Tag Archives: Holiday Baking

Buttered Rum Cheesecake

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feat. Tre Stelle Natural Cream Cheese

Makes 9” cheesecake, serving 10-12

Ingredients

Crumb Base

  • 6oz Gingersnap cookies (apx 10-12)
  • ½ cup pecans
  • 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • Pinch salt

Cheesecake Filling

  • 5 packs Tre Stelle® Natural Cream Cheese, original, room temperature
  • 1 1/3 and 1/3 cup sugar, divided
  • ¼ cup cornstrach
  • 2 whole eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Rum extract
  • ¾ cup whipping, or heavy, cream
  • 1 cup Butterscotch flavour chips
  • 1 Tablespoon All-purpose flour

Ganache Topping

  • 200g Blonde chocolate, chopped into small pieces
  • 65ml whipping, or heavy, cream
  • 1 Tablespoon rum (light or dark- to your preference)

To decorate (optional)

  • Whipped cream
  • Edible glitter
  • Edible glitter stars

Method

Crumb Base

  1. Reheat oven to 350 degrees F
  2. Wrap the external of a 9” springform pan tightly with aluminium foil
  3. Lightly grease or spray the sides of a spring form pan
  4. In food processor, combine the gingersnap cookies and pecans and process to a crumb. Transfer to a bowl
  5. Add in them melted butter, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and salt. Stir until well combined
  6. Tip into your prepared springform pan and using a spoon spread the crumb mixture to give an even layer to the bottom of the pan
  7. Bake in your preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool fully.  Leave your oven running while you prepare the cheesecake filling

Cheesecake Filling

  1. In a medium bowl, toss together the butterscotch chips and the All-purpose flour until the chisp are well coated. Set aside until needed later
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine 2 packs of Tre Stelle® Natural Cream Cheese, 1/3 cup sugar and the cornstarch. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes until well combined
  3. Add in the remaining packs of Tre Stelle® Natural Cream Cheese and beat until combined
  4. Add in the remaining sugar and rum extract and beat on medium-high speed until well combined
  5. Add in the eggs and the egg yolk one by one, beating well between each addition until fully incorporated
  6. Finally, add in to whipping (heavy) cream, mixing on slow until just combined
  7. Fold in your prepared butterscotch chips and gently pour the cheesecake mixture on to the crumb base in the springform pan
  8. Place the cheesecake-filled springform pan into a larger, high-sided dish (a casserole or roasting pan works well) and fill to a height of 1” up the sides of the springform pan with water. Carefully transfer the filled pan to your preheated oven, taking care not to spill, or get any of the water into the cheesecake pan
  9. Bake for between 70-80 minutes, until the cheesecake top is lightly browned and slightly jiggles in the centre
  10. Turn the oven off but do not remove the cheesecake. Leave to cool fully in the oven. (I use a wooden spoon to keep the oven door slightly ajar to help the cooking process)
  11. Once fully cooled to room temperature, cover the top of the cheesecake with clingwrap and chill overnight in the refrigerator

Ganache Topping

  1. Place your blonde chocolate pieces into a medium bowl
  2. Heat the cream in a small pan over a medium heat until just simmering (you’ll see small bubbles forming at the edge with the pan
  3. Remove and carefully pour the warmed cream over the chocolate pieces, then add the tablespoon of rum
  4. Set aside for 5 minutes to melt
  5. After this time, slowly stir to emulsify the mixture. If there are some larger pieces of chocolate which are not melting, a quick blast in the microwave (10 seconds, no more) will help you out
  6. Continue stirring util the mixture is fully combined, smooth and shiny
  7. Leave to cool for 5 minutes then spread on top of your cheesecake to form a finishing layer

Decorate (Optional)

  1. If you choose to decorate the cheesecake, you can finish it with some whipped cream and dust with edible glitter and stars for that perfect seasonal touch!
  2. Slice and enjoy!

Amaretti Morbidi

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Makes 15

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups finely ground almonds
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 2 large egg whites
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ½ teaspoon almond extract
  • Confectioner’s sugar

Method

  • Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a large baking sheet or cookie tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
  • In a large bowl, whisk together ground almond, sugar and salt until well combined
  • In a mixing bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar until they hold soft peaks
  • Add beaten egg whites and almond extract to dry ingredients and stir until mixture forms a soft, sticky dough, kneading with your hands if necessary
  • Lightly dust your hands with powdered sugar. Use a small cookie scoop to portion dough into 1-inch balls. Roll into a smooth ball, then roll in powdered sugar. Arrange on your prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch of space between cookies
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes until tops are cracked and bottoms are just barely golden. Remove from oven; let cool a few minutes on the baking trays, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely
  • Cookies will keep at room temperature in an airtight bag or container, for up to 5 days

3-Ingredient Sugar Cookies

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Makes 24

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 cups All-purpose flour

Optional

  • 1 ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • Festive Sprinkles

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with barking parchment or a silicone baking mat
  2. Add your butter with sugar into a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk for a few minutes until combines and fluffy. (If you’re using vanilla extract add at this point)
  3. Add in your flour and beat again until combined. The dough will be crumblier that typical cookie dough
  4. Break off/ scoop walnut sizes pieces and roll in your hands*
  5. Place the cookies balls onto the prepared tray and using a flat-bottomed glass press down to flatten to ¼ to ½ inch thickness. You can press some sprinkle into the tops at this point
  6. Bake in your preheated oven for between 12-14 minutes, until the edges are just turning golden-brown
  7. Cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then move to a rack to cook completely

*You can roll them in some additional granulated sugar at this point if you like

Chocolate Espresso Sables

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Makes 25 sandwich cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

  • 2/3 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ Tonka bean, grated (optional)
  • 2 cups All-purpose flour
  • 2 Tablespoons freshly ground coffee
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt

Filling

  • 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
  • 1/3 cup heavy, or whipping, cream
  • 1 Tablespoon butter

Method

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat softened butter until creamy. Add confectioners’ sugar and beat until well combined and smooth
  2. Add egg yolks, vanilla extract and beat just until fully combined
  3. Add flour, ground coffee, salt, and beat at low speed just until flour is incorporated but before dough forms a ball
  4. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and use your hands to bring dough together. Divide dough in half and roll into 1½-inch-wide logs. Wrap logs in cling wrap, and refrigerate until firm, 1 to 2 hours
  5. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, or silicone making mats
  6. Unwrap logs and cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Place rounds 1 inch apart on prepared pans
  7. Bake until just lightly browned around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool on pans for 5 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool completely on wire racks
  8. Place chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, bring cream and butter to a simmer over medium heat. Pour hot cream mixture over chocolate. Let stand for 1 minute; stir until a smooth, silky ganache forms. Let stand until thickened, 30 minutes to 1 hour
  9. Using a piping bag fitted with a small round piping tip, pipe a round of ganache onto flat side of half of cookies. Place remaining cookies, flat side down, on top of ganache. Let stand until ganache is set, 1 to 2 hours
  10. Unfilled cookies will keep for 2 to 3 days. Once they are filled with ganache, the cookies are best served within a day

Copycat Cranberry Bliss Bars

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Makes 16

Ingredients

Bars

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
  • 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon orange extract
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Zest 1/2 orange
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup white chocolate chips
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries

Frosting and Finish

  • 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • 3 Tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons orange juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Zest 1/2 orange
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
  • 3oz white chocolate, melted

Method

To make the bars

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13×9 inch baking pan with parchment paper
  2. In bowl of a stand mixer, combine the melted butter, brown sugar and beat with the paddle attachment at medium speed for between 5- 6 minutes
  3. In a separate bowl whisk together the orange zest, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and flour until combined. Set aside until needed
  4. To your sugar/ butter mixture add in eggs, orange extract, and vanilla extract and beat until mixed well. Add in the flour/ dried ingredients mixture, beating until just blended
  5. Fold in white chocolate chips and dried cranberries using a spatula. Spread evenly into the bottom of prepared pan
  6. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes until set and golden brown at the edges. Remove from oven and place pan on a wire rack to cool. Allow bars to cool completely before topping with frosting and decorating

To make the frosting and finish

  1. With an electric whisk, beat together the cream cheese, butter and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy.
  2. Add orange juice, vanilla extract, orange zest beat again until well combined and smooth
  3. Using a spatula top the cooled bars with frosting. Sprinkle over the chopped dried cranberries and drizzle white chocolate over the top with either a piping bag
  4. Place the bars in the refrigerator for about an hour to help them set up before cutting. Cut baked sheet into half lengthwise, then into 4 so you end up with 8 pieces. Cut each piece in half diagonally so you end up with two triangles so you end up with 16 triangles in total
  5. Serve and enjoy!