Mmmm - Cheesecake

Let me tell you how much I love cheesecake.

Cheesecake can make me happy after a horrible day. Cheesecake can make me smile while I'm crying. Cheesecake makes me feel loved. There. I said it. Eating cheesecake makes me feel loved. So, it is only right that I love it back, right?

Well, no matter which side of the fence you're on for that one, I'm sure you'll love this:

Peanut Butter Swirl Cheesecake

This, my friends, is like eating a little (or giant, either way is fine with me) piece of Heaven! Now, as much as I love cheesecake....I love peanut butter, too. Putting the two together is, well, I'm at a loss for words, honestly. It was just fabulous!

*Just a small note from me: The recipe called for 2 cups of peanut butter for the swirls. I followed it exactly and ended up with close to 1 cup of it left over. So, the next time I make this particular recipe, I'll be cutting that part in half. Otherwise I think it would be way too overpowering, but that's just me.*

Not to mention....did you notice that there is not a "normal" cheesecake crust on that baby? Nope, that is SPONGE CAKE for the base! Yeah, I thought that might be a little weird, too, but NOPE! Delicious! Really.

All that topped with whipped cream, drizzled with peanut butter topping, and sprinkled with some milk chocolate chips. Absolutely delightful. Mmmmm.

I came across this book: Junior's Cheesecake Cookbook and had to buy it! Well, I have some seriously fabulous news for all of you.....I love this book so much that I want you to have it, too! (Well, at least one of you)

So, here is another giveaway for all my wonderfully gorgeous (yeah, I don't mind a little butt-kissing every now and then) readers, my friends. There are 50 To-Die-For Recipes for New York-Style Cheesecake found in this book. Awesome.

From the Peanut Butter Swirl to Pumpkin Swirl. From Key Lime Mousse Cheesecake to Creme de Menthe Cheesecake. Even Tiramisu Cheesecake!

Alright, alright....I know you're sitting on the edge of your chair wondering how you're going to get to enter this giveaway, right? Well, here ya go:

Please leave a separate comment for each entry. Thanks!

1 - Leave a comment and tell me what your favorite kind of cheesecake is (mandatory)

2 - Follow my blog (or just post if you're already a follower)

3 - Follow me on Twitter (see right-hand column for a button)

4 - Twitter about this giveaway (leave me either a permalink or your user name)

5 - Blog about this giveaway (leave me a link)

*You can tweet once daily and post each time you do for extra entries*

Please be sure to leave your e-mail address or that your profile has your e-mail address accessible. Thanks!

Comments for the giveaway will be accepted through May 31st at 8 PM Eastern. Winner will be announced shortly there after.

For now, I leave you with a nibble:


Enjoy!
-Erica

PS) I'll post the recipe soon for those of you who'll be wanting to try this out!

Our first CUPPIE SOCIAL!

I was so very excited to include a "Cuppie Social" in our last FFNOW event! We had bakers contribute their favorite recipe and bake a dozen (or in some cases more) to share!

I ended up baking FIVE dozen cuppies to share at the event! It was fun, but a bit overwhelming, honestly. I pulled out a book that I have never consulted before, 125 best Cupcake recipes. I was pleasantly surprised. There are a lot of great recipes in there....125 to be exact. :)

Okay, so I baked the French Toast cuppies, Chocolate Mint cuppies, Chocolate Chip Cookie cuppies, Banana Nutmeg cuppies, and the Chocolate Peanut Butter cuppies. All of which were good....but the French Toast cuppies were FAB-U-LOUS! Really. If you like french toast or maple in general, those are for you!

Unfortunately, I was in such a hurry that I didn't get to take pictures of all the cuppies, which makes me sad. But I was able to get a picture of the Chocolate Mint cuppies before we went....and I had a couple left over that made it home with me, so you get pictures of those too!


Chocolate Mint with Chocolate Mint buttercream and a junior mint on top!


Chocolate Chip Cookie cuppie with Chocolate buttercream dollop in the center!


Banana Nutmeg cuppie with powdered sugar sprinkled on top - delightful!


French Toast cuppie - we split it open and doused it with some more maple syrup and sprinkled it with powdered sugar - just awesome!

Some of the other cuppies that were there:
Pineapple Upside Down cuppies
Pina Colada cuppies (which won the grand prize)
Jones soda cuppies
Strawberry Ice Cream Cone cuppies

I'll get the recipes up here for you all lovely people soon.

Enjoy!
-Erica

Chocolatey Peanut Butter Bars

Talk about delicious!!! YUM YUM! I had a hard time not digging into these before they were ready. :) Though, one of my favorite combinations IS peanut butter and chocolate. What a winning combo, right?

A peanut-buttery crust with a gooey, chocolatey filling....sprinkled with pecans and coconut....then even more peanut-buttery goodness crumbled on top to finish!

This recipe is a whopper! Made in a 9 X 13 pan, this could easily serve 2 dozen people or more.

Enjoy!
-Erica