Peanut butter cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the base

50g butter
175g pack peanut cookies
For the filling
5 gelatine leaves
500g tub ricotta
175g smooth peanut butter
175g golden syrup
150ml milk
To decorate
270ml pot double cream
2 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 bar peanut brittle, crushed

Method

Oil and line a 20cm round loose- bottomed cake tin with cling film, making it as smooth as possible. Melt the butter in a pan. Crush the biscuits by bashing them in a bag with a rolling pin, then stir them into the butter until very well coated. Press the mixture firmly into the base of the tin and chill.
Soak the gelatine in water while you make the filling. Tip the ricotta into a bowl, then beat in the peanut butter and syrup. Ricotta has a slightly grainy texture so blitz until smooth with a stick blender for a smoother texture if you prefer.
Take the soaked gelatine from the water and squeeze dry. Put it into a pan with the milk and heat very gently until the gelatine dissolves. Beat into the peanut mixture, then tip onto the biscuit base. Chill until set.
To freeze, leave in the tin and as soon as it is solid, cover the surface with cling film, then wrap the tin with cling film and foil.
To defrost, thaw in the fridge overnight.
To serve, carefully remove from the tin. Whisk the cream with the sugar until it holds its shape, then spread on top of the cheesecake and scatter with the peanut brittle.

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Peach Melba cheesecake

Ingredients:

100g butter, melted, plus a little extra for the tin
200g crunchy biscuits (we used Fox's butter biscuits)
600g soft cheese
100g icing sugar, plus extra to taste
2 tsp vanilla extract
300ml pot double cream
450g raspberries
3 really ripe peaches, peeled if you like, or 6 canned peach halves (juice saved), diced into raspberry-sized chunks

Method:

1. Line the base and sides of a 20cm loose-bottomed or springform tin with baking parchment – use smudges of butter to help the paper stay in place around the sides. Put the biscuits in a plastic food bag and crush to crumbs using a rolling pin, then mix thoroughly with the melted butter. Tip into the prepared tin and press down firmly to create an even base. Chill while you prepare the filling.
2. Put the soft cheese, icing sugar and vanilla in a bowl, then beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Tip in the cream and continue beating until mixture is combined. Scatter over 100g of the raspberries and half of the peach chunks. Using a spatula, fold in with just a few folds – as you assemble the cheesecake they’ll ripple through more.
3. Spoon the cream mixture onto the biscuit base, working from the edges inwards. Smooth the top of the cheesecake down with the back of a dessertspoon or spatula. Leave to set in the fridge overnight.
4. In a food processor, blitz 250g of the remaining raspberries, sieve, stir back in 1 tsp of the seeds, if you like, and sweeten to taste with icing sugar. Add enough water or canned peach juice to make it saucy and chill until serving.
5. Bring the cheesecake to room temperature about 30 mins before serving. If using a loose-bottomed tin, unmould by placing on top of a can, then gradually pull down the sides of the tin. Slip the cheesecake onto a serving plate, removing the lining paper and base. Scatter the remaining raspberries and peach chunks over the cheesecake, dribble over some of the sauce and serve the rest alongside.

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Friday Favorites

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Whoopie Pies – Chocolate and Vanilla Buttercream

Ingredients for the cake biscuit
1 2/3 cups plain flour
2/3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

1/ Position the rack in the centre of the oven and preheat to 170 degrees (375F). Line two baking sheets with silicone mat or cooking paper
2/ Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
3/ In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, shortening and brown sugar on low speed until just combined. Increase the speed to medium and beat until fluffy and smooth (about 3 minutes).
4/ Add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat for another 2 minutes.
5/ Add half of the flour mixture and half od the milk to the batter and beat on low until just incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining flour mixture and milk. Beat until completely combined.
6/ Using a spoon, drop about 1 tablespoon of batter onto one of the prepared baking sheets and repeat, spacing them at least 2 inches apart.
7/ Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 minutes each, or until the pies spring back when pressed gently.
8/ Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool on the sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

Ingredients for the vanilla buttercream
3 cups pure icing sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the icing sugar with the butter, starting on low and increasing to medium speed, until the mixture is crumbly, about 1 minute. Add the milk, vanilla and salt and beat on high speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Assembling the Whoopie Pie
Scoop the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Flip the cake biscuit base over and pipe out a generous amount. Gently place another cake biscuit on top of the iced cake biscuit.

Tips from the cookbookmaniac
* These expand a lot in the oven. It is very important to keep a 2 inch distance between the each scoop of the batter
* Whoopie Pies should have a smooth humped top. My whoopie pies turned out cracked, but… I don’t mind them that way.
* I think I will have to double the quantities the next time I make these. Pizzaboy gobbled them up in an instant.

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Parmesan Herb Garlic Bread

Just pick up a French bread loaf from the grocery store, slice it up, make a mixture of butter, garlic powder, chopped parsley and salt, and slather each slice. Wrap it up, bake it up and eat it up! Simple as that.  

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Chocolate Lover's Cheesecake

Refrigerated


4 Eggs
Baking & Spices

16 oz Bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup Cocoa powder, natural unsweetened
24 tbsp Granulated sugar
Snacks

24 Oreo cookies
Dairy

1/4 cup Butter, unsalted
32 oz Cream cheese
3/4 cup Heavy cream

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Kiev cake - Peanut Meringue with Peanuts, sandwiched between 2 Sponge Cake layers & Frosted with Russian Buttercream

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