Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecake

Happy 24th Birthday Ben! Today marks a very important day in both Ben and my lives I get to make him a birthday treat. We have been together for the past three birthdays, the first year I made him whoopie pies, last year pumpkin cheesecake bars and this year I decided to go for the real thing and make him a whole pumpkin cheesecake. It is his favorite thing in the whole world, with an oreo bottom of course! This one came out great looking and tasting.


I was actually really proud of how this cake came out looking. It looked so professional and yummy. Ben loved it and thought it was the best cheesecake he ever had. Thanks to Peabody for the recipe. I made a few slight changes but it really came out fabulous.


Turtle Pumpkin Cheesecake

1/2 14 oz can pumpkin puree
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/8 tsp salt
10 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 tbsp cornstarch
2 extra large eggs

12 oreo cookies (liquified in a blender until crumbs)
1 1/4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

chocolate glaze
caramel sauce
1 cup chopped toasted pecans


Blend the crushed oreos and the melted butter. Press into the bottom of a 7 inch spring form pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, heavy cream, vanilla extract, spice and salt. Set aside.


In the bowl of an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese at medium low speed until creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. My mom told me that the smoother the cream cheese the smoother and velvety the cake will be in the end. Gradually add the sugars and beat until blended.

Add the pumpkin mixture and mix till blended. Add the cornstarch and mix just until combined. Add the eggs on at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.


Pour into the spring form pan and bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes in a water bath of one inch. The sides of the cake should be set and the middle should still be slightly wobbly. Open the oven for 5 minutes then let the cake cool in the oven for an hour. Take the cake out of the water bath and place in the refrigerator for another hour.

Cake should be slightly cooled at this point. You want to toast the pecans to deepen the flavor of the nuts. I used canned caramel sauce and just melted semi sweet chocolate for the topping. Place the pecans on the top of the cake and drizzle the caramel and the chocolate all over. Refrigerate for another 2 hours before serving.

Make this cheesecake for the people you love who love pumpkin cheesecake. They will in turn love you forever.

Happy Happy Birthday Ben. Hope you had the best birthday ever! Kiss.

Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy 1st Birthday Smart Cookie! My blog is officially one year old. It does not feel like a year ago that I started it. Thank you all so much for following my blog, commenting and being a part of this. It has been a great experience so far and I can't wait to continue.


To celebrate I decided to make chocolate chip cookies, except add in something a little extra special Oreos! Yum.


I used the classic Toll House Cookie recipe and added some different chips and crushed Oreos to the batter.

Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup crushed oreo pieces
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy and light in color. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture, baking soda and salt. Stir in morsels and oreos. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto baking sheets.

Bake for 10 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.


Serve and enjoy for a special occasion (such as a 1st birthday!!)

Cookies and Cream Fudge

So I've been trying to figure out what I want to make for the Super Bowl, and I'm not sure, but I thought if I make a few experimental things and bring them all, one is sure to be good.


Tonight I decided to try a recipe that I saw on Nosh With Me. It is for Cookies and Cream Fudge. Most people love oreos and fudge so together, to me, it sounds like a winner.

Cookies and Cream Fudge

18 oz white chocolate chips
1 (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 generous cups (about 25 cookies) coarsely crushed oreos

In a medium saucepan, over low heat, melt white chocolate, condensed milk and salt. Remove from heat and stir in crushed cookies.


Spread evenly into a wax paper lined 8-inch square pan. Chill 2 hours or until firm.


Turn fudge onto cutting board; peel off paper and cut into squares. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator, or freeze until you need it.


I think all the football crazed boys and girls will love this sweet treat amongst the chips and dips. My roommate did steal a bite and say that it was extremely good. So another winner!

No-Bake Butterscotch Treats

I rarely make something a second time, when I'm not satisfied with the outcome the first. Honestly I think these no-bake bars look gross. The ingredient list seems like there is too much going on, but people love these bars, and I'm not sure why. They have said that they taste like cookie dough and they're great. So they're really easy to make, being no-bake bars so try them and see for your self...The recipe comes from better homes and gardens cook book.


These are going to Abby, Ben's younger sister who is going on a semester away in just a few weeks. A year after I made these the first time she was still talking about them as the best thing she had ever had, so I want to send her away with a little bit of home baking before she is gone for 5 or 6 months. So good luck Abby, have a wonderful, wonderful time and don't forget about us at home while you're experiencing everything and anything out there in the big world. We love you.



No-Bake Butterscotch Treats

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 cup creamy peanut butter*
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 9 oz package chocolate wafers, crushed**
1 12 oz package butterscotch chips
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup cocktail peanuts, chopped

*I used skippy natural peanut butter, anything you have on hand will work.

**I bought a snack bag of mini Oreos (8 oz) and crushed them in the bag. This was a good way to not have left over Oreos hanging around.


In a medium sized bowl whisk together the melted butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar, then stir in the chocolate wafers. Press mixture into a 13 by 9 pan (ungreased.)


In a small saucepan melt the butterscotch pieces with the whipping cream over low heat, stir until smooth. Pour over top of wafer crust. Sprinkle the peanuts over the top and gently press into the butterscotch so they stay.


Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Slice into bars and serve. I would refrigerate or freeze until you need them they will stay better together cold. Enjoy!

Peppermint Jo Jo Brownies

If only I didn't burn the chocolate the first time through, then realize I didn't have enough chocolate to redo it without going back out to the supermarket, than these would have been one of the easiest and best brownies ever. The peppermint sandwich cookies that are used in this recipe give the brownies a little extra something special. You could also used plain chocolate sandwich cookies and these brownies would still be top notch, yummy and fudgy. Everyone that has tried these brownies find them so special, this unusual twist to include the peppermint just are that little something that push these brownies to another level. The original recipe can be found here. I did not make many changes to this recipe, but you can look at both and decide for yourself which to follow. Both will turn out well.


Peppermint Jo Jo Brownies
1 cup butter softened
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate
3 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 large eggs
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 1/2 cups broken peppermint oreo-type cookies*

*I used Peppermint Jo Jo's which are Trader Joes version of Oreo cookies, but you can use any brand that you have handy or you like.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and grease and foil a 9 by 13 inch brownie pan with either Pam or butter. The foil makes it so much easier to just lift the brownies right up out of the pan, and therefore easier to cut.

In a medium-large saucepan over low heat melt together butter and chocolate, stirring occasionally until fully melted and mixed together. DO NOT TAKE YOUR EYES OFF OF THE MIXTURE (it may burn :(.) Whisk in sugar, salt and vanilla while still over the low heat. Once combined turn off the heat. Whisk in eggs one at a time, waiting until each is fully incorporated before adding the next. Next, Stir in flour and cocoa powder until mixture is throughly combined. Stir in broken peppermint oreo cookies and pour batter into prepared pan. Then break an additional hand full of cookies (5 or 6)and distribute evenly and randomly on top of the batter. Make sure that the cookie pieces are not too big, or it will be more difficult to cut the brownies later.

Bake for about 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs, but not coated with batter, this will really depend on your oven, so I would start looking at 35 minutes, but mine really took closer to 45-50 minutes before fully cooked. Make sure you do not over bake or you will end up with dry not fudgy brownies.

Cool brownies in pan until just warm to touch. Lift brownies in the foil out of the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing, you could even put them in the refrigerator to really harden up for an hour before cutting.

Cut, serve, enjoy or freeze :)


The one thing you have to remember about freezing brownies opposed to cookies is that brownies take a longer time to defrost so they may need a few hours out of the freezer before serving. You don't want to people to bite into frozen brownies.

Ben's Pumpkin Oreo Cheesecake Bars

Every year way before his birthday I tell Ben I want to make his something special. Anything he wants as his birthday cake. Last year I made and transported whoopie pies 90 miles as his treat. This year I think in December I looked over at him and said, "you're going to have to start thinking about what you want for your birthday desert." Ben looked at me like I was crazy, its months away he said. In my mind theres nothing better than giving, and getting special things on your birthday, so I try and plan and make his birthday as special as he wants it.

This year he said well I really like that pumpkin cheesecake that you made me a while ago. Ok I can do that. The second time I asked him what he wanted instead of cake he answered again pumpkin cheesecake, but wait he said, can you make it with an oreo crust instead of gingersnaps? Hmmm...sure I can do that, but don't blame me if it tastes weird.

I thought that pumpkin oreo cheesecake would be an original recipe, something that I could claim as our own, until I found this recipe. However my recipe is so different that I'm going to say, while not an original idea, mine is a different take on this interesting combination of flavors.

Ben's Pumpkin Oreo Cheesecake Bars

3 Cups crushed Oreos
6 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 Cup canned pumpkin
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
3 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened
1 Cup sugar
1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
3 eggs

Lightly grease a 13 by 9 by 2 inch pan and set aside. In a medium size bowl combine crushed oreos and melted butter. Press mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until crust is slightly firm.

While the crust is baking, combine in a medium bowl the pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and flour, set aside for later.



Use softened cream cheese, this will really make the batter come together easier and make a smoother cake in the end. Just let it sit out of the fridge for an hour or so. Using a mixing bowl beat the cream cheese on high until smooth, scrape down the sides to make sure that all the cream cheese is included. Add sugar and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Add eggs one at a time, and let the egg combine into the mixture before adding the next.

Stir in a third of the cream cheese batter into the pumpkin mixture, stir until smooth. Spread the cream cheese mixture over crust. Place spoonfuls of pumpkin batter over cream cheese batter, then swirl in with a knife.



Bake cheesecake for 40-45 minutes just until center has firmed up. This will really differ based on your oven and the weather so I would recommend to watch it closely after about 30 minutes.

Let it cool completely in pan and then cover and chill for at least a couple hours before serving.



Ok Ben's coming over soon, I can't wait to give him his birthday cheesecake. Hope he loves it.

He did. He said, "best ever." :)