Shortbread Thumbprints

I was searching for my thumbprint cookie recipe on my blog today and came up empty. I can't believe I haven't posted about one of my absolute favorite cookies yet! This cookie is a combination of almond shortbread full of buttery richness plus a bit of sweet fruit jam in the center. They're easy to make and makes the whole house smell wonderful (thanks to the almond extract!). 

This recipe is delicious as is! The only modification I make is to increase the almond extract in the cookie dough to 1 full teaspoonful. Also, when I get lazy I omit making the drizzle and eating the cookies straight out of the oven. 

A few tricks to this cookie: 

• Don't skip out on the almond extract! Substituting vanilla extract for the almond just isn't the same.
• To make perfect circular indentations in each cookie, try using the end of a chapstick tube. Wrap the chapstick tube in plastic wrap and make holes in the center of each cookie! 
• Freeze or refrigerate the cookies prior to making for 10 minutes or so, so the cookie will not spread out or flatten too much in the oven. 
• Spoon the jam or preserves into a small ziplock back, cut off the corner of the bag, and squeeze the jam into the cookie indentations for less mess. 

Raspberry and Almond Shortbread Thumbprints

1 cup butter, softened but not melted

2/3 cup white sugar

1 tsp. almond extract

2 cups flour

1/2 cup seedless jam (any flavor you like!)

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

3/4 tsp. almond extract

1 tsp. milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Mix in 1 tsp. almond extract and flour until dough comes together. Roll dough into small balls (about 1 inch) and place cookies on ungreased cookie sheets. Separate cookies about 2 inches apart. Make a small indentation in the center of each cookie and fill holes with jam. 
3. Bake for 14 to 18 minutes in preheated oven, until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned. Remove cookies from oven and cool.
4. In medium bowl, whisk together confectioners' sugar, almond extract, and milk until smooth. Drizzle lightly over cooled cookies.

Celebratory Cheesecake

It was Ben's birthday this week, which warranted something special! The cake itself was an easy decision as he prefers cheesecake. I used Chantal's New York Cheesecake recipe, which is my go-to, proven cheesecake recipe. The recipe produces one HUGE, weighty, calorific cheesecake, probably due to the 4 packages of cream cheese and 1 cup of sour cream it contains. This time around, I made 1 batch of the cheesecake mixture and divided the mixture between 12 mini cupcakes (baked in a regular muffin tin) and a large 9-inch cheesecake. As you can tell, there was just enough batter to go-around.

For the mini cheesecakes, I used muffin liners and pressed a small scoop of the graham cracker crumb crust into each muffin tin. Then I filled each muffin 3/4 full with cheesecake mixture and baked at the 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Easy peasy! (Tip: For even more easy-ness, instead of making a graham cracker crust, just use a Nilla wafer as the crust for each mini cheesecake.)

Cheesecake baking tips:

• Use ingredients that are at room temperature. 
• Do not over-beat cream cheese mixture as this will incorporate air into the batter, which causes the sunken, collapsed cheesecake syndrome. 
• Use a water bath when baking cheesecakes. Wrap the springform pan in aluminum foil (to prevent water getting into the pan), then place pan in large baking tray filled up halfway with hot water. 
• Bake until the center of the cheesecake is slightly wobbly to prevent overbaking/browning of the cheesecake. 
• Patience! Allow the cheesecake to cool in oven with the heat turned off for a few hours to prevent sinking cheesecakes.

New York Cheesecake
15 grahams crackers, crushed
2 tbsp. butter, melted

4 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup flour, sifted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combine crushed graham crackers and melted butter, then press mixture onto bottom of springform pan.
3. In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, then eggs one at a time until just incorporated. Mix in sour cream, vanilla extract, and flour until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared pan. 
4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour, or until cheesecake is solid except with a jiggly center. Turn oven off and let cheesecake cool in oven for 5-6 hours (or overnight). Chill in refrigerator before serving. 
5. Decorating cheesecake ideas: 
1. Arrange sliced fruit on top of cheesecake and brush with sugar syrup glaze
2. Drizzle chocolate over cheesecake
3. Chocolate ganache topping

Cheesecake Base

Cutting the fruit toppings!

The finished look!

The view from up top

molten chocolate lava cakes

I was on total chocolate craze last month. Hmm... it aligned perfectly with exam schedules, coincidence? Then as if it was meant to be, I discovered this chocolate lava cake recipe from foodwishes.blogspot.com. As if the universe was telling me to eat more chocolate! For those who have never had molten chocolate lava cakes, you have been missing out! The recipe utilized ingredients I already had and consisted only of 3 steps! Easy and delicious! You can be having your own chocolate lava cakes in a short 60 minutes! What are you waiting for? :)

As an aside, I love foodwishes.blogspot.com! The blogger makes video recipes, so you can see every step in action. It's perfect for those of us who don't quite know what "stiff peaks" or "curdled mixture" looks like.

So far, I have baked this cake 3 times. The first time it was absolute perfection, with the gooey chocolate-y inside. However, the second time, I was impatient and under-baked the cake; needless to say, it completely collapsed once I slid it out of the ramekin. Ben ate the molten chocolate all the same, when do you pass on molten warm gooey chocolate?! And the third time, I used metal muffin tins rather than ramekins and the cakes turned out overbaked. I guess I'm still working on my timing. Ideally, the cakes are done when the center of each cake is a bit jiggly, indicating the creamy, not-completely-baked insides. So, take the listed baking time as a suggestion... baking times can vary depending on your oven and the type of baking pan you used (metal or ceramic).

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake

2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
5 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. sugar
3.5 oz. dark chocolate
3 tbsp. flour
4 tsp. cocoa powder
A pinch of salt
1/8 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

1. Butter 4 small ramekins, and set aside. Whisk eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until mixture is light and foamy. 
2. Melt dark chocolate and butter in microwave until just melted (20-30 seconds). Stir chocolate into egg mixture. Sift cocoa powder, flour, and salt into mixture. Fill ramekins with mixture. 
3. Cover ramekins with ceramic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
4. Place ramekins in deep baking dish, and fill baking dish halfway with hot water. Bake at 425 degrees F. for 15 to 18 minutes. Remove from oven, run a knife along outside of the cake to detach cake from ramekin, and turn upside down to remove cake from ramekins. Dust with powder sugar prior to serving. 

Loving myself some chocolate!