12 | 52 Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars

Phew. I mean. Could this name be any longer???

But it all boils down to this:

Peanut butter - yes, please! 

Chocolate Chip Cookie - always!

Cheesecake - yum!

Any more questions?

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake Bars

From A Pinch of Yum

114 g (1 stick) butter, room temperature

100 g (1/2 cup) white sugar

70 g (1/3 cup) packed brown sugar

130 g (1/2 cup) peanut butter

1 egg

140 g (1 cup) flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teapsoon salt

50 g (1/2 cup) rolled oats

230 g (2 cups) chocolate chips

230 g (8 oz) cream cheese

70 g (1/3 cup) sugar

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

• Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F).
• For the cookie dough, beat together butter, sugars, and peanut putter until smooth. 
• Add egg and beat to incorporate. In a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt, and slowly add it to the butter mix. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.
• For the cheesecake filling, cream together cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla.
• Put half (or a bit more) of the cookie dough in your pan (square 22 cm / 9 in) and press to the bottom. Pour the filling on top of it. Crumble remaining cookie dough over the filling.
• Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20 minutes.
• Serve warm or cold. Store leftovers in the fridge.

My modifications:

I had to change some things because I didn't have everything at home.

I used 60 g coconut oil (1/2 cup) instead of the butter. I reduced the white sugar to 75 g (1/3 cup) in the dough and 55 g (1/4 cup) in the cheesecake filling. I only used 200 g of chocolate chips (and even that is quite a lot!). 

The taste:

What can I say. It's as finger lickin' good as you would think it is. Definitely a keeper!

And my cookie bottom and top even tasted a bit more like cookie dough (unbaked), which I love. But that might just be because of my modifications. 

What's your favorite recipe with a long (or complicated) name?

11 | 52 Busy-Day Cake

I have to agree with Molly. Like her, I do believe in everyday cake.

And the recipe below is just that. Everyday cake. 

Simple. Easy. Quick. Comforting.

Busy-Day Cake by Edna Lewis

Adapted from The Taste of Country Cooking via Orangette

114 g (1 stick) butter, room temperature

270 g (1 1/3 cups) sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

260 g (2 cups) flour

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pinch (or more) nutmeg, freshly grated

120 ml (1/2 cup) whole milk, room temperature

• Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
• Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.
• Add flour mix and milk alternatingly to the butter mix, and beat on low speed to incorporate.
• Pour batter into prepared pan (25 x 25 cm / 10 x 10 in), spreading it evenly across the top. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
• Serve warm (if possible).

My modifications:

None.

The taste:

Simple and comforting. And not boring. 

It has the same comforting feeling as mashed potatoes. Probably because of the nutmeg :)

Do you have a favorite everyday cake recipe? Please share!

10 | 52 Russischer Zupfkuchen / Russian Plucked Cake

A couple of weeks ago, pictures of 'Russian Plucked Cakes' seemed to pop up everywhere I looked. And the more pictures I saw, the more I knew I had to make it.

And don't be fooled. As far as I know, this so-called Russian cake is actually German.

Not that it matters much, right?

If you like a chocolate crust with a cheesecake-like filling, topped with plucked chocolate crust -
this cake is for you. 

Russischer Zupfkuchen

From Chefkoch.de

Crust and topping:

300 g (2 1/4 cups) flour

180 g (3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons) sugar

40 g (1/3 cup) cocoa powder, unsweetened

1 paket (1.5 tablespoons) baking powder

200 g (1 3/4 sticks) butter

2 eggs

Filling:

70 g (1/3 cup) butter, room temperature

500 g (1.1 lb) quark

200 g (7 oz) heavy cream

3 eggs

150 g (3/4 cup) sugar

1 paket vanilla sugar (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

pinch of salt

• Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
• For the crust, combine flour, sugar, sifted cocoa powder, and baking powder in a big bowl. Add butter and eggs and knead well. Put about 1/4 of the dough away for the moment and use the other 3/4 to make the crust in a round springform pan (bottom and sides all the way up).
• For the filling, beat butter until creamy. Add all remaining ingredients and stir together well. Pour filling on top of the chocolate crust. Pluck pieces off the remaining crust dough and distribute on the filling.
• Bake for about 60 minutes. Let cool completely.

My modifications:

None.

The taste:

Very good. Because of the quark in the filling, it tastes like a traditional German cheesecake but a bit creamier. And needless to say but the chocolate on the bottom, sides, and top add to the overall yumminess.

What's you favorite Russian (real or not) recipe?

9 | 52 Nutty Dark Chocolate Brownies

Brownies. With lots of nuts.

When Joy the Baker posted this picture on Instagram, I knew I had to make them. 

I mean.... Brownies and lots of nuts! 

Come on! How could this not sound good to anyone?

(Sorry to all you allergy sufferers out there. I honestly feel for you.)

Nutty Dark Chocolate Brownies

From Joy the Baker

140 g (5 oz) bittersweet chocolate (chips)

60 g (2 oz) unsweetened chocolate

113 g (1/2 cup) butter

3 tablespoons cocoa powder, unsweetened

3 eggs

250 g (1 1/4 cups) light brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

130 g (1 cup) flour

1 small handful pecan halves, walnut halves, and hazelnuts

• Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
• Melt chocolate and butter in a bain-marie (or in your microwave, if you have one). Once completely melted, stir in cocoa powder.
• In a bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar. Whisk in vanilla. Add chocolate mix and stir to combine. Stir in salt, baking soda, and flour until combined. 
• Pour into prepared pan (20x20 cm/8x8 in) and sprinkle with nuts. Bake for 30-35 minutes until nuts are golden brown. Let cool before slicing.

My modifications:

I used half bittersweet chocolate, half 75% (not quite unsweetened) chocolate because that's what I had at home, and I reduced the sugar to 200 g (1 cup). Both worked well.

The taste:

So so so so good! Awesome brownie recipe and with those nuts - divine! Most definitely a keeper and one for the repertoire!

What's your favorite brownie recipe? Any (secret) ingredients or toppings?