about ten minutes, until the meat is not pink. Add the tomatoes, parsley, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook over medium low heat until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. This will take approximately thirty minutes. Finish bolognese with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve with your favorite pasta, preferably whole wheat to keep it healthy. This meal makes six servings.

Adapted from Giada De Laurentis. Yes. I realize I cook many Giada meals.

Italian Baked Farro

What I love about this dish is the use of a unique Italian ingredient. Farro is a Northern Italian whole grain that works beautifully with this elegant twist on macaroni and cheese. Farro can be difficult to find, and a bit pricey. The farro in this dish can be replaced with barley, but it's worth the money and the search to give this grain a try. I found it at Whole Foods, and cooked the farro the night before to save on preperation time. The combination of the breadcrumb crust, light and crunchy farro, smooth blend of cheeses, and mushroom flavor infused throughout the dish is incredible. After falling in love with this Italian grain, I did a little research on what exactly farro is, and why I've been missing out for so many years...

According to the New York Times, "It appears that farro, an ancient grain believed to have sustained the Roman legions, has finally made it to the New World."

Farro is described as, "Farro is not wheat, but a plant and grain all its own. A grain of farro looks and tastes somewhat like a lighter brown rice. It has a complex, nutty taste with undertones of oats and barley. But lacking the heaviness of many whole-wheat grains, farro tastes more elegant than earnest."

The New York Times goes on to compare farro to arborio rice, but without the mushiness. Interested in reading more about farro? Check out the link below, then make this Giada De Laurentis dish! If the New York Times is writing an article about this grain, it has to be good.

New York Times: Farro, Italy's Rustic Staple

Cook Time:1 hr
Servings: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients
Sauce:
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups warm milk (I use 2% but I'm sure whole tastes better)
Salt and pepper
Farro:
2 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
1 cup grated Gruyere
1/2 cup grated fontina cheese
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups farro, rinsed and drained
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs
Olive oil
Cooking Spray

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

For the sauce: In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth. Gradually add the warm milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Simmer over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick and smooth, about 8 minutes. Do not let the sauce boil! Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

For the farro: In a bowl, add the cheeses and stir well. Remove 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture. This will be used later for the topping. In a big pot, add the chicken broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the farro, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the faro is tender, about 25 minutes. Drain, if necessary. Add the farro, thyme, and sauce to the bowl with the cheese. Stir until combined and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake until the top is golden brown and forms a crust, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving. No need to burn your tongue!

This recipe is adapted from Giada De Laurentis.

 

Nutella Cake Balls

Nutella Cake Balls need no introduction.

Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix/ingredients listed on cake package
1 cup nutella
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
Sprinkles

Instructions
1. Bake cake according to package directions.
2. When the cake has cooled, crumble it in a large bowl.
3. Mix nutella well into cake crumbs, microwaving the nutella first if necessary. Add more or less nutella depending on preference.
4. Using your hands roll each mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet lined with wax paper.
5. Chill in freezer for at least thirty minutes.
6. Using a double broiler, melt chocolate chips.
7. When smooth, add butter.
8. Using a toothpick or lollipop stick, dip cake balls in chocolate and immediately add sprinkles.
9. Freeze for another 30 minutes until chocolate has hardened.