75 Delicious Recipes: Cheesecake Love

“If it doesn’t have cheesecake in it, it should” is the baking motto that Jocelyn Brubaker lives by. Over the years, she has baked thousands of cheesecakes and challenged herself to work cheesecake into any and every dessert for the millions of readers who try and trust the recipes on her blog.

Now, in her debut cookbook, Cheesecake Love: Inventive, Irresistible, and Super Easy, Brubaker shows all the wild and wonderful ways you can go beyond traditional cheesecake and make creative and mouthwatering cheesecake desserts like:

* Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Brownies
* Cookies-and-Cream Cheesecake-Stuffed Strawberries
* Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Cookie Bars
* Marshmallow S’mores Cheesecake
* Apple Crumb Cheesecake Pie

With over 75 delicious recipes, dozens of easy-to-use baking tips, gorgeous color photos, and Jocelyn’s warmth and bubbly personality on every page, this cookbook will become the go-to source for all things cheesecake, perfect for new and experienced bakers alike. With Jocelyn by your side in the kitchen, every dessert can become a blank canvas for a little cheesecake love.

About the Author

JOCELYN BRUBAKER is the baker, photographer, and writer behind the popular blog Inside BruCrew Life, which she started in 2008. Jocelyn’s recipes regularly appear on Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post, and Cosmopolitan.com, among other sites.

Orange Cream Cheese Cheesecake

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN MAKING THIS ORANGE CREAM CHEESECAKE RECIPE:

• Make sure you set your cream cheese out ahead of time. It’s so much easier to beat it when it is softened.
• Toast the macadamia nuts in a skillet for a few minutes, then let them cool before pulsing them in a food processor. Just do not over pulse the nuts, or you will end up with macadamia butter.
• Place a large baking sheet on the very bottom rack in your oven. Fill it halfway with water and let it heat up. This creates a steam effect as the cheesecake bakes. No water baths ever happen in my kitchen!
• Do not over mix the cheesecake batter because it will add air bubbles into the batter which could cause cracks as it bakes.
• When the cheesecake comes out of the oven the second time, let it cool for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge. This loosens the cheesecake from the pan, so it doesn’t crack as it cools.

For the Crust:

• 1 ½ cups chopped macadamia nuts
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• ½ cup melted butter

For the Cheesecake

• 1 – 10 ounce can mandarin oranges
• 3 – 8 ounce packages cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup sour cream
• ¼ cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ¼ cup flour
• 3 eggs, beaten slightly
• Zest of 1 large navel orange

For the Topping

• 1 ½ cups sour cream
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons fresh squeezed navel orange juice (from orange that was zested)
• 1 – 8 ounce container Cool Whip, thawed
• maraschino cherries with stems, patted dry
• 1 navel orange cut into small segments

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place a piece of parchment paper on the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.
2. Place the macadamia nuts in a skillet and toast over medium heat for a few minutes. Remove and dump the nuts onto a tray to cool completely. Once cool place the nuts in a food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped. Do not over pulse and create butter.
3. Mix together the chopped nuts, crumbs, and butter. Press firmly in the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove and let cool.
4. Place a large baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven and fill it halfway with water. Let the oven reheat to 350 degrees.
5. Drain the can of mandarin oranges very well. Place the orange segments onto paper towels to drain even more. Cut each segment in half and press with a paper towel. Set aside.
6. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add the sour cream, orange juice concentrate, vanilla, and flour and beat again.
7. Add the eggs and beat again until mixed in. Do not over beat the mixture. Gently stir in the orange zest and mandarin orange pieces.
8. Pour the batter onto the prepared crust. Place the pan on the oven rack directly above the pan of water. Bake for 55 minutes.
9. While the cheesecake is baking, whisk together the sour cream, sugar, and orange juice. Place in refrigerator.
10. When the cheesecake is finished baking, remove from the oven and spread the sour cream mixture evenly on the top of the cheesecake. Bake another 5 minutes, then remove and place on a wire rack.
11. Let the cheesecake cool 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the cheesecake to loosen the sides from the pan. Let the cheesecake cool for 2 hours on the wire rack, then place it in the refrigerator to chill completely.
12. Loosen and remove the springform pan sides. Gently lift up the cheesecake and remove the parchment paper. Place the cheesecake on a serving plate.
13. Use a piping bag and icing tip 1M to swirl Cool Whip around the top of the cheesecake. Top each swirl with a maraschino cherry or orange piece.

Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cheesecake

Crust

• 8 Oreo cookies with filling
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

Cheesecake

• 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢4 ounces bittersweet baking chocolate melted
• 2 large eggs

Mousse

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 8-ounce container Cool Whip thawed

20 mini Oreo Cookies with Filling

Instructions

Place a large rimmed baking sheet onto the bottom rack of the oven. Fill halfway with waterPreheat the oven to 350° F. and line a cupcake pan with paper liners. Line 8 wells of a second cupcake pan with paper liners as well.

Crust

Place the Oreo cookies into a food processor and pulse until they become fine crumbs.

In a medium bowl, mix together the butter and the cookie crumbs. Evenly distribute the crumb mixture into the cupcake liners. Press the crumbs down firmly.

Cheesecake

In a mixer, beat the cream cheese until creamy. Scrape down the sides and add the sugar. Beat again until smooth.

Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat again until well incorporated.

Pour in the melted chocolate and mix thoroughly.

Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Fully incorporate the eggs and be sure to not overbeat the batter.

Evenly distribute the batter over the cookie crusts. Place the cupcake pans on the oven right directly above the tray full of water. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack. Cool the cheesecakes in the pan for 10 minutes.

Gently remove the cheesecakes from the pan and place them on the wire rack. Cool for 1 hour and refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until completely chilled.

Mousse

Beat the cream cheese until creamy. Scrape down the sides and add the sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

In a food processor, pulse the 7 regular size Oreos until they are crumbs.

With a rubber spatula, gently fold the Cool Whip into the cream cheese mixture. Then gently stir in the cookie crumbs.

Using a piping bag and a 1M icing tip, swirl the mousse onto the top of the cheesecakes. Top each one with a mini Oreo cookie.