I love cheesecake and I don’t discriminate.

Red velvet cheesecake, Japanese cotton cheesecake, cheesecake truffles, pumpkin pie cheesecake, mango cheesecake…I love it all.

Today, I’m bringing you all the flavor of cheesecake without all the muss and fuss.  I introduce the cheesecake cookie.

httpv://youtu.be/j9Ww4m8xM_c

5.0 from 3 reviews

Cheesecake Cookies

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 1-2 Dozen

Ingredients

• 1 c unbleached flour
• ¼ ts baking powder
• Pinch of fine salt
• 5 oz room temperature cream cheese
• 6 tb room temperature butter
• ⅓ c brown sugar
• ⅓ c granulated sugar
• 1 room temperature egg
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 ts vanilla extract
• Optional: chocolate chips/melted chocolate*

Instructions

1. In the first bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
2. In the second bowl, break up the cream cheese and butter and cream it together with the sugars for 3-5 minutes.
3. Blend in the egg.
4. Add the zest and vanilla.
5. Combine the first and second bowl carefully in 2-3 separate additions. Be mindful not to over mix.
6. If time allows, chill the dough for 20-30 minutes.
7. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.

Notes

*You could also do a berry cheesecake version by subbing out the chocolate with freeze dried berries.

3.2.2807

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

We’ve had a lot of family in town for the holidays and that means hosting duties for me.  Rather than finding it to be a chore, I relish these moments.  I savor strolling up and down the aisles in the market, carefully crafting together dishes in the kitchen, and creating memories over a table filled with love and food.  It’s these moments that reinforce bonds. Here’s a few of the suppers that I’ve been making.

Pork Florentine Rollatini with Butternut Squash Risotto.

Peanut Soba & Thai Steak Salad

Vanilla/Raspberry Cake

Cheesecake & bottomless mimosas with J.

Frozen yogurt with baby brother.

Two of my favorite guys jamming Me time at a new book/coffee shop I stumbled into.

Disney World!  J surprised me for Christmas and we’re planning it right now….super exciting for the girl who’s never been!  Let me know if you guys have any tips

I love a good deal and this one may very well be the most tastiest of them all.  This double layered pumpkin pie cheesecake truly appeals to the greedy “eyes bigger than her stomach” squishy monster inside of me.  It packs a fresh Autumn punch with its distinct layers of both cheesecake and pumpkin pie.  See?  You can have your cake and eat it too!

httpv://youtu.be/KyCO4XL0oD0

5.0 from 2 reviews

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: One 8″ Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust

• 1½ c gingersnap/graham cracker crumbs
• 6 tb melted, unsalted butter

Cheesecake

• 2 8oz blocks soft cream cheese
• ½ c sugar
• 2 ts vanilla extract
• 2 room temperature eggs

Pumpkin Pie

• 2 c pumpkin puree
• 1 c brown sugar
• ½ ts fine salt
• 2 room temperature eggs
• ½ c cream
• 2 ts vanilla extract
• 1 ts pumpkin spice

Instructions

1. In the bottom of a 8-10″ springform pan*, press the crumbs with the butter into a crust. Bake at 350 for about 8 minutes. Cool.
2. In a bowl, cream together the cheese and sugar. Splash in the vanilla and one egg at a time. Be careful not to mix in too much air. Set aside.
3. In a food processor {you can also mix by hand}, blend together everything for the pumpkin pie.
4. Layer in the cheesecake then, the pumpkin pie.
5. Double wrap the pan in tin foil and set in a larger baking pan. Bake in a water bath at 350 for 45-60 minutes*
6. If you have the time, allow to sit in the oven, turned off for about 30 minutes. Take out and cool on the counter for an hour or two then refrigerate to set overnight.

Notes

*If baking in several smaller pans {I used a few 4″ pans}, reduce the heat. Mine took 25-35 minutes.

3.2.2807

{This would pair perfectly with some salted caramel sauce}

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

I first fell in love with this Japanese cotton soft cheesecake when I was about 8.  It’s exactly what it sounds like with an amazing fluffy texture that tastes like whipped cheesecake but in cake form, if that makes any sense.  How I first discovered it was by accident.  I would always accompany my mother to the market {which is also part of how I fell in love with food}.  Our errands rarely ever included the supermarket that you and I know and frequent.  Our Korean cuisine necessitated traveling across town for our biweekly trip to the Asian shop where the pungent smell from the fresh mongers stand placed at the back would hit your nose as soon as you walked in.  Never once did it occur to me to view it as a place where exotic or wondrous foods were held.  For me, it was just another Sunday with mama, picking up our groceries.  As a reward for being good and helping, I could always pick something out and on one particular day, I wandered further than my typical aisle where the bags of banana puffs and chocolate pocky waited for me to rip into and discovered a humbly wrapped slice of puffy blonde cake that when I touched, felt softer than any plush animal I’d ever held.  Intrigued, I chose it to enjoy in the back seat on the ride home.  I still remember the crackle of the packaging and that very first moment I sank my teeth into the pillowy soft cake.  Gently sweet with subtle flavors of classic cheese, it was light as air and unlike anything I’d ever had before and needless to say from that moment on, it was magic and I was hooked.

My love of cheesecake in general has been pretty well documented on this blog. (Berry Cheesecake, Mango Cheesecake, Red Velvet Cheesecake, Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries, Key Lime Cheesecake Milkshake), so it’s not too much of a stretch that I would love the fluffier Asian version of it as well. Light, airy, soft and as fluffy as clouds. These are all the proper adjectives that come to mind when describing this beauty.  Not until I was in my 20’s did I even attempt at making this cake for myself and years later, I wonder what took me so long.  Perhaps I was originally adverse to breaking down the magic of this cake but the magic is still there.  And when you bake this cake, you’ll see what I’m talking about.

4.3 from 7 reviews

Japanese Cheesecake

 

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

75 mins

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: 4-6 Servings

Ingredients

• 8 oz cream cheese
• 4 tb butter
• ⅓ c cream
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 6 eggs, separated
• ¼ ts cream of tartar
• 10 tb caster sugar
• 5 tb + 2 ts cake flour
• 3 tb cornstarch
• Optional: cocoa or matcha powder or powdered sugar to dust the finished cake with.

Instructions

1. In your first bowl, gently heat your cream cheese, butter, and cream. Whisk constantly and set aside to cool.
2. When it’s cool, fold in yolks, cake flour, and cornstarch.
3. In your second bowl, beat your egg whites. When they get frothy, add in your cream of tartar and gradually sprinkle in your sugar. You want to achieve soft peaks, meaning the eggs have become tight and shiny and when the whisk is removed, the edges stand up but softly curl downwards.
4. Fold your second bowl into your first bowl, using soft strokes but incorporating thoroughly.
5. In a springform pan lined with parchment, wrapped twice in foil, and set inside of another pan, pour in the batter. Prepare a water bath (pour in hot water half way up the sides of the pan). Bake at 350 for 70-80 minutes.

Notes

I highly recommend using full fat cream cheese and dairy here.

3.2.2807

If you enjoy my Japanese Cheesecake, you’ll love my Korean Cream Cake as well.  It’s a more dressed up version of this cake with chiffon cake layers, whipped cream frosting, and fresh fruit.

Dreaming of clouds & cake,

Love,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

Red velvet can’t live without cream cheese frosting, so it only seemed natural to put them together in a “til death do you part” kind of way.  No need for Kanye West to rally for a prenup here, it’s a match made in Heaven, if I do say so myself.

http://youtu.be/RyuzolkpiBM

5.0 from 9 reviews

Red Velvet Cheesecake

 

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 15 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Serves: One 8″ Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 2 blocks (8 oz) soft room temperature cream cheese
• 1 c sugar
• 1 ts pure vanilla
• ¼ c sour cream or buttermilk
• 2 room temperature eggs
• 2 tb sifted unsweetened cocoa
• 1 ts vinegar
• 2 tb red color

Crust

• 1 c crushed cookies/crackers
• 6 tb melted butter

Instructions

1. Make sure your cream cheese is very soft and break it apart with your mixer. Blend together with your sugar and vanilla for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
2. Tip in your cream/milk and slowly crack in one egg at a time. Blend well.
3. Sift your cocoa and sprinkle it in.
4. Pour in your vinegar and color. Blend well. Make sure not to over beat to prevent incorporating too much air.
5. For the crust, press together your crumbs and butter onto the bottom of an 8″ spring form pan. Bake at 350 for 6-8 minutes. Cool completely and pour in your filling.
6. Wrap your pan in foil and place it in a larger dish/pan. Fill with hot water and allow it to reach half way up its side.
7. Bake your cheesecake at 350 for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Allow it to cool for at least a couple hours before setting in the fridge overnight.

Notes

This makes one 6″ Cheesecake

3.2.2807

Love and early Christmas cheer,

Your Squishy Monster ^.~

For me, September means my birthday, kids going back to school, and the transition into my favorite season, Autumn.  Here, near the Blue Ridge Parkway and surrounding, the leaves are unreal.  The vibrant foliage makes me feel like Pocahontas singing “Colors of the Wind.”  Autumn conjures up the memory of pumpkin spice lattes, spicy baked yummies, and soft fuzzy scarves.  Despite happily anticipating Autumn, it’s bittersweet to watch Summer go.  No more frolicking in the water and snow cones and slushies galore.  So come celebrate the last bits of Summer with me and send it off with a hoooorah!

Mango Cheesecake

 

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Ingredients

Crust

• 1½ c graham cracker crumbs
• ⅓ c sugar
• 6 tb melted butter

Filling

• 3 blocks soft cream cheese
• 1 c pureed mango
• 1 c sugar
• 2 tb flour
• 1 ts pure vanilla extract
• 3 room temperature eggs

Instructions

1. For the crust, press everything together into a spring form pan that’s been wrapped in foil. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes and allow to cool completely.
2. For the filling, begin by straining your mango through a fine mesh sieve. Then, cream together your cream cheese and mango.
3. Add your sugar, tip in your vanilla, then, your flour. Be mindful not to over beat. A few lumps are ok.
4. Add in your eggs, one at a time.
5. Pour your filling into your prepared crust. Lay it into a larger baking dish and fill half way up the sides with hot water to create a water bath.
6. Bake at 325 for 55 minutes.
7. Allow your cheesecake to cool completely and refrigerate overnight.

3.2.2124

Mango Kisses,

Your Squishy Monster ^.^

I always feel like cheesecake.  You know how your friends will ask, “whatdya feel like eating?”  That’s an easy one: cheesecake.  I love its pillowy bite, the way it softly crumbles when your fork slides through, the way it lays like velvet on your tongue and only ever so slowly melts away.  I’m convinced there’s nothing like it.  These cutie pie strawberry cheesecake bites come in a close second.  It’s great for those days you don’t feel like all the hoo-haa of a real cheesecake.  You can pop these portable baby bites right in your mouth and a). they’re “healthier” (though that becomes a blurred concept when you’ve eaten like 35) b). it takes mere minutes! c). theses are perfect for kids, parties, and take-alongs to virtually anywhere.

Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries

 

Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Ingredients

• Strawberries
• ½ block (4 oz) cream cheese
• Powdered sugar
• Zest of ½ lemon
• 1 ts vanilla extract
• Melted chocolate or crushed graham crackers (optional)

Instructions

1. Wash & prep your berries. Take a sharp paring knife to the tops and rotate the Berry to “core or gut” it. Often, you’ll find the centers pretty hollow anyways. Cut a teeny bit of the pointed end so that your berries will sit on their own.
2. In a separate bowl, cream together your softened, room temperature cream cheese (it’s very important that it’s been naturally softened, the finished product will be much smoother, not clumpy), powdered sugar, and vanilla. You can either achieve this by mashing it with the tines of a fork or taking a mixer to it. (Again, your finished product will be silkier if you take the take to sift your powdered sugar).
3. Drizzle with melted chocolate or roll in crushed crackers.

Notes

I’m a big believer that how much Sugar you add should depend on how sweet you want it.

3.2.2124

Cheesecake stuffed strawberries = *drool*

Loving/Hating pinterest
XOXO
Your Squishy Monster

Beware.  This is decadence in a glass.  Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.

Cheesecake, key lime ice cream, soft graham crackers, heavy cream, milk all whipped into a glass.  Yes, your diet is going to kill you.  However, this is a must try at least once!

Key Lime Cheesecake Milkshakes

 

Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Author: The Squishy Monster

Ingredients

Cheesecake

• 1 block softened, cream cheese
• ½ c sugar
• 1 room temperature egg
• Pinch of salt
• ½ ts vanilla

Milkshake

• 2 key lime ice cream bars (I used Ciao Bella)
• ½ c cold, whole milk (more if you want a looser shake)
• 2-3 prepared mini cheesecakes
• Optional: Zest of ½ Key Lime

Whipped Cream

• ¼ c of cold heavy cream
• Powdered sugar to taste
• 1 ts vanilla

Instructions

1. Cream together your cream cheese and sugar.
2. Crack in your egg
3. Tip in your vanilla and salt (you have my full permission to use a store-bought one for the purpose of this milkshake) or, if you’d like, refer to my Christmas cheesecake video
4. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes and cool
5. At this point, it’s just a matter of blending everything into a smoothy and creamy concoction.
6. Top with a cloud of whipped cream and you’re done!

3.2.1753

Sweet, Creamy, & Tart

Your little piggy,
The Squishy Monster =D

Cheesecake, Key Lime Ice Cream, Soft Graham Crackers, Heavy Cream, Milk all whipped into a glass.  Yes, your diet is going to kill you.  However, this is a must try at least once!

Watch this video on YouTube Embedded with WP YouTube Lyte.

Sweet, Creamy, & Tart

Your little piggy,
The Squishy Monster =D

Watch this video on YouTube Embedded with WP YouTube Lyte.

Merry Christmas Eve!  I love you all!!!

Love,
Your Squishy Monster