Baking

Summer of Rhubarb: Rhubarb Cheesecake

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I used to eat cheesecake every summer. I’d have it as my birthday cake and then I’d get one more later on in the summer and eat it all week. They are so creamy & decadent. I prefer my cheesecakes to be dense. None of the fluffy b*llsh$t. I also tend to eat them plain or perhaps turtle style once in awhile.

With needing to use up an excess of freshly harvested rhubarb I thought making a cheesecake would be a great way to use it. I debated making the cheesecake plain and the rhubarb sauce on the side but decided to place it inside of the cheesecake which goes against my purist cheesecake values. It also isn’t as dense as I normally prefer. I decided to make it a bit less dense so it would be slightly creamier/softer so that it would mesh better with the rhubarb sauce.

It turned out to be delicious though. I don’t imagine wanting too many fruit cheesecakes in the future but I will definitely make this one again. Also, this recipe does not require a water bath so it’s super easy to make.

Rhubarb Cheesecake

For the crust…

  • 1/3 box (1 wrapped package graham crackers) smashed into crumbs (roughly 1.25 cups crumbs)
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup sugar

For the rhubarb sauce…

  • 4 cups chopped rhubarb
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1.5 tbsp corn starch
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice

For the cheesecake…

  • 2 blocks cream cheese, softened
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup cup sour cream ( I’ve made it with both, just depends on what you have in the fridge)
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp flour

Heat oven to 325 degree F. Place graham cracker crumbs & sugar in a bowl, mix well. Melt butter and stir into crumbs. Press mixture into bottom of an 10-inch springform pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool.

In a small saucepan, combine sugar, corn starch, rhubarb, and lemon juice. Bring to a low boil over medium-high heat. Continue to cook, stirring, an additional 6 to 7 minutes until rhubarb sauce is thickened and all the pieces have disintegrated.

In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, sour cream,  and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until blended, then beat in flour. Stir in lemon juice.

Place the rhubarb sauce over the crust. Top with the cheesecake filling. Bake for 45 minutes or until lightly golden around edges. Remove to rack to cool slightly. Run a thin knife around edge of cheesecake in pan. Remove pan and place into fridge to chill at least 2 hrs.

Enjoy with your friends or by yourself.

This entry was posted in Baking.

Summer of Rhubarb: Rhubarb Custard Pie

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Rhubarb Custard Pie (Recipe & Photo from Food Network Kitchen)

Rhubarb Custard Pie
As previously discussed I am not a huge cake fan. For most of my life I either had dairy queen ice cream cakes or cheesecake as my birthday cakes. It should come as no surprise that I decided to not bake a cake for my birthday. Instead I decided to bake a pie.
Specifically a rhubarb custard pie since I had exactly 4.5 cups of rhubarb left in my fridge to use up from my first harvest. I find that using rhubarb fresh is much easier than previously frozen as you don’t have to deal with draining excess fluid or adding more flour or corn starch to thicken it.
This pie is delish and super easy to make. I ended up eating 1/4 of the pie for my birthday.
 Ingredients

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Fit the pie dough into a 9-inch pie plate, fluting the edges, and chill until set, about 15 minutes. Prick the bottom and sides with a fork, and then line the crust with aluminum foil.
  • Fill with pie weights or dried beans and bake until the edges of the crust are just golden, 20 minutes.
  • Remove the foil with the pie weights and continue to bake until the bottom of the crust is dry and lightly browned, another 10 to 15 minutes. Cool completely.
  • Toss the rhubarb with 1/4 cup granulated sugar and the lemon juice until well combined. Transfer to the crust and spread to form an even layer. Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet.
  • Whisk the eggs with the evaporated milk, flour and remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar until smooth, and then pour over the rhubarb.
  • Line with edges of the pie with aluminum foil to prevent over browning.
  • Bake until the pie is lightly browned, puffed and no longer wet in the center, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Before serving, lightly dust with confectioners’ sugar.

Summer of Rhubarb: Rhubarb Pudding Cake

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I am very picky about cake. I will almost always pass on a store bought cake or even a cake baked by someone and brought into work. You’d think I would bake a lot of cakes but I don’t do that either. Most cakes are only good for a day or two (at most 4 days), so then I am stuck with a large amount of cake not eaten or I have to bring it to work.

With it being summer and my rhubarb in full swing, I decided to try a rhubarb pudding cake. I actually enjoyed it although I preferred the rhubarb blondies I made previously. I did end up bringing 1/2 the cake to work and it disappeared. Everyone loved it so give this recipe a try.

 

Rhubarb Pudding Cake (recipe from common sense home)

Ingredients
  • 2 cups chopped rhubarb
  • 1 3/4 cup sugar, divided
  • 3 tablespoons butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup milk (I used evaporated milk)
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 cup sifted flour
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2/3 cup boiling water

Instructions

  1. Cover the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch square pan with fruit. (I used a glass pie plate.)
  2. Mix 3/4 cup sugar, butter, baking powder, salt, extracts, milk and flour together (add a little more milk if it is too thick to pour); pour over fruit. Mix remaining sugar and cornstarch; sprinkle over mixture in pan. Pour boiling water over the top.
  3. Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes

 

Summer of Rhubarb: Rhubarb Blondies

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One thing you can always count on is your rhubarb coming to life in the summer. It’s a short window when everyone in Minnesota bakes their hearts out with this beloved vegetable. Most people call it a fruit due to the way it is used in desserts but it’s actually a vegetable.

It is one of my favorites in the summer season. I love being able to bake or cook with what is fresh during the seasons so harvesting and baking up my rhubarb is no exception. I try to make new dishes every year (as well as the classic ones we love), so I decided to give a blondie recipe a try. These bars are delicious. So buttery and caramel-like in flavor from all the brown sugar. I’ve already made two batches of these bars this year so it’s quickly become a new favorite rhubarb recipe of mine.

Rhubarb & White Chocolate Blondies (recipe from goodness gracious)

INGREDIENTS
  • 8 tablespoons melted butter
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups diced rhubarb
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8 baking dish with parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray or grease with butter.
  2. Pour the melted butter into a large bowl.
  3. Whisk in brown sugar until smooth.
  4. Add the egg and vanilla extract, whisk again until combined.
  5. Add the flour and mix until no lumps are visible.
  6. Fold in the diced rhubarb and chocolate chips.
  7. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and spread it out to make even.
  8. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
  9. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

50 States, 50 Cookies: South Dakota

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I love pastries and custard filled desserts. This is the perfect combination. It is surprisingly easy to make as well. Next time I might use a little less dough for each cup but other than that I am in love with these. They don’t keep very well though so they are best eaten in the first day or two.

Kuchen Cups from Bob’s Red Mill United States of Cookies

Ingredients
  • For the Dough:
  • 1-1/4 cups Whole Milk
  • 1 envelope Active Dry Yeast (7g)
  • 1 large Egg
  • 4 cups Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
  • 1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 6 oz unsalted butter softened
  • For the Filling:
  • 1/4 cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
  • 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1-1/2 cups Whole Milk
  • 2 large Eggs
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 21 oz Apple Topping canned or homemade
Instructions
For the Dough:
  1. Heat the milk to 110° in a small bowl. Stir in the yeast and let stand for 5 minutes, until dissolved.
  2. Whip in the egg. Then fold in four cups of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, sugar, and salt. Knead the dough until it stiffens.
  3. Knead in the softened butter, cover, and let the dough sit in refrigerator overnight.
  4. The next day remove the dough, knead, and press into cupcake molds. I have found that the easiest way to do this is to use silicone molds so that the cookie is easily removed and to use a floured spoon to shape the cookie. You can also make these in a more traditional cookie form, but it will get messy. At this point preheat oven to 350 degrees.
For the Filling:
  1. In a medium bowl, combine flour with 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of milk, vanilla, eggs and whisk.
  2. In a saucepan, heat the remaining 1 1/4 cups of milk and 1/4 cup of sugar over moderate heat until the sugar is dissolved. Slowly whisk the egg mixture into the hot milk mixture, and cook the mixture in the saucepan over low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened. This will take about 4 minutes.
  3. Fill the bottom of your cookie cups 3/4ths full with apple filling or fruit of your choice. If you choose to use fresh fruit sprinkle cinnamon over your fruit slices.
  4. Add a spoonful of the pastry cream to the top of each cookie. Gently spread it evenly across the top of the entire cookie. Optional: Sprinkle each cookie with brown sugar.
  5. Bake for 15-25 minutes. Allow for cooling time before serving.

50 States, 50 Cookies: West Virginia

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These are an excellent sugar cookie recipe! I’m so picky when it comes to sugar cookies. None of them ever compare to my mom’s cookies. These are perfectly sweet & not to crispy and not too soft. Love!! Decorate them with regular christmas frosting and sprinkles and your friends & family will thank you

Candy Apple Sugar Cookie Cut Outs from Bob’s Red Mill United States of Cookies

Ingredients
  • 3 cups Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 cup softened Butter
  • 1 Egg
  • 1-1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • Caramel Frosting
  • melted White Chocolate
  • Caramel Sauce
  • Chopped Walnuts
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
  2. In a separate bowl combine the butter and sugar. Mix with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
  3. Mix in the egg and vanilla until mixed well.
  4. Slowly add in the flour mixture until your dough is mixed but still crumbles. Turn the cookie mixture out onto a lightly floured surface. Gently knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball.
  5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
  7. Divide the dough into fourths. Working with one section at a time, roll the dough out on a piece of parchment paper that has been lightly dusted with Bob’s Red Mill Flour to ¼ inch thick.
  8. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out the shapes you desire. Place the cut outs onto your parchment lined baking sheet, ½ an inch apart.
  9. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are light golden brown.
  10. Remove to a wire rack for cooling. Once they are cool you can decorate them any way you like.

50 States, 50 Cookies: Washington

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I used shredded apple as opposed to dried apple as I don’t really care for dried apple chunks in cookies. I think if I would have added raw sugar on top of the cookies while baking they would have been absolutely delicious.

Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies from Bob’s Red Mill United States of Cookies

Ingredients
  • 1 cup Cold Butter
  • 1-1/4 cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 Egg Yolk
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
  • 1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
  • 2 cups Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 cup Rolled Oats
  • 2 cups Dried Apples finely chopped about the size of chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Preheat Oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In a medium sized saucepan brown 3/4 cup butter over medium heat until light brown and nutty smelling. Add brown butter to mixing bowl and add remaining 1/4 cup cold butter. Stir until butter has melted. Stir in both sugars, and vanilla, until well combined.
  3. Mix whole eggs with egg yolks and add to brown butter/sugar mixture.Beat on medium high speed 30 seconds. Let mixture rest 3 minutes. Mix another 30 seconds and rest for 3 minutes repeating until butter mixture becomes thick and pale yellow. Add salt, baking soda and cinnamon, mix for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of bowl. Add flour and oatmeal. Mix just until combined. Stir in dried apple.
  4. Drop Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookie Dough onto an ungreased baking sheet spaced about 2″ apart using a standard sized cookie scoop or a heaping tablespoon. Bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are lightly brown. Allow to cool for 1-2 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. Store cookies in an airtight container.

50 States, 50 Cookies: Minnesota

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If you grew up in Minnesota than you know what a spritz cookie is. They are at every holiday get-together. I’ve always been a fan. I mean they are full of butter and many of them have sprinkles. Enough said. If you haven’t made these or even tried them I urge you to do so. You do need a cookie press (cookie gun) but otherwise they are supper easy. The trick is to have an ungreased or unlined cookie sheet. When you press the cookie onto the baking sheet it needs something to stick to or it becomes a blob. Everyone has there favorite shapes too. My only regret is I din’t have enough sprinkles to add.

Spritz Cookies from Bob’s Red Mill United States of Cookies

Ingredients
  • 1 cup Butter room temperature
  • 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1/4 tsp Almond Extract
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 2-1/4 cups Organic Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in egg, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt until creamy.
  3. With the mixer on low, or with a wooden spoon, slowly beat in flour until just combined.
  4. Place dough in cookie press fitted with desired template. Pipe dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Decorate with desired sprinkles, candies, etc.
  5. Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until edges of cookies just start to turn light golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes before removing from cookie sheet.

50 States, 50 Cookies: North Carolina

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I’ve spent two years of my life in North Carolina. Not all in one sitting. My dad lives there so I would spend summers and the occasional christmas there. When you add it all up it’s a fair amount of time. I loved it there. I loved my summer friends. I have so many memories. Surprisingly enough, I never really ate sweet potatoes or pecan pie while there. I was more apt to be eating cheesecake in the summer months. Fact: I used to eat a whole cheesecake every summer over the course of a week while there. It’s one of my favorite cakes. Anyhow, sweet potatoes, sweet potato pie, and pecan pie are all things I love. These bars are supposed to bring it all together. I think the crust could have been a little sweeter but otherwise they weren’t bad.

Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Bars from Bob’s Red Mill United States of Cookies

Ingredients
  • for the crust
  • 1 cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
  • 1/2 cup Gluten Free Rolled Oats
  • 1/2 cup Butter softened
  • 1/4 cup Organic Coconut Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • for the filling
  • 1-1/2 cup sweet potato puree
  • 3/4 cups Full-Fat Coconut Milk
  • 1/4 cup Maple Syrup
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 tsp ground Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • for the topping
  • 1-1/2 cup Chopped Pecans
  • 1/4 cup Organic Coconut Sugar
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use a stand mixer to mix your crust together: butter, gluten free flour, oats, and salt. Press crust evenly into an 8×8” pan and bake for 15 minutes. Let crust cool for 10-15 minutes.
  2. While the crust is baking, whip up your filling by placing the sweet potato puree*, maple syrup, coconut milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt in a high speed blender. Blend until smooth. Pour the filling onto the cooled crust and spread evenly across. Bake for 15 more minutes.
  3. While the filling is baking, mix together the chopped pecans with coconut sugar. Top bars with the pecan/ sugar mix and press down with fingers. Bake for an additional 25 minutes, then remove from oven. Cool completely before slicing and serving.
Recipe Notes

*To make the sweet potato puree, I slice about 4 medium sweet potatoes in half (the long way) and roast for 30 minutes in a 400 degree F oven. Once soft, I peel the skins off and puree the roasted sweet potato flesh.

 

50 States, 50 Cookies: Tennessee

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I love marshmallow. I love desserts with marshmallow. Growing up I used to eat store-bought moon pies and never even considered that I could make them for myself.  Once I started baking regularly I was always very scared to make homemade marshmallow. I heard it was difficult. It really isn’t. I’m no expert in making candies  and have no idea what the “soft ball stage” is or anything like that but I can read a thermometer. I’m sure the more I make things like this I’ll actually no what those terms mean.

Homemade Moon Pies from Bob’s Red Mill United States of Cookies

For the cookies

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1/4 cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp Salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 Egg Yolk
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1-3/4 cups Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 Tbsp Corn Starch

For the filling

  • 2 Tbsp Water
  • 2 Tbsp Light Corn Syrup
  • 1/3 cup Granulated Sugar
  • 1 Egg White room temperature
  • 1/2 Tbsp Gelatin Powder
  • 1 Tbsp Cold Water
  • 1/4 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • For the chocolate glaze
  • 12 oz Semisweet Chocolate chopped
  • 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
Instructions
Make the cookies
  1. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugars, and salt together with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla; beat until incorporated.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and cornstarch together. Add it to the butter mixture and beat until fully incorporated. Gather the dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Scoop 1 tablespoon sized pieces of dough and roll them into balls. Place the balls of dough 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicon mat. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned.
  4. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the filling
  1. Combine the water, corn syrup, and sugar in a small saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer. Bring to a boil and cook to “soft-ball” stage, about 235°F.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat the egg white on medium speed until soft peaks form.
  3. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and set aside to soften. Once the syrup reaches 235°F, add in the softened gelatin and mix until fully dissolved. With the mixer running on low, slowly pour the syrup into the beaten egg white. Add the vanilla. Turn the mixer to medium-high speed and continue to beat until stiff. (This may take around 3-5 minutes)
  4. Transfer the marshmallow to a pastry bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe a large kiss of marshmallow on the bottom side of half the cookies. Top with a second cookie to form a sandwich. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Make the glaze
  1. Add chocolate and oil to a heatproof bowl and set it over a pot of barely simmering water. Stir constantly until chocolate is melted and smooth.
  2. Working with one cookie at a time, use a fork to dip it into the bowl of melted chocolate. Flip it over to fully coat the cookie in chocolate. Tap off any excess and let it drip back into the bowl. Place the cookies on a wire rack set over a large baking sheet.
  3. Refrigerate until chocolate is set. Keep cookies stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Cookies with keep for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container.