Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bites

For all who have tasted these little bites of deliciousness…words cannot quite describe them, but they are a combo of two of the best things in the world of baking.

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

Cookie Dough
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

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

Preheat oven to 325°.

Butter a 9″-square baking pan. Line pan with foil; butter the foil.
To prepare the crust, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter until crumbs are moistened. Stir in the mini-chocolate chips (You can use chopped up regular chocolate chips if you don’t want to buy minis!). Press crust mixture into bottom of pan and 1 inch up sides. Bake for 6 minutes. Set pan on wire rack to cool.

Next, prepare the cookie dough. 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.
To prepare the filling, beat cream cheese and sugar just until smooth. Add egg and vanilla extract and mix just until blended.
Pour cheeescake filling 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. Drizzle with chocolate when slightly cooled.

Guilt-less Cookies

Sometimes, the mood to bake springs on me with little to no warning. Luckily, I always try to have the baking essentials handy for spontaneous moments like today.
A cookie is a wonderful thing; small, sweet, easily changeable (in terms of ingredients), and delicious raw (cookie dough) or baked, hot or cold. Unfortunately, I probably eat WAY too many sweets so today I opted for the “healthy” baking experience. May I present a low fat cookie that is slightly guilt-free?

“Healthy” desserts often get a bad rap due to bad taste, lack of taste, odd texture, etc. This cookie, however, is a shining star in the world of healthified cookies…and I am not just saying that because I baked it in my kitchen.

Low Fat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp butter, room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup plain, unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars. Beat in the egg, followed by the applesauce and the vanilla extract. Stir in the flour mixture and the oats until just combined; stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a baking sheet, flattening each cookie slightly.
Bake for about 10-12 min. Cookies will be light brown at the edges when done.
Let cool on sheet for 3 or 4 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe courtesy of Baking Bites.

As many of you know, I am a food junkie, a bake-aholic.
Lately, I have been finding myself perusing baking blogs. Facebook and Myspace are so last year. Baking blogs are my new favorite form of procrastination. I read witty comments, watch as others experiment with ingredients, follow successes and failures, and then I gather up those successes and bake them in my own kitchen. It is wonderful.

This blog is my own center stage; the center stage of my thoughts and the center stage of my baking. I will share recipes and pictures, both the good, the bad, and the ugly. My dream camera is in the works so please excuse my amateur photos. Blame it on the 3 year old camera (poor thing, it has been left in the dust of technology).
I hope that what you find here will incite your tastebuds, make your mouth water, and stir in you the passion to bake.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Life doesn’t always leave much room for relaxation which means one of my favorite pasttimes gets the back burner: reading. However, this past weekend brought sunshine and two days of fairly empty schedules which meant that I could FINALLY finish a book that I have been reading ever since it was given to me for my birthday (in January).
A passion for food? Check. A love for gardening? Yes. An interest in where food comes from? For sure.
Barbara Kingsolver and her family decide to eat locally for one year, which means no bananas shipped from South America, no fruit during the winter, no avocados shipped from California, no processed food created from who knows what…and it is fascinating. She talks about organics, the truth behind what we think is true organic food; she discusses facts about world hunger and family farms; she sheds light on heirlooms, the real seasons for various produce, and what varieties to grow; and she even gives tips on what to do with all that extra zucchini (perfect for my family). It is a great read and I highly recommend it…plus, it comes with recipes!

Seattle

I traded a sunny spring break for a slightly more gloomy, rainy, cold week in Seattle…but it was worth it! Seattle is an amazing city. It is ecclectic, to say the least, and there is no city like it. It is a big city with tall buildings, but you can walk a block and find a park, lake, or bike path full of people running, walking, biking, or even rollerblading with hiking poles! There are artsy little finds, every kind of ethnic food possible, hundreds of bookstores, and even more bakeries…if it weren’t for the cold and the big city feel, it might just be a future home for me. But alas, the lack of sun and the low temperatures just aren’t my cup of tea.
Nonetheless, I loved Seattle, walking/wandering/getting lost, enjoying great company with friends, meeting new people, and tasting some great food and baked goods! The warm bakeries, creaking wood floors, and smells of fresh bread only served as a reminder of my passion and desire to one day own a bakery…

Spaghetti Squash!

It is fall, which means squash is in the air…or at least at the farmer’s market. I love spaghetti squash but have always only eaten it with marinara sauce. Time to eat outside of the box! This dish is fabulous, at least my roommate and I ate it without complaining…and went for seconds! Shhh, don’t tell your eaters that it is full of veggies and is (gasp) good for you!
I present to you:
Spaghetti Squash Bake, adapted from a recipe known as Spaghetti Squash and Quinoa Bake.

2 cups of cooked spaghetti squash (1/2 medium)
1 cup lowfat cottage cheese
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
½ red bell pepper, chopped fine
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 cup cooked bulgur
1 egg white
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup (+ 1/4 cup) shredded Mexican blend cheese (reduced fat)
Pepper
Italian seasoning

Preheat oven 375F
Grease or spray 9 x 9 inch pan.
Cook bulgur: place ½ cup dry bulgur in a bowl, pour 1 cup boiling water over bulgur, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 20 minutes. Drain any excess water.
Cook spaghetti squash: pierce squash with fork or skewer; bake in oven at 375F for 45 minutes to 1 hour or microwave.
To microwave, pierce squash and cook for 2-3 minutes to soften. Cut in half and lay cut ends up in baking dish filled with ¼ cup water. Microwave on high for 8-10 minutes or until tender and flaky.
Heat the oil in a pan over medium flame. Add the pepper and onion and sauté until caramelized, about 10 minutes.Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Transfer to dish, sprinkle with ¼ cup of cheese and bake for 45 minutes or until it is set and the top is golden.
Serve with a dollop of Roasted Garlic Santa Barbara salsa.