No-Bake Pistachio Cheesecake

    I totally grew up loving pistachio pudding! I remember my mom making it in her ice cream sundae glasses. You know, the ones that you can never quite get to the very bottom with a spoon so you're forced to use your fingers to get the last little bit out of the bottom. You wouldn't believe how surprisingly light this dessert is! Did I mention that it's ridiculously easy to make? Well, it's ridiculously easy to make.

No-Bake Pistachio Cheesecake

Ingredients:

For the crust:

- 1 and 1/2 cup of crushed graham cracker crumbs

- 6 tablespoons of melted butter

- 1/3 cup of sugar

For the filling:

- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened

- 1 and 1/4 cup of milk, divided

- 1 (3.4 ounce) package of dry pistachio pudding mix 

- 1 (8 ounce) tub of Cool Whip, divided

    Mix together the ingredients for the crust and firmly pack into the bottom and up the sides of a greased 8 inch spring form cake pan and set aside. In a medium sized bowl, whip together the softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup of milk until creamy. Add the remaining cup of milk and the pudding mix, whip until completely combined. Into this pudding mixture, fold in 1 and 1/2 cup of Cool Whip. Once folded in completely, pour into prepared crust and chill for at least 4 hours. I recommend preparing it the evening before and letting it set overnight. Before serving, top with remaining Cool Whip and enjoy!

Key Lime Mini Cheesecakes

    This recipe is fantastic! I love all things cheesecake and the key lime just gives it a little something extra. I had no idea what to do with all of my left over key limes and this recipe came out perfectly! They start with an easy graham cracker crust, are topped with a tart key lime buttercream, sandwiching creamy lime cheesecake. You are totally going to love them!

Key Lime Mini Cheesecakes

Ingredients:
- 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs
- 5 tablespoons of melted butter, divided
- 2 (8 ounce) packages of softened cream cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon of key lime juice
- 2 teaspoon of key lime zest, divided
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, divided
- 1 or 2 drops of green food coloring
- 2 and 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar
    Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together the graham cracker crumbs and 3 tablespoons of the melted butter. Once combined, divide evenly into a greased mini muffin baking pan and press firmly into the bottom of each cup. Bake for about 5-7 minutes (until fragrant) and then set them aside and let them cool. In a large bowl, beat 1 and 1/2 packages of the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the sugar, egg, 2 tablespoons of key lime juice, 1 teaspoon of zest, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and food coloring. Once blended, divide evenly on top of graham cracker crust in muffin cups. I used a tablespoon measuring spoon. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the centers are set. Use a butter knife to pop them out and let them cool. To make the topping, beat together the remaining 1/2  package of cream cheese, the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 teaspoon of lime juice, 1 teaspoon of zest, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, and 2 and 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar. Top each cooled cheesecake with the frosting topping and serve!

Cheesecake Bites

    My friend Rebecca is having a baby girl! I thought it would be cute to make a little dessert to bring with me to her baby shower this weekend. These little cheesecake bites are so super easy! I topped them with pink frosting and sprinkles for the occasion. You could totally top them with anything you'd like. Maybe with a little melted chocolate or chopped nuts and caramel!

Cheesecake Bites

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs

- 1/4 cup of finely chopped pecans

- 1/4 cup of melted butter 

- 2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/4 cup of sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
    Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9x9 baking dish with tin foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, chopped pecans, and butter. Press the mixture into the bottom of prepared baking dish and set aside. In a medium sized bowl, cream together the sugar and cream cheese. Add the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust mixture. Bake for about 40-45 minutes. Let cool, slice, and serve. I froze them overnight before I sliced them to make the slicing process easier.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Trifles

    So, I decided to throw a little Friendsgiving party this year! I got to practice some Thanksgiving recipes a little early. Which works out because now I can post them in time for you to use them for Thanksgiving next week! I decided to skip the pumpkin pie for this dinner because we'll have plenty of that next week. I tried something a little different. These trifles are so rich! And it's nice because you can make them as big or small as you want to. I made them kind of big and I doubled the recipe for 10 people.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Trifle

Ingredients:

- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened

- 1 cup of pumpkin puree 

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 1/2 cup of sugar

- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

- 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

- 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves

- dash of ginger

- 1 (8 ounch) tub of cool whip

- 18 biscoff cookies

- 1 tablespoon of melted butter

    Crush 12 of the cookies, mix the crumbed cookies with the melted butter, and set them aside. In a mixing bowl, cream the soften cream cheese until smooth. Add in the pumpkin, vanilla, sugar, and spices. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Take the crushed cookie mixture and press into the bottom of serving glasses. Spoon or pipe layers of the pumpkin mixture and the remaining whipped topping. Crush the remaining cookies and sprinkle on top. You could serve it like this or chill in the refrigerator for a while first.

I love these people!
We had an awesome Friendsgiving!

Simple Cheesecake

    I got to spend some time with a wonderful friend of mine yesterday! We fired up her grill and cooked a feast fit for a king. She and her son love cheesecake and I had never tried to make it before. So, I hit the grocery store on the way over and stocked up on cream cheese! This is a pretty low maintenance cheesecake recipe. It's pretty great! Elyse melted some dark chocolate with coconut oil and drizzled it on top, such a good idea. I brought some leftovers into work today, I'm pretty sure my cheesecake is better than our featured Sicilian cheesecake at the Olive Garden, just saying.  It'd be great with some fresh berries or maybe a little caramel on top. The possibilities are endless!

Simple Cheesecake

Ingredients:

 for the crust:

- 2 cups of finely ground graham cracker crumbs

- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

- 1/2 cup of butter, 1 stick, melted

 for the cheesecake:

- 5 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, at room temperature

- 1 and 1/2 cup of sugar

- 7 eggs, at room temperature

- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 1/4 cup of plain greek yogurt

- the zest of one lemon

    Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, and melted butter with a fork. Spray a 9 1/2 inch spring-form baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and gently pack the graham mixture into the bottom. Set aside or in the fridge while you make the cheesecake batter. In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until, completely smooth and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Slowly beat in eggs, one at a time. Gently mix in the vanilla, yogurt, and lemon zest, you don't want to over mix it once you've added the eggs. Pour the batter over the graham cracker crust. Place in the bottom third of the oven and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. After the 15 minutes have passed, without opening the oven door, set the temperature to 225 degrees and let bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the center in mostly set. You shouldn't open the oven at all because you'll lose heat and it may cause your cake to crack. Remove and refrigerate for several hours before serving.  

Gingerbread Cheesecake Dip

    This is a great recipe for parties and holidays!! So delicious! I made it yesterday for a Christmas dinner party with my co-workers! Such a cute idea!

Gingerbread Cheesecake Dip

Ingredients:

- 1 package of cream cheese, softened

- 1/4 cup of brown sugar

- 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar

- 2 1/2 tablespoons of molasses

- 1 teaspoon of ground ginger

- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon 

- a dash of nutmeg

- 1 1/2 cup of cool whip

- graham crackers

    Beat softened cream cheese by itself for about a minute. Add sugars and molasses and beat on medium speed until combined. Add in ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Beat until combined and then beat in cool whip. 

    Transfer dip into a serving dish and chill until ready to serve. I think it tastes better if you make it the night before! Serve with graham crackers!

Ugly Christmas sweater party!! Such fun!!!