Peanut Butter Cup Swirl Cheesecake

Crust:
1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
4 packages (8-ounce) cream cheese, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs (at room temperature)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted
6 regular-size peanut butter cups, quartered

Crust:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray; tightly cover outside of pan with a double thickness of foil. Combine cookie crumbs and butter in a bowl until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press into bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes; let cool on a wire rack.

Filling:
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, until just blended. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. Remove 1 1/2 cups of the batter to a medium bowl; stir in chocolate. Add peanut butter to cream cheese mixture in large bowl and beat until smooth. Remove 1 3/4 cups of the peanut butter batter to a medium bowl and reserve.
Spoon the remaining peanut butter batter over crust in pan. Top evenly with peanut butter cups, gently pressing pieces into batter. Alternately drop reserved chocolate batter and reserved peanut butter batter on top of peanut butter cups to cover; swirl batters together with a skewer or a knife to marbleize.
Place cheesecake in a larger baking pan and place on oven rack. Carefully pour enough hot water into larger pan to reach 1 inch up sides of springform pan. Bake 1 hour, or until cake barely jiggles in the center.
Remove cheesecake from water bath; remove foil. Using a thin knife, carefully cut around top edge of cake where it meets the pan to release. Let cool completely on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate until cold, 6 hours or overnight.
To serve, run a sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen and remove side of pan.

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Could it get any simpler? Seriously, this has to be one of the simplest recipes, and it is so yummy!! I hope you enjoy these, I'd make a double or triple batch if it were me, these go fast!

• 48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Granulated sugar

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates.

2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Caramel Bars

I got this recipe from my friend Becca's blog, and these are divine! I hope you enjoy them as a quick holiday treat for one of your holiday get-togethers this season.

3/4 c. butter (no subs)
1 c. flour
1 c. oatmeal
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Mix together and pat 3/4 of mixture into 9X13 pan. Bake for 9 minutes in a 350 preheated oven.

In microwave, while stirring frequently melt the following ingredients until smooth:
32 unwrapped square caramels
3 T milk
3 T butter

Pour caramel sauce over baked crust. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 c chocolate chips and crumble remaining crust mixture over the top. Bake for 15 minutes longer at 350.
Do not overcook! Remove from oven and let cool, once cool cut into bars.

PB & J Sandwich Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats

Filling:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1/3 cup raspberry or strawberry jam

To make the cookies:

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl.
In a large bowl, beat butter and chunky peanut butter until smooth. Add in sugars until well blended. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture until just blended, then stir in oats.
Spoon level tablespoonfuls of dough into balls and place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Using a floured fork, make a crisscross pattern on top of each ball by pressing dough into a flat 2 1/4-inch circle, about 1/4-inch thick. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned at edges. Let cool on baking sheet 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the filling:

In a bowl, beat sugar, smooth peanut butter, butter, and milk until smooth and fluffy. Spread 2 teaspoons of the peanut butter mixture on bottoms of half of the cookies. Spread jam on bottoms of the remaining cookies, using 1 teaspoon for each cookie. Sandwich together peanut butter-covered cookies with jam-covered cookies.

Makes 16 sandwich cookies

Caramel

This recipe is way too easy to not put it up here, since I know as a mom I am all about easy! I hope you enjoy this recipe, the caramel's are a little bit softer than some, but they still taste wonderful and are easy to make!

1 cup butter or margarine
1 pound light brown sugar
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup light corn syrup
1 pinch salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Heat to between 234 and 240 degrees F (112 to 116 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from the water and placed on a flat surface. Cook for 2 minutes at that temperature. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla.
2. Meanwhile, butter a 9x13 inch baking pan. When the caramel is ready, pour into the buttered pan. Allow to cool completely at room temperature. Remove from the pan and cut into squares using scissors. Wrap individual pieces in waxed paper or cellophane.

Quick Cinnamon Rolls

I got these from a neighbor this year for Christmas and they were wonderful and so I had to ask for her recipe, and this is what I got. These rolls, don't have yeast in them, so they don't rise up big like normal cinnamon rolls would, but they also take a lot less time to prepare, they were flakey, and oh so yummy! Thanks to my friend Namea for this one!

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons white sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, chilled
1 cup cold milk
1/3 cup margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup currants
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons milk

1. Cream 1/3 cup butter or margarine, brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Drop 1 teaspoon into each of 12 greased muffin tins. Reserve the remaining mixture.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in 1/4 cup butter or margarine until crumbly. Make a well in center, and pour in milk. Stir to form a soft dough, adding a bit more milk if needed.
3. Turn dough out on lightly floured surface. Knead 8 to 10 times. Roll into rectangle about 1/3 inch thick and 12 inches long. Spread the remaining cinnamon mixture over dough rectangle. Sprinkle currants or raisins over top. Roll up as for jelly roll. Mark first, then cut into 12 slices. Place cut side down in muffin pan.
4. Bake in 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes. Turn out on a tray.
5. To confectioners sugar, add enough milk or water to make a thin glaze. Drizzle over cinnamon rolls.

Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows

I can't take credit for this one, as I was at my mom's this past week helping her after she had surgery, I was thumbing through some of the Junk magazines that people brought her to read, and I was looking through the recipe sections, and when I saw the picture of this one I was sold.... too bad this picture isn't quite the same, but you get the idea. I love Marshmallows, and this was a great way to add chocolate to them... it's like a smore, you could roll this in graham cracker crumbs and you would have smore marshmallows. Yummy!!

1 Bag Large Jet Puffed Marshmallows
1 Bar Dipping Chocolate (white or
Assorted toppings. i.e.. coconut, sprinkles, white chocolate, nuts, etc.

In a double boiler melt dipping chocolate, once melted through take a toothpick or decorate skewer and place it in the marshmallow, then dip the marshmallow into the chocolate roll to coat well then quickly remove and sprinkle or roll into desired toppings, if adding a chocolate drizzle, wait until chocolate has hardened slightly. Place Marshmallows onto waxed paper to cool.

Very Cheesy Bean Dip

2 cans refried beans
1 can black beans
1 lb hamburger
1 small can green chilies
1 8 oz pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
1 small bottle cheese whiz

Brown hamburger. Mix all ingredients in large pot and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. I usually cook mine in my crock pot on low for about an hour or 2. Serve with tortilla chips.

Homemade Oreo Coookies

I love, love, love homemade Oreo's, and so I thought I would share my love for this easy recipe with all of you! Ohh La La... enjoy!



Cookies

• 2 devil's food cake mixes
• 2 cubes butter
• 4 eggs

Mix ingredients together. Roll into small balls(about 1 T). Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. When cookies are cool spread filling on one cookie and sandwich with another.

Cream Cheese Filling

• 1/2 cube of butter
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1 t vanilla
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Beat ingredients together until smooth and creamy.

Spitzbuben

This is another Austrian cookie from my mission. So tasty!

1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups butter
2 1/4 cups ground blanched almonds
2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
3 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
apricot or strawberry jam
confectioners' sugar

Beat the sugar and the butter together until light and fluffy. Beat in the almonds and the vanilla flavoring. Add the flour. Knead until smooth. Chill 1 to 2 hours. Preheat oven to 325 F. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured cutting board to the thickness of 1/8 to 1/4 inch; the thinner, the better the cookie. Cut with small round, star or diamond-shaped cookie cutters. Place the cookies on lightly buttered and floured cookie sheets. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden. Remove cookies from the baking sheet. Spread half the cookies with apricot jam. Top with the remaining cookies, dip the edges into confectioners' sugar.