Cheesecake-Filled Gingerbread Bundt Cake.

It's two thousand and twelve and I have just discovered the bundt pan. 

I've also discovered a few other things. Like... gingerbread is a situation I like finding myself in.

Adding cheesecake is bold. Do it.

Sometimes cake for breakfast is totally a necessary thing. Is it cake if there's no buttercream though? One could argue that it's just a round, cake-y quick bread.

One could argue that every morning for a week.

I've learned that baking gingerbread will make it all about Christmas, all of it, for 40-50 minutes. It's basically baking Christmas spirit.

And on that note: let's discuss how deeply I wish I still believed in Santa.

Maybe it's being an indepedent young lady, living life with a career and a pretty permanent boyfriend and her first ever apartment. Is decorating your own Christmas tree and baking your own Christmas cookies being an adult? I think it might be.

Is reminding yourself to slow down, get off Amazon (you've ordered enough already!), keep calm, eat some gingerbread, and maybe do some laundry what being an adult is all about?

It totally is. And if it's not, don't tell me.

Maybe it's recently finding out I have to change my Christmas plans, from being with family to driving 300 miles back in the opposite direction on Christmas Eve so I can spend Christmas day working. Maybe it's that. That sudden realization definitely ended with an angry white peach margarita Saturday night.

I wish Christmas magic was still as effortless as believing in Santa. I wish that kind of wonder was something I woke up with. But I've learned that, as an adult, Christmas magic is kind of a thing you have to make for yourself. It's a real thing, don't get me wrong, but it's kind of like fitting into your jeans at the end of December. It's not going to happen unless you believe it will... and then get out there in the world and make it happen.

So I make peppermint bark at midnight. I let my boyfriend whisk me away for night of Christmas shopping, eating respectable amounts of deep-dish pizza, and seeing Rise of the Guardians... even though there's at least a hundred five other things I should be doing. I very stealthily fill out Christmas cards at work. I call home. Often. Most importantly... I try and put that magic into somebody else's life.

Sometimes that magic comes in the form of spicy gingerbread cake stuffed with a creamy, sugary cheesecake center. Sometimes that happens. Sometimes it happens for breakfast.

Bundt cakes are way too easy. It's a mix-and-pour situation. And cheesecake centers? Stop it. I can totally make this happen. I'm not always patient and I'm not always as kind as I should be... but I can definitely can bake you a cake and tell you you look nice today.

And you do, really. You totally deserve cake.

This is real Christmas magic. Make it happen! 

Cheesecake-Filled Gingerbread Bundt Cake

Printable Recipe 

Filling
8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg

Cake
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup molasses
Powdered sugar, for dusting over finished cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter (or spray with a nonstick baking spray) and flour a bundt pan. 

To make the filling, beat together the softened cream cheese, sugar, flour, and egg, until well combined. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and ginger.

In a medium bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, oil, and molasses until well combined. Whisk into larger bowl with flour mixture until just combined and no clumps of flour remain.

Pour 1/3 of the cake mixture into the bundt pan, using the a rubber spatula to evenly spray to edges. 

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop cheesecake mixture on top of the gingerbead mixture, being careful to keep it in the center and not spread it to the edges. You want it to be a surprise baked inside your cake!

Pour the rest of the gingerbread mixture over the cheesecake, again using a spatula to gently and evenly spread it. 

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Place wire rack on top of bundt pan and inverse to remove cake. Allow to cool completely. 

Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Source: Group Recipes, originally from Taste of Home.

Oreo Truffle-Swirled Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Right now, there's only three things I want from life...

change

adventures

and chocolate chip cookies.

Sometimes I forget I'm only 25 and get stuck in "this is it" thinking.

As in... the way my life is right now is the way it's going to be forever.

So not true.

So, to snap myself out of that, I've been daydreaming up a new chapter for my life and I think I'll just be real with you and put it out there.

Basically... I think I'd like to be a grown-up Veronica Mars who just so happens to own a bakery. I think it's perfect. A handful of cops (who just so happen to look the cast of Magic Mike, if you please) will stop by  early every morning for fresh-baked bear claws and cinnamon-sugar doughnuts. I'll pour coffee and bake cinnamon rolls and definitely flirt just a little as I pester them about their cases.

Blonde hair and cinnamon rolls will make anybody talk.

Sometimes I'll cater fancy, important events for people who may or may not be involved criminal activities. Weddings. Society parties. Masquerade balls. I can totally see myself in a classy black dress, spiky, glittery heels, a diamond necklace (it's secretly a video camera), sneaking around with pepper spray and handcuffs in a silver clutch after serving red velvet cupcakes all night.

I've thought this out a little bit.

And sometimes I'll team-up with my super cute police boyfriend and go undercover. Hello, who would suspect that quiet, innocent baker girl? She bakes cookies, what could she know? Naturally this leads to all kinds of bad, epic situations... high speed car chases, breaking into abandoned buildings, dodging bullets... basically stumbling into trouble wherever I can find it.

Kind of like real life.

And, also kind of like real life, after hunting for clues, staking out suspects, and bringing down the bad guy, I'll keep it real at the end of the day, go home, and eat kettlecorn for dinner. Then I'll watch Pretty Little Liars and make Oreo truffles... which I'll swirl into chocolate chip cookies like it's a totally normal thing to do. 

Because it totally is.

These cookies.

These are the best cookies I have ever made.

Crispy edges. Rich, soft centers. Semisweet and white chocolate chips. Swirls of Oreo cheesecake truffles.

It's a chocolate chip cookie meets cookies & cream explosion.

And the only time "this is it" thinking is perfectly acceptable. Put these in your life!

Oreo Truffle-Swirled Chocolate Chip Cookies

Printable Recipe

Oreo Truffles
21 Oreo cookies, finely crushed
3 ounces cream cheese, softened

Cookies
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted (or browned) plus 1 tablespoon and slightly cooled
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon molasses
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Line a small baking dish with foil; set aside. Crush Oreo cookies in a food processor or blender until finely ground, then in a medium bowl, mix with softened cream cheese until truffle forms. Press into foil-lined baking dish and flatten with hands. Place in freezer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt (or brown) 1 stick butter plus 1 tablespoon; pour into a separate bowl to cool slightly.

In a stand mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the other stick of butter with the granulated sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and molasses and beat until incorporated. Add the slightly cooled butter and the brown sugar and mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add the egg and egg yolk and mix until fully incorporated. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add all at once to the butter mixture and mix on low until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips and white chocolate chips with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Remove Oreo truffles from freezer and cut into small pieces. Gently fold them into the cookie dough. 

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll or scoop dough into balls and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are just starting to turn golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven (I pressed mine down slightly with the back of a spatula) and let cool 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Source: Cookie base adapted from the Joy the Baker cookbook.

Black Bottom Cupcakes.

This summer I'm all about celebrating the little things.

You know... those everyday moments that flit by like fireflies. Those little magical moments that make summer... summer. 

Like eating kettlecorn for dinner. 

And watching every Harry Potter movie.

Getting lost in a good book and buying a new summer dress.

Aquarium dates and finally paying off your credit card. 

Sparklers. It will always be about sparklers.

It's about searching for that perfect first apartment. 

And wondering where the Christmas tree will go.

It's about summer bucket lists. (Make banana bread! Go to the drive-in! Have a picnic! Bake with berries!)

And finding artwork on somebody else's car. 

And sometimes? 

Sometimes it's about baking cupcakes on the hottest day of the year.

Moist chocolatey devil's food cupcakes stuffed with rich chocolate chip cheesecake. 

Are these on your bucket list? Because they totally should be.

They're similar to the cheesecake-filled cupcakes I made last summer... but instead of baking the cheesecake in the centers, it's spooned right on top of the cake batter, giving it a fancy-looking top that doesn't need to be frosted and a creamy rich, cheesecake center.

And... they look like muffins. So you can totally get away with eating cake for breakfast. 

Doing summer right!

P.S. Here's a tip for baking cupcakes without burning the edges and sides.

Black Bottom Cupcakes

Printable Recipe

Cheesecake Filling

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 egg

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 cup miniature chocolate chips

Cupcake Batter

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with foil liners and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, egg, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy. Stir in chocolate chips; set aside.

In a larger bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking, and salt until combined. Make a well in the center and add the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Stir together until thoroughly combined.

Fill muffin liners 1/3 full with batter. Top with a heaping spoonful of cheesecake filling. The more the better!

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until done.

Makes 21 cupcakes.

Source: All-Recipes.

Cheesecake Cookie Sandwiches Two Ways: Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk & Strawberry Shortcake.

Things.

1. I finally got caught up with The Secret Circle.

And it got cancelled! What? This is not okay. Dear The CW: please write Jake, Adam, Melissa, Diana, and Faye into The Vampire Diaries. Which I'm also not caught up on. 

2. COOL WHIP Whipped Topping + cream cheese + sugar = basically impromptu cheesecake for your face. 

3. Can life please slow down? I cannot juggle being an adult, finding time to enjoy life, and laundry. 

4. I'm blogging this in a Starbucks. I never thought I'd be that girl. Plus I feel like everyone's staring. "Look at that girl in the corner, staring at twenty pictures of cookies like she's doing important business. Her hair's cute though." 

4. Strawberry shortcake cookies. Totally an acceptable summer breakfast thing.

They're soft, muffin-y, and best the very minute they're made.

... especially with spoonfuls of creamy cheesecake filling.

It turns them into magical strawberry shortcake sandwiches. Who doesn't need that in their summer?

5. Chocolate chip cookies are tasty with cheesecake too. Who knew?

How festive would these be rolled in some sparkly red and blue sprinkles for a 4th of July/summer/barbeque situation?

Answer: Do it.  

6. Also... brown butter? It makes everything better. 

It's kind of like ice coffee after work. 

Actually, it's like anything after work... because you're off work. 

Flecks of brown butter. Chunks of chocolate. Molasses. Yes. I never thought I'd put molasses in anything other than gingersnaps, but these are soft and chewy and rich... and that brown butter! Get out.

I know I just declared passionate love for these cookies, but these are hands-down my new favorite chocolate chip cookies.

7. Cookie sandwich party. It happened.

Strawberry Shortcake Cookies 

Original Post

Printable Recipe

Note: These cookies are made from a crumbly shortcake dough and take a little bit of determination to scoop into dough balls. They bake up cakey and soft and because they're made with fresh strawberries, are only good the day they're made. P.S. They're so worth it.

Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies 

Printable Recipe

1 cup (2 sticks) + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon molasses

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Brown 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon of butter. Once butter is browned, remove from heat and pour into a bowl to cool slightly.

In a stand mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the other stick of butter with the granulated sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and molasses and beat until incorporated. Add the slightly cooled brown butter and the brown sugar and mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add the egg and egg yolk and mix until fully incorporated. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add all at once to the butter mixture and mix on low until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Scoop dough into balls using a small cookie scoop and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until cookies are just starting to turn golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Source: The Joy the Baker cookbook.

Cheesecake Filling

Printable Recipe

1 cup COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons granulated sugar 

Beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Stir in the COOL WHIP until creamy. Refrigerate until ready to use. Spread or pipe on bottom of one cookies, then place another cookie on top. Store in refrigerator.

Source: Kraft.

As part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, I recieved coupons for free COOL WHIP Whipped Topping and a stipend. Sponsored posts are purely editorial content that we are pleased to have presented by a participating sponsor. Advertisers do not produce this content. 

What you add makes it. #coolwhipmoms

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies.

A few weeks ago I wandered into the kitchen and found these two cookies sitting perfectly displayed on the middle of the counter. They couldn't have been more obvious if they'd been placed on a cookie pedestal with a tiny cookie spotlight.  

Raspberry cheesecake cookies from Subway. Have you tried these? Swoon.

I looked around. "They're for you!" my mom said, leaping into the room.

Suspicious.  

"Really?" 

"Well... kind of. Can you make them? They're like a cookie (<-- actual words). With cheesecake. And berries. Bits of berries. Like jam, but not. Okay, love you!" 

Honestly.

The last time I tried making white chocolate raspberry cookies, they turned into white chocolate raspberry fail. But I like a challenge and recreating recipes (as long as it doesn't involve yeast and patience and letting things rise) and can I tell you?

These are one of the best cookies I have ever made. I know I say that with almost every cookie post, but this time I'm super serious. 

They're soft and chewy, like a sugar cookie, but with all the flavor of a raspberry cheesecake. And they taste exactly like the ones from Subway. Maybe even a little bit better. 

The secret? 

This $.99 box of muffin mix! (It comes in blueberry too. Can you imagine? Blueberry cheesecake cookies. With macadamia nuts! This is dangerous thinking...)

And even though they're made with muffin mix and the dough is super soft and, yeah, they kind of look like fat, fluffy pancakes while they're baking, they really are the same texture as a regular bakery-style cookie. I know... I was suspicious too. I thought they would be cakey and soft and fall apart, but trust.

See? Thick. Chewy. Un-pancake-y. Perfect.

Oh and did I mention they're made with muffin mix? That pretty makes them a legit breakfast.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Cookies

Printable Recipe

2 (7-ounce) boxes Jiffy raspberry muffin mix

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

2 tablespoons butter-flavored shortening 

1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese, butter, shortening, and brown sugar, until just combined (I beat mine until it was completely smooth, but still had little chunks of cream cheese). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

Add the muffin mix and using a wooden spoon, mix until incorporated. Stir in the white chocolate chips and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours. 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease baking sheets and roll dough into tablespoon-size balls. Place 2-inches apart on baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes, until just turning golden around the edges.

Cool five minutes on baking sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Source: Barely adapted from Just A Pinch.