I have a great friend who just absolutely loves chocolate! He can have chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup and chocolate sprinkles and not even bat an eye! I’ve never been that much of a choc-o-holic myself, but he absolutely loves this recipe! The funny part is so do I.

This recipe is great to make because not only does he love it (with all the chocolate), but so do I (with the chocolate caramel combo).

This caramel chocolate cheesecake recipe is perfect for birthdays, nights in, or special occasion parties. You too will find that this easy chocolate cheesecake is a huge crowd pleaser! Try one out for yourself.

Ingredients:

• 3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 cup sugar
• 8 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
• 1 chocolate wafer premade crust (or your favorite recipe!)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 4 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
1) Cook sugar in a dry heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring slowly with a fork, until melted and pale golden. Cook caramel without stirring, swirling pan, until deep golden.

2) Remove from heat and carefully add heavy cream (mixture will vigorously steam and caramel will harden). Cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until caramel is dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in chocolate until smooth. Stir in sour cream.

3) Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy, then beat in chocolate mixture on low speed. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, then vanilla, beating on low speed until each ingredient is incorporated and scraping down bowl between additions.

4) Put springform pan with crust in a shallow baking pan. Pour filling into crust and bake in baking pan (to catch drips) in middle of oven 55 minutes, or until cake is set 3 inches from edge but center is still slightly wobbly when pan is gently shaken.

5) Run a knife around top edge of cake to loosen and cool completely in springform pan on a rack. (Cake will continue to set as it cools.) Chill cake, loosely covered, at least 6 hours. Remove side of pan and transfer cake to a plate.

Yum-o! Such a great partnership between caramel and chocolate… you’re sure to wonder why you didn’t stumble across this tasty recipe sooner! Enjoy all you can and wash it down with a big glass of milk…you just might need it.

The best part about this tasty lemon cheesecake is how deliciously simple and quick it is! It’s perfect for moms on the go or just plain people with packed schedules!

In hardly no time at all, you will have created (and be able to enjoy) such a decadent dessert like lemon cheesecake. Sat so long to that 3 hour chilling time… say hello to cheesecake in under an hour!

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

Crust:
1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 cup butter; melted
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs

Filling:
8 ounces cream cheese
1 package instant lemon pudding
2 cups milk

Directions:

1) Mix sugar; crumbs, and oleo. Bake as for crumb crust. Mix cream cheese until smooth. Gradually blend in 1/2 cup milk until smooth and creamy.

2) Add remaining milk and pudding mix. Beat slowly with egg beater for 1 minute. Do not overbeat. Pour into cooled crust. Chill.

It’s so easy, hardly anyone could do it! I made this lemon cheesecake recipe countless times, especially when my schedule was busy or the days were so nice, I couldn’t bear to stay inside for TOO long!

For a fun variation, try mixing up a simple strawberry glaze for the top or if you’re particularly daring try adding some slicing strawberries to your cheesecake! With one easy addition, you have now created a strawberry-lemon cheesecake recipe of your very own. Without the strawberries, this cheesecake is just as good so go ahead, this lemon cheesecake recipe will take no time at all!

A traditional shortbread cookie recipe is made of one part sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour. As you can see, this recipe follows that formula nearly exactly, which makes it great for people who have never baked shortbread cookies before.

Today, classic shortbread cookies are enjoyed by the millions and it’s baked into being one of the most profitable cookies for Girl Scout sales!

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup flour, sifted
• 1/4 cup superfine sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup room temperature unsalted butter

Directions:

1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

2) Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Work in the butter with a fork or pastry cutter until the dough has the consistency of short crust. Pulsing in a food processor will work also.

3) Sprinkle a board or your counter top lightly with flour. Turn the dough onto the board and knead until it’s smooth. Refrigerate the dough for a couple of hours or overnight.

4) You should have approximately 8 ounces of dough. Divide the dough into four equal portions for large cookies or eight equal portions for small cookies and shape into rounds. For consistency you might want to pull out your kitchen scales.

5) Place each round on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and flatten them with the bottom of a glass to about 1/4 inch thickness. Prick with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20 to 30 minutes, until the cookies begin to brown slightly. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet.

After you’ve baked and cooled your cookies, you can either enjoy right there or you can take it one step further. For a fun twist, try dipping a side of your cookies into some chocolate. As it hardens, this chocolate will create an extra sweetness.

Sometimes, after dipping the shortbread cookie into the chocolate, I will add on some colorful sprinkles. Not only does this add an exciting texture, but it also allows you to theme your cookies for any occasion; enjoy!