Nanaimo Bar Pie

I was trying to think of a good name for this tasty pie, and since it's a Nanaimo Bar inspired pie, I went with that as the name. Although I might be super creative when it comes to inventing tasty recipes, I am seriously lacking in the naming of said goodies. This pie has the same delicious crust as a normal Nanaimo Bar, but I churned things up a bit by replacing the regular filling a white chocolate custard filling (so you can actually eat a whole piece of the pie, because nanaimo bars tend to be quite rich) and topped with a thin layer of dark chocolate ganache. Basically, it's quite delicious.

Nanaimo Bar Pie

Crust Layer:                         
   -1/3 C Butter                              
   -1/3 C Sugar                              
   -1/4 C Cocoa                              
   -1 Egg, slightly beaten                
   -1 3/4 C Graham Cracker Crumbs
   -1 C Coconut
   -1 C chopped, slivered or sliced Almonds

 Middle Layer:
   -1 C Milk
   -1 C Cream
   -1/3 C Sugar
   -4 egg yolks
   -3 Tbsp cornstarch
   -1 tsp vanilla
   -1 C white chocolate chips

Top Layer:
    -1/3 C Chocolate Chips
    -3 Tbsp Heavy cream


Crust Layer:
-in a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter with the sugar and cocoa until the sugar is dissolved.
-add the egg and cook until the mixture has thickened slightly
-mix in the graham crackers, coconut, and almond, and press into a pie pan. let cool.

Middle Layer:
-whisk the cream, sugar, egg yolks, corn starch and vanilla and until smooth in a bowl
-in a medium sized saucepan, heat the milk over medium heat until it starts to simmer, but doesn't quite boil.
-SLOWLY pour the heated milk into the cream and egg mixture. I like to pour in a small amount and whisk it until smooth, and then slowly add the rest of the heated milk in a small stream while vigorously mixing. You want to slowly raise the temperature of the eggs so they temper and don't scramble
-return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes
-pour the mixture onto the crust layer of the pie and refrigerate for a few hours until the pudding sets up.
Top Layer:
-melt the chocolate chips with the cream and stir until smooth. Spread on top of the custard layer. Chill a few hours or over night.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Fall is in the air! I am SOOO ready for all things pumpkin! I feel like pumpkin pie should be saved for Thanksgiving, but these little treats are delicious and will certainly satisfy your craving of pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cupcakes

Crust:

- 1 1/3 C Graham Cracker crumbs
-1/4 C sugar
-1/3 C melted butter

-combine the crumbs sugar and butter and mix thoroughly. Press into desired lined muffin tins.
-bake crust at 350 degrees F for about 8 minutes

Filling:
-2 pkg cream cheese, softened
-1 can of condensed milk
-2 C pumpkin puree
-1 tsp cinnamon
-1/8 tsp ginger
-1/2 tsp nutmeg
-1/8 tsp ground cloves
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp vanilla
-2 eggs

-Mix the cream cheese until it is fluffy, add the condensed milk, pumpkin and spices and mix until it is well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing only until fully incorporated.
-Spoon the filling out over the crust 

Bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes. The top should not look wet or glossy to be fully cooked as the pumpkin adds a lot of moisture.

-Allow to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 2-4 hours before serving. Top with whipped cream before serving. 

Whipped Cream

-1 C heavy whipping cream
-1/4 C sugar (add more or less depending on how sweet you like your whipped cream)
-2 tsp vanilla

-mix on high until thick and fluffy 

Questions? Sometimes I'm not the best at explaining things, so if you have a question, feel free to comment or e-mail me at cakencandies13@gmail.com and I will get back to you as soon as possible!

Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes

They taste as good as they sound.

Raspberry White Chocolate Cheesecake 

Crust:

- 1 1/3 C Graham Cracker crumbs
-1/4 C sugar
-1/3 C melted butter

-combine the crumbs sugar and butter and mix thoroughly. Press into lined muffin tins.

Filling:
-2 pkg cream cheese, softened
-1 can of condensed milk
-1 tsp vanilla
-2 eggs
-1/4 C raspberry jam
-1/3 C white chocolate chips

-Mix the cream cheese until it is smooth, then add the condensed milk and vanilla. Mix until it is well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing only until fully incorporated.
-Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave or in a bowl over a simmering pot of water on the stove top.
-Drop spoonfuls of the raspberry jam and melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture and swirl in gently with a spoon. You want to fold the jam and chocolate into the cream cheese so you have bits of raspberry and chocolate, but not mix it in completely.
-Spoon the filling out over the crust 

Bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes until the whole cupcake looks more dry than wet.
*Tip: fill a pan with water and put it on the lower rack while cooking the cheesecake*

-Allow to cool to room temperature in an non drafty area, and then refrigerate for at least 2-4 hours before decorating and serving.

Topping:
-1 C frozen raspberries
-1/2 to 1/3 C juice from raspberries (add water to get at least 1/2 C)
-2 tsp cornstarch
-sugar, to taste
-1/4 C white chocolate chips
-1 Tbsp heavy cream

-thaw the frozen raspberries and drain off the juice into a saucepan. If you don't get enough juice, add water to equal about 1/2 to 1/3 C of liquid.
-whisk in cornstarch and cook on medium low until the mixture thickens.
-add sugar to taste and continue to cook until sugar has dissolved.
-while the mixture cools, make a white chocolate ganache by melting the white chocolate chips and mixing in the heavy cream until it is smooth.
-spoon the raspberry sauce on top of the cupcakes and decorate with the raspberries. Drizzle with the white chocolate ganache.
-chill until ready to serve.