Chocolate Cheesecake Easter Eggs

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I'm celebrating Easter with these cheesecake-filled chocolate Easter eggs! I initially wanted to buy chocolate eggs and cut the tops off, but I couldn't find chocolate eggs in stores. Well, I should say I couldn't find them for under $5 which is ridiculous, and you should absolutely not pay that much money for a hollow egg.

So I made the chocolate egg all by myself using a balloon because I'm an I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T woman. It is incredibly easy to do, all you need is a water balloon and melted chocolate. But before you move onto the recipe I have a very important tip! And if you're tired of my rambling and you've already move onto the recipe PLEASE COME BACK! What I'm about to say is very important for the well-being of the state of your kitchen, your clothes, and your sanity. You absolutely must wait for the chocolate to cool completely before you dip these balloons! If you don't wait, the balloons will pop causing the melted chocolate to fly everywhere. Each time you heat up the chocolate, you should wait until the bowl is not warm to the touch, or about 10 minutes. You may only get a few dips out of it before it starts to harden again, so you'll need to reheat it and wait until it cools again. But that's okay. Do what I do while I'm waiting and "rest your eyes."

Also, if you don't like the way one of your bowls turned out, you can always remelt it and try again. There will be no wasted chocolate in the making of these Easter eggs!

Another tip: If you find that the water balloon is sticking to the inside of the chocolate egg, it's because you didn't let it cool off long enough. Refrigerate your eggs a little longer and try again.



Chocolate Cheesecake Easter Eggs
Yield: Makes about 6 chocolate eggs
Ingredients

• 8 ounces chocolate, melted and cooled
• 8 ounces Challenge cream cheese
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• About 1/2 cup lemon curd or lemon pie filling, just enough to make yolks
• Also: Water balloons

Directions

1. Dip balloons in chocolate so bottom portion and part of sides are completely covered. Set on baking sheet covered in wax paper and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, make cheesecake filling by beating together cream cheese, powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, and vanilla.
3. Pull balloons out of refrigerator and pop balloons. Peel balloon away from inside of egg.
4. Fill eggs with cheesecake filling. I recommend putting the filling in a large plastic bag, cutting off one corner, and piping it in.
5. Add a dollop of the lemon curd to look like a yolk. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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Butter Pecan Pumpkin Cheesecake

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Pecan pie is good. Pumpkin pie is good. Cheesecake is good. All three together? The trifecta! Last year I made a version of the 3-in-1 dessert, and it was definitely delicious, but it was quite time consuming. This year I wanted to tackle it again, no-bake style. It was actually really simple, and I was pleasantly surprised that you could taste all of the individual flavors.

I started by toasting the pecans with a little butter on the stove for just a few minutes. Do not skip this step! It really does make all the difference in the taste.

Then I used two bars of cream cheese. Most people use just one bar with no bake pies, but I really wanted this pie to be nice and thick. One thing I need to point out — it’s important to always use the best ingredients available. I used Challenge cream cheese because I know there are no hormones, additives, or fillers in their products, and the taste is also superior to other brands because they use real cream.

As with most no-bake pies, I did add whipped topping, but definitely don’t add the whole container. Maybe just half the tub, or even just a quarter of it. Like I said, I didn’t want the pie to be fluffy like a mousse—I wanted it thick like a cheesecake.

I recommend topping it all off with a caramel drizzle and some more pecans!

If you’re not a fan of no-bake pies, check out this recipe from last year: Pumpkin Cheesecake Pecan Pie.

Butter Pecan Pumpkin Cheesecake
Yield: Serves about 8 people
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup pecans
• 1 Tablespoon Challenge butter
• 2 (8 ounce) packages Challenge cream cheese
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 ounces whipped topping
• 1 graham cracker crust

Directions

1. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add pecans and cook for several minutes, stirring frequently. Set aside and let cool.
2. Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, and brown sugar in large bowl on medium speed until smooth.
3. Add pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla and beat until thoroughly combined. 
4. Stir in whipped topping and toasted pecans and spread mixture evenly into graham cracker crust.
5. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Garnish with caramel and more pecans if desired.

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Pumpkin Cheesecake Pecan Pie

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

This is the first of three blog posts I'm sharing this week ahead of Thanksgiving, so of course it only makes sense for me to talk about pie first. Because even as we're wading our way through the stuffing and the green bean casserole, we're just really thinking about the grand finale--the pie!

So what makes pie so special? I think it's the fact that we tend to only eat it around the holidays. Cookies, cake, ice cream... I can eat that year round. But not many people bring pie to a gathering outside of the months of November and December. And I'm not exactly sure why because they're not difficult to make!

I think maybe a lot of people get intimidated by the crust. Really, that's unnecessary though. You know why? Because they make these things called frozen pie crusts! I know it sounds too good to be true, but they exist in pretty much every single grocery store.

I love using frozen pie crusts because they're extremely easy to use, and also, I highly highly doubt your guests will notice much of a difference between a frozen pie crust and a pie crust you spent hours making. In my opinion, the main event is the pie's filling. People don't call it a crust pie with pumpkin. They call it a pumpkin pie!

Personally, I use Wick's frozen pie crusts. Wick's is made in Indiana and you can find it in most stores in the state (I'm not sure about outside of Indiana). It's less than $5 for two pie crusts, so you can't beat that.

In most cases, before you use a frozen pie crust, you should just let it thaw about 15 minutes. But make sure to always follow the instructions on the package.

Also, it's important for me to emphasize that I'm talking about frozen pie crusts and not refrigerated pie crusts. Personally, I'm not a fan of refrigerated pie crusts because I think the taste is significantly inferior to frozen pie crusts, but that's just my opinion.

Okay, pie crust rant over. Now let's talk about this delicious pie.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Pecan Pie is the ultimate pie for indecisive people. It has a little bit of everything for everyone. It's like the turducken of desserts! The first layer is a delicious pumpkin cheesecake, and then it's topped with gooey pecan pie filling. I dare you to find a dessert that does a better job of encompassing all of the flavors of fall. It's a total flavor explosion, and your guests will be so impressed! You don't have to tell them how easy it was to make. That can be our secret!

If it's your first time baking a pie, no worries! Follow these easy tips for a perfect pie on the first try!

• Make a “shield” for your crust. What I mean by this is when you’re baking your pie and you notice the edges start to turn brown shield the crust from the oven with aluminum foil. Do this by folding a square of aluminum foil into quarters and then cutting out the center of the foil so you can place it on top of the pie edges. I suggest putting the shield on the crust in the last 10 minutes of baking, but it's always best to just keep an eye on it.
• Bake pies on the lowest oven of the rack. This is because you want the crust to cook well on the bottom but you don’t want the top of the pie to burn.
• Place your pie on a cookie sheet before putting it in the oven. Pies are very delicate and hard to transport. If you put the pie on a baking sheet first, it’s easier to remove the pie from the oven.

If you missed my first post about Challenge Dairy's partnership with UNICEF to fight the childhood malnutrition crisis with their campaign called “Pin a Recipe, Feed a Child" check it out now! Through December 31, 2016, if you pin a recipe from the “2016 Pin a Recipe, Feed a Child” Pinterest board, Challenge will donate a meal to UNICEF for a child in need.



Pumpkin Cheesecake Pecan Pie
Yield: Serves about 8 people

Ingredients
For the pumpkin cheesecake layer

• 1 (8 ounce package) Challenge cream cheese
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 egg

For the pecan pie layer

• 2/3 cup dark corn syrup
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon Challenge butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla 
• 1 cup pecans
• 1 frozen pie crust, thawed (or your favorite pie crust recipe)

Directions
For the pumpkin cheesecake layer

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Beat the cream cheese for 1 minute until smooth and creamy
3. Add sugar and beat for another minute
4. Add pumpkin puree, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon and beat well
5. Add egg and beat until just combined; set aside

For the pecan pie layer

1. Combine dark corn syrup, sugar, 2 eggs, butter, and vanilla; mix in pecans
2. Add pumpkin cheesecake mixture to bottom of pie crust and spread until layer is even
3. Spoon pecan pie mixture on top of pumpkin cheesecake
4. Bake for about 50 minutes or until center of pie crust is set and toothpick comes out clean
5. Let pie cool on wire rack for at least one hour and then refrigerate until served

Idea for recipe adapted from Inside Bru Crew Life

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Cinnamon cheesecake-stuffed apples

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Okay I’m getting personal on the blog today. I am going to tell you the weirdest thing about me.

Crunchy apples give me goosebumps. That’s right. I said it. I cannot stand the sound of a crunchy apple. The sound of someone biting into an apple or someone cutting an apple is like nails on a chalkboard for me. I’ve felt that way ever since I can remember. In fact, it’s so extreme that just the thought of it makes me cringe.

However, I still like the taste of apples, and I love cooked apples.

And this is where the problem lies – there is no way for me to indulge in a baked apple without being tortured by the sound of a crunchy apple.

There are so many delicious apple desserts this year that it’s such a shame.

I was especially tempted by a recipe I saw on Pinterest for cheesecake-stuffed apples. Like what?! How has that existed without me knowing about it?!

So over the weekend, I decided to bite the bullet and go for it!

No joke guys, thinking about cutting the apples and scooping out the insides is giving me goosebumps right now just thinking about! Yes, yes, I realize I’m weird!

But I have to tell you, it was totally worth it! These apples were delicious!

When making this dessert, it’s very important to choose the right apple. As you all know, there are thousands of varieties of apples – 7,500 to be exact! And certain apples are better for certain things than others.

For this dessert, you want to use an apple that is sturdy enough to hold its shape when it’s cooking.  I used Gala apples, but honey crisp apples would also be a good choice. If you were to use McIntosh or Jonathan apples, they would be too mushy. Those are better for applesauce. In this recipe, some people may also want to use granny smith apples. Totally fine! I’m just not a big fan of the taste.

Also, the quality of cream cheese you use in this recipe really makes a big difference. I used Challenge cream cheese because it’s very tangy and really makes the flavor of the cheesecake stand out. Also, it’s made with real milk and cream from cows that aren’t injected with synthetic hormones so you don’t have to be concerned with what you’re putting in your body.



Cinnamon cheesecake-stuffed apples
Yield: Makes 6 stuffed apples

Ingredients

• 4 apples
• 4 tablespoons Challenge butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 8 ounces Challenge cream cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Slice the top off the apples and use a paring knife and a spoon to scoop out the insides; place apples in baking dish
3. Mix the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon together
4. Brush mixture on inside of apples
5. Bake apples for 30 minutes
6. While apples are baking, mix cream cheese, egg, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon together until smooth
7. Remove apples from oven and fill 2/3 full with cheesecake mixture
8. Place apples back in oven for 25 minutes​ or until cheesecake filling is set
9. Remove apples from baking dish and top with caramel and graham crackers if desired
10. Let apples cool for about 30 minutes before serving

Idea for apples adapted from Creme de la Crumb 

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Mummy Pumpkin Cheesecake Truffles

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Halloween desserts are probably my favorite themed desserts. Each year I find dozens of cute ideas on Pinterest and then I put them on my Halloween board and then on October 30 I decide I want to make all of them. But that never happens.

So this year I’m starting early! Today is the very first day of autumn and I’m kicking the season off with a Halloween pumpkin treat because it doesn’t get more seasonal than that!

After my peanut butter chocolate acorn Oreo truffles went over well last week (aren’t they adorable), I wanted to make more truffles!

Initially, I was going to make truffles that look like ghosts. But then I realized that if I make mummies I won’t have to worry about making sure the chocolate coating is perfectly smooth because ultimately I’ll drizzle white chocolate on top of the truffles for a “wrapped” effect.

The flavor of these truffles is absolutely outstanding. If you love pumpkin, you’ll love them. If you don’t love pumpkin, you’ll still love them. I must say, I was even impressed with the flavor!

Because of the addition of pumpkin puree to these truffles, they’re very moist, and I recommend keeping them cool as much as possible.

Also, if you don’t have red food coloring, you can absolutely use chocolate chips instead for the eyes or a red icing pen would work well too!

And if you plan on transporting these little mummies, try putting them in a clean egg carton!

Mummy Pumpkin Cheesecake Truffles

Yield: Makes about 24 truffles

Ingredients

• 36 golden Oreos
• 8 ounces Challenge cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 tablespoons pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 16 ounces white chocolate
• Red food coloring

Directions

1. Put Oreos into a food processor and pulse until the Oreos are fine crumbs.
2. Mix Oreo crumbs, cream cheese, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together until they're completely combined. Refrigerate mixture for 15 minutes.
3. Form mixture into tablespoon-sized balls and freeze for 30 minutes.
4. Melt white chocolate and dip each ball into chocolate with toothpick; set on parchment paper to harden.
5. Drizzle leftover white chocolate onto balls and let harden.
6. Stick a Q-Tip into bottle of red food coloring and dot onto truffles to make to red eyes. Be careful not to touch red food coloring until it dries.
7. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

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Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

After sitting down all day at work and looking at a computer, sometimes it’s hard to find the motivation to write a blog post. My brain doesn’t want to focus anymore, and it’s even harder when the weather is beautiful and I can hear little puppies playing outside. Fortunately, in this case, I don’t have to say much because the recipe is pretty straightforward.

As evident by the ingredient list below, these cheesecakes are very simple. Unlike a full-sized cheesecake, which can be a bit overwhelming, mini cheesecakes come together incredibly fast and you don’t have to worry about the top cracking or putting it in a water bath.

There are two options for the crust: graham cracker and vanilla wafer. The graham cracker crust contains two ingredients – pretty easy right? But the vanilla wafer crust is even simpler – just put a vanilla wafer in the cupcake liner!

Make sure to not over fill the cupcake liners -- only fill about 2/3 way full. When you pull the cheesecakes out of the oven post-baking they will begin to sink in the middle almost immediately. But that’s okay!  The sunken center is a good cavity to hold your homemade blueberry sauce! Because what's cheesecake without blueberry sauce?!

The perfect cheesecake blueberry sauce is the same blueberry sauce I use with pancakes and ice cream. It's very easy to make and you can use fresh or frozen blueberries!

And of course, I only use Challenge cream cheese and butter in the recipe. Challenge dairy is fairly new to Indiana, and I'm so glad I discovered it. Their products are hormone free and made with real cream.  You can really taste the difference! Before baking with Challenge, I just bought whatever was on sale. But after tasting the difference and the quality, I won't bake with any other brand!

Mini Blueberry Cheesecakes

Yield: Makes about 16 mini cheesecakes

Ingredients

For the crust

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 3 Tablespoons Challenge butter, melted

OR

• 16 Vanilla Wafer cookies

For the cheesecake

• 2 packages Challenge cream cheese
• 3/4 cup white sugar (151 grams)
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

For the blueberry sauce

• 1/2 cup sugar (100 grams)
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cups blueberries
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

For the crust

1. Preheat your oven to 340 degrees Fahrenheit. Put liners in cupcake pan; set aside.
2. Combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Distribute evenly amongst liners and press down.
3. Or if you plan to use vanilla wafers, place one wafer face-up inside each of the liners.

For the cheesecake

1. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.
2. Add sugar and beat until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.
3. Scoop cheesecake batter into cupcake liners 2/3 full.
4. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and let cool at room temperature before transferring to refrigerator.

For the blueberry sauce

1. Mix sugar and cornstarch in saucepan.
2. Stir in water and add blueberries.
3. Place saucepan on stove-top and set burner heat on medium high.
4. Bring mixture to boil and let simmer for 3 minutes.
5. Remove sauce from heat.
6. Add spoonful to top of each cheesecake and serve.

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Oreo cheesecake-stuffed strawberries

This is a sponsored post by Challenge Butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Cheesecake and strawberries make the perfect pair. The tanginess of the cream cheese combines perfectly with the natural sweetness of the strawberries.

So with today being the first day of strawberry season in Indiana and with it being National Pick A Strawberry Day, I thought cheesecake-stuffed strawberries would be the perfect treat to showcase.

Cheesecake-stuffed strawberries are an extremely simple, no-bake dessert that looks very fancy. They’re the perfect little treat for graduation parties and summer cookouts.

And while I was thinking about cheesecake I thought, ”Well, Oreo cheesecake is better than regular cheesecake!” So I decided to add crushed Oreos to the mix and make Oreo cheesecake-stuffed strawberries!

A lot of people cut off the tops of the strawberries and then scoop out the inside of the strawberries, but I discovered that it was easier to turn the strawberries upside down, cut the pointy side crosswise and then pipe the filling in the center.  And this way, you don’t waste any part of the strawberry!

Oreo Cheesecake-Stuffed Strawberries
Ingredients

• About 2 pounds strawberries (about 24 strawberries)
• 18 regular Oreo cookies (this is 1/2 of a 14.3 ounce package)
• 1 (8 ounce) package Challenge cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Directions

1. Cut the stems off the top of the strawberries, so the strawberries sit wide-side down.
2. Cut a deep cross starting at the tip of the strawberry down, being very careful not to cut all of the way through. Set strawberries aside.
3. Crush the Oreo cookies with a food processor.
4. Mix the crushed cookies with the cream cheese and powdered sugar and vanilla until it’s completely combined.
5. Gently open up each strawberry and pipe the cheesecake mixture into each strawberry using a pastry bag (or Ziploc bag) with a star piping tip.
6. Top with a mini Oreo, if desired.
7. Store chilled in an airtight container for up to three days.

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