Alice in the Kitchen

Oreo Cheesecake

We tested out a new cheesecake recipe for Father’s Day – and I think it was a success.  It is an Oreo cheesecake, similar to the one served at The Cheesecake Factory.

Interestingly – probably the best part was the cookies n cream cool whip that I put on top of the cheesecake – so you should make that too – just save a few cookie crumbs, stir them into the cool whip, and top it!

Here’s what you’ll need for the cheesecake:

Filling
1 1/2 pound cream cheese
1 cup sugar
5 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup flour
8 ounces sour cream
5 Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped for the batter
10  Oreo cookies, coarsely chopped for the topping

Crust
25 Oreo cookies, finely chopped (I chopped them up in a food processor until they were a fine cookie powder)
2 tablespoon melted butter
9″ spring form pan (buttered on bottom and sides)

1. Mix melted butter with Oreo crumbs and press in the bottom of the spring pan and 1 1/2″ up the sides, set aside.

2. Beat cream cheese with a mixer on low until fluffy.
3.  Slowly add sugar and continue beating cream cheese until mixed well.
4.  Add eggs one at a time and continue to beat until blended.
5. Measure the vanilla, salt and flour, pour into cream cheese and egg mixture and beat until smooth. Add the sour cream and beat.
6. Stir in the coarsely chopped oreo cookies with a spoon.

7. Pour cream cheese into the spring pan and place the nine coarsely chopped Oreo Cookies on to of the cream mixture.

8. Place pan on the top rack and in the middle of a preheated oven at 325 degrees F and bake for one hour and 15 minutes.

9.After that time, keep oven door open and let the cheese cake stay in the oven for one hour. Remove from oven and let cool enough to place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

10. Decorate as you see fit – I highly suggest the doctored cool whip I mentioned above!

Yum!

The Best Cinnamon Roll Cookies

Matt has a very specific sweet tooth (unlike me, for example – if it’s sweet, I’ll eat it).  Thus, I’m always on the lookout for sweet things to cook that I know will pique his interest.  One of those things, pretty much without question, is cinnamon.  When we first started dating, I used to make these cinnamon chip cookies, which were kind of a pain to make, but good.  Since then, I’ve made cinnamon coffee cake, cinnamon ice cream, and cinnamon rolls, but I’d never gone back to “cinnamon cookies” – until today.

Although there are a number of  “cinnamon roll cookie” recipes floating around the Internet, you won’t find anything easier than these little bites of heaven.  Their slight pastry texture will make you feel like you got a home delivery from your local Cinnabon on a lazy Sunday morning.  (Or in our case, Tuesday night.)

And they take about 10 minutes to make.  Literally, from start to finish, you could have them ready to eat that soon – even a canned roll of cinnamon rolls can’t give you that!

So here’s what you’ll need:

•  store bought pie dough (or hey, make your own, but they won’t be ready in 10 minutes
• shortening (depends on how many cookies you are making, but about 2 tablespoons tops)
• cinnamon sugar – with white sugar (about 1/2 cup) and cinnamon (probably 1 tablespoon, depending on how strong you like your cinnamon sugar)

Now let’s get started!  Preheat your oven to 425.

On a clean counter, unroll your pie dough.

Cut your pie dough into a rectangle.  (You can use the excess pie dough to make another log of dough if you like.)

Spread with a thin layer of shortening.

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over top.

Now roll up the dough into a log.

Once your log is rolled, slice the dough into quarter inch thick slices.

And lay out your slices in a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with extra cinnamon sugar if you’re really serious.

Bake for 8 minutes.

And you’re done!

Was that easy or what?!