Cranberry Vodka Cheesecake Brownies

I'm at it again with more vodka infused treats.  Some things I would change for next time:

• Use more Deep Eddy Cranberry Vodka in the cheesecake batter.  Like WAY more
• Increase flour to 1 cup for a more cake-y consistency for the brownie base
• Add dried cranberries to the brownie batter for an extra hit of cran

Cranberry Vodka Cheesecake Brownies

Ingredients

Brownies

1 stick unsalted butter

3 ounces dark chocolate (I used 70% cacao)

1 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup flour

Cheesecake

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 egg yolk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

3 tablespoons Deep Eddy Cranberry Vodka

Red food coloring (optional)

Directions

Brownies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray

2. Melt the butter and chocolate over low heat.  Once melted and smooth, pour over granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl

3. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla

4. Fold in the flour

5. Spread in your prepared baking dish

Cheesecake

6. Using a hand mixer, blend the first 4 ingredients together until creamy and smooth

7. Add the Deep Eddy Cranberry Vodka to taste, mixing until well incorporated

8. Add food coloring, mixing after each additional drop, until desired color is achieved

9. Dollop cheesecake mixture over brownie batter and swirl with a knife

10. Bake 35-40 minutes or until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set

11. Cool on rack overnight

 

Lemon Zucchini Bread

This somewhat savory bread works just fine on its own without the icing.  If you're looking for a sweet touch, definitely don't sleep on the lemon icing.  A thin layer is plenty to give it that sugary sweetness.

Lemon Zucchini Bread

Ingredients
Bread
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Generous pinch of salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
Juice from 1 lemon
Zest from 1 lemon
1 cup grated zucchini (~1 medium zucchini)

Icing (optional)
1 cup powdered sugar
Juice from 1 lemon

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 10" loaf pan and line with parchment paper
2. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl
3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with the oil, sugar, yogurt, juice, and zest.  Fold in the zucchini
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined
5. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes until tester inserted into middle of bread comes out clean
6. Cool in pan for 10 minutes.  Remove to rack to cool completely
7. Make the icing by mixing together the powdered sugar and lemon juice
8. When the bread has cooled completely, spread the icing on top of the loaf

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

The secret to keeping these guys chewy is both the melted butter and cooling the cookies on the pan.  Store them in an airtight container immediately after they cool to maintain the chewy consistency.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (adapted from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 egg
1 egg yolk
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease cookie sheets
2. Melt butter over moderately low heat
3. While butter is melting, sift flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl
4. In a separate bowl, combine the brown and white sugar.  Pour the melted butter over the sugar and beat until well combined
5. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and yolk until combined
6. Mix in the dry ingredients until just combined
7. Fold in chocolate chips
8. Roll ping pong sized balls of dough and place on cookie sheet.  Bake for ~20 minutes, rotating pan halfway through, until edges are just golden brown
9. Cool completely on sheet