Who Doesn’t Love Red Velvet?

Yesterday, in preparation for dinner with my brother and his wife, I decided to make some cake balls. Now, if you’ve never had cake balls, you are definitely missing out; they are akin to little pieces of heaven. Of course, you can create any flavor combo you like, but since the four of us are all HUGE fans of red velvet, I thought that would be the way to go. And boy, was I ever right! Even before dinner, my brother’s wife had several of them, which prompted the boys to sample some as well. You know it has to be a pretty good dessert if the men are willing to put down their beers to eat them!

Here is the extremely easy recipe, if you would like to try them!

1 box of Red Velvet cake mix (I used Duncan Hines Supreme)

1 container of Cream Cheese frosting (I used Duncan Hines whipped frosting)

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 box semi-sweet baking chocolate

1 box white baking chocolate

cocoa powder (for dusting)

1. Bake the cake according to package directions, and let it cool for about 30 minutes. When the cake has cooled, crumble it into a bowl.

2. Add the vanilla to the frosting and mix well; add the frosting to the cake crumbs and combine well (it’s best to do this with your hands).

3. Roll the mixture into balls (golf ball-ish size) and refrigerate for at least an hour.

4. When you are ready to dip them, melt chocolate in two bowls (one for white, one for semi-sweet) in the microwave. Dip each ball in the chocolate until it is completely covered.

5. Place dipped cake balls on parchment to let the chocolate harden (approximately 2 hours). Dust with cocoa powder and serve. Enjoy!

Yum!

As my family and friends (especially my husband) will certainly tell you, I hardly ever follow a recipe. Even if I start out intending to use a recipe, I usually stray from the original, adding a little bit more of one ingredient, a little less of another, or substituting something completely different altogether. That was very much the case today when I had the idea of combining three of my favorite dessert items: cheesecake, chocolate and Girl Scout cookies (in this case, Do-Si-Dos). While people in my day-to-day life might not consider me to be terribly creative, the kitchen is where my creativity really comes out. I feel like I have a knack for combining things that people might not always think would “work,” and I must say, they usually do.

I would consider myself a cheesecake aficionado, of sorts, both in terms of eating it and baking it. I love all of the different textures and flavors, and I feel like cheesecake is the kind of food you can really “play with.” I am constantly trying out different recipes, and I have to say, I haven’t found many that I don’t like. The one that I decided to use today is a little different from some others, as it uses a little bit of flour. I figured that this might be a good pick for the particular dessert that I was making, since it was going to be baked in a 13×9 pan, as opposed to a springform. I made the crust using Do-Si-Dos (any cookie would work just fine though), then “peppered” the cheesecake batter with semisweet chocolate chips (chocolate & peanut butter, do you see where I’m going with this?). These cheesecake bars have just the right amount of everything: a little saltiness, sweetness, creaminess and a crunchiness. They were delicious! In case you want to try them for yourselves, here’s my recipe:

Crust

1 1/2 boxes of Do-Si-Dos (roughly 2.5 cups), crushed

1/2 cup unsalted butter (I prefer Kerry Gold or Plugra), melted

Filling

4 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened

3 eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 tbsp. vanilla

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

How-to:

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. Combine the butter and cookie crumbs, and press them into a 13×9 pan, either greased or lined with parchment paper. Bake the crust for 8 minutes, then remove from oven to let it cool.

3. Beat the cream cheese until it appears to have a creamy, yet whipped, consistency (about 3-4 minutes). Add the sugar and flour gradually, and beat until well mixed.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated. Finally, stir in the vanilla and chocolate chips. Pour the batter onto the crust, making sure that it is evenly distributed.

5. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. After removing it from the oven, let it cool for about 30 minutes. When it has cooled, transfer it to the fridge to chill for 4-8 hours.