Bake or Break

I’m not a huge fan of Oreos or, really, any kind of store-bought cookie. I have spoiled myself with the homemade variety. That being said, I am not the least bit hesitant to use store-bought cookies as an ingredient, like with these cheesecakes.

The crust of these little treats is actually a whole Oreo, not crumbs. Leaving the cookie intact makes for a thick crust that gets nice and soft after they’ve baked and chilled. Topping off those Oreos is one of my favorite things – cheesecake. Of course, it wouldn’t meet the legal definition of a cookies and cream cheesecake without even more Oreos mixed into the cheesecake. I especially like the addition of sour cream to the cheesecake filling. It offsets all that sweet with just a little bit of tartness.
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The first time I flipped through At Home with Magnolia, I was intrigued by these cookies. I am a big fan of granola and have been tempted more than once to make my own granola bars. Somehow, though, I’d never thought to put granola in cookies.
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One of my very favorite desserts is coconut cake. Strangely enough, I think I’ve only made two or three of them in my life. One reason could be Quinn’s vehement aversion to all things coconut. Other than that, I’m not sure what the reasoning is. In any case, I decided to put an end to the coconut drought.
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Recently, I was shocked to discover that there are people who have never had a homemade brownie. I can’t even imagine. Of course, they’d had brownies made from a mix, but none that were truly homemade. Having shared these brownies with them, I have been assured that they are now completely spoiled. Boxed brownies will never quite measure up again.
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I am usually not quite motivated enough to bake anything for breakfast. Once in a while, however, I find some recipe that gives me that push I need to get myself up and in the kitchen. This is one of those recipes.

If you never believe another one of my recipe endorsements, believe this one. These little treats are so, so good. Quinn actually says that they are the best thing I’ve ever made. Granted, I’ve heard him say that about some other things, too. Even so, it’s a short list. When asked, he rattled these off without great labor: sweet and salty cake, pear bread, brownie peanut butter cups, chocolate mascarpone brownies, and chocolate-glazed hazelnut mousse cake.
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I was recently challenged to make peanut butter cookies by someone who has sampled many varieties. I readily accepted and went home to find just the right recipe. Do you have any idea how many recipes there are out there for peanut butter cookies? I was a tad overwhelmed, to say the least.
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Every year, I let Quinn pick his birthday dessert. Now, when I say that, what I actually mean is that I spend a good bit of time asking lots of questions. A cake or something else? Chocolate? Caramel? Cheesecake? Any idea at all what you’d like? Then, using the bits of information I’m given here and there, I pick out several recipes and let him choose one.

This year’s choice is from one of my favorite baking books, How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson. It’s actually called Torta Alla Gianduia. That seemed a bit much to me, so I went with the much simpler name.
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Recently, I read somewhere that 2008 was a big year for salted caramel. I don’t think I’m in any position to agree or disagree with that, but I will say that I had a little love affair with it myself. (Hello, salted caramel hot chocolate!)

This cheesecake is a prime example of salted caramel at its finest. I actually found the recipe while looking for something else. Of course, once I found this I was immediately so smitten that whatever I was looking for was quickly forgotten.
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I’m a bit ashamed to tell you that I baked all kinds of things during the holidays that I have yet to share with all of you. I realize that November and December are long gone, and now January is almost over. But, I figure this is a good case of “better late than never.”
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As some of you may know, I went back to work full time a couple of months ago. For about a year, BoB was my primary job. I’m still trying to figure out how to keep updating as frequently as I would like. I have been baking quite a bit for the past several weeks, so I do have many things to share with you. In the meantime, it seems like a review of the last year would be appropriate.
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