No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Balls

 

I am not a pumpkin pie person. Truth be told, generally speaking, I’m not all that fond of pie anyway, although I have known to break that rule in recent years. I do, however, like pumpkin in various baked goods, and now in an unbaked good, like these easy and delicious No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Balls. There wasn’t really much to putting them together. There is that rather tedious aspect of having to roll them into balls, but in this case, the effort was well worth it. They freeze beautifully, so you can make these a couple weeks ahead of your Thanksgiving (or other special) dinner, and remove to the refrigerator an hour or two before serving.

 No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Balls

 8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 c. pumpkin puree

½ c. powdered sugar

1½ t. pumpkin pie spice

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. vanilla

¼ t. kosher salt

1 c. graham cracker crumbs*, plus extra for rolling

1 c. white chocolate chips, melted, divided

 In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy.

 Add the pumpkin puree, powdered sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt. Mix until well combined.

Stir in the graham cracker crumbs and mix until the mixture holds together. Melt ½ cup of white chocolate chips in the microwave. Add to mixture and beat to combine.

 Scoop the mixture into tablespoon-sized portions and roll into balls.

 Roll each ball in additional graham cracker crumbs to coat.

Melt remaining white chocolate chips and drizzle on top of the cheesecake balls.

 Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up before serving.

 For extra flavor, sprinkle some cinnamon or graham cracker crumbs on top before the white chocolate sets.

 Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

 *As an alternative use half graham cracker crumbs and gingersnap crumbs.

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Brandy Cherry Fudge

 

This is for adults only because of the brandy but, believe me, you’re not going to want to share anyway. The combination of brandy, cherries, and chocolate is absolute heaven! It is dense, creamy, delicious, and perfect for the holiday season. It would make a fabulous host or hostess gift if you can bear to part with it.

Brandy Cherry Fudge 

1 3-oz. pkg. Melissa's Dried Tart Cherries

 2 T. brandy 

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk 

2½ c. semisweet chocolate chips

 ¼ c. slivered almonds

Line an 8" x 8" pan with foil, allowing a 2" tail on either end for easy lifting.

 Soak cherries in brandy for 30 minutes.

In a large microwave-safe bowl combine sweetened condensed milk and chocolate chips. Microwave on high for 1½ minutes. Remove and stir until smooth. Stir in almonds and cherries in brandy.

Pour into pan and spread evenly.  Cover and refrigerate until firm, 1½ - 2 hours. Remove from pan, slice into 1" squares and serve.

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Oreo Cheesecake Trifle

My granddaughter, Gabby, celebrated her fifth birthday last week. I invited her and the family over for dessert and presents. Both of my grandkids (as well as my son and daughter-in-law, who celebrates her birthday at the end of this week) are great appreciators of desserts. As a consequence, I try to be dazzling. So when I spotted this Oreo Cheesecake Trifle on the Life, Love and Sugar blog, I knew I had to make it.  I was lulled into a false sense of security with the idea that this was no-bake. It was far more labor intensive than I had anticipated. Still, it was unique among trifles that I have made, and a real crowd-pleaser. It is also extremely rich, so don’t do what my son did, and ladle heaping spoonfuls into the ample bowls that I had foolishly provided. Serve smaller portions in demitasse or teacups. I have adapted the original recipe a bit. The original called for making brownies from scratch. Life is too short to spend time making a brownie from scratch that is ultimately going to be buried under layers of filling. Use your favorite box mix, and save yourself some grief.

Oreo Cheesecake Trifle
From Life, Love and Sugar, edited for ease and clarity

1 box brownie mix (I used Ghirardelli)

Oreo Cheesecake Layer
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups Oreo crumbs (about 16 Oreo cookies)

Whipped Cream Layer
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Extras
1/2 cup Hershey‘s Special Dark chocolate syrup
10 Oreo cookies, rough chopped (you should have 5 to 6 left in the package, use those as a garnish on top)

Prepare brownies according to package directions. Set aside to cool, and then cut into small squares.

Place cream cheese and sugar into the work bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in milk and vanilla extract until well combined. Set aside. In another bowl beat the heavy whipping cream with the powdered sugar to stiff peaks. Slowly fold whipped cream mixture into cream cheese mixture until combined. Fold in Oreo cookie crumbs.

Beat remaining heavy whipping cream with powdered sugar and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form; set aside.

To assemble trifle, divide brownies in half. Crumble half of them on the bottom of the trifle dish. Top these with half of the cheesecake filling, smoothing it to cover with a spatula. Sprinkle 3/4 of the chopped Oreos on top of the cheesecake filling. Drizzle chocolate sauce overall. Layer 2/3 of the whipped cream on top of the crumbled Oreos spreading to even out. Add another layer of brownies, then remaining cheesecake filling. Top trifle with remaining whipped cream, either swirling or piping it on top in a decorative fashion. Continue decorating top with remaining chopped Oreos and chocolate syrup. Place whole Oreos upright on top in little mounds of whipped cream. Refrigerate until ready to serve. This keeps in the refrigerator up to three days.

PRINT RECIPE

Another delicious, crowd-pleasing chocolate dessert that is also make ahead are these Chocolate Éclair Squares (also available in a chocolate and peanut butter combination here).

This post is linked to:

Happiness is Homemade Sunday

What’s for Dinner Sunday

Dishing It & Digging It

Cooking & Crafting with J&J

Celebrate Your Story

Inspire Me Tuesday

Full Plate Thursday

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Chocolate Éclair Dessert Squares

 I am not a particular fan of the “no bake” dessert.  Nor am I a fan of non-dairy toppings or frosting in plastic containers. But in the same way that I do not like either gin or tonic, when the two of them come together with a wedge of lime, it is magic. Such is the case with this assortment of prefab ingredients and the end result.  

This is a recipe that my mother used to make, and dates back to the seventies.  It was the requested dessert at the birthday dinner that I prepared for my number one son last Friday. Easy to assemble, often with ingredients on hand, it has the added bonus of needing to be made 1-2 days in advance of serving. 

My grandson puzzled over the layers.  

“How did you do this grandma (and I absolutely love being called “grandma!”)?  Is it a Pop Tart, then pudding, then a Pop Tart, then pudding, and chocolate?”  

Inasmuch as I cringed at the thought of my dessert tasting like a Pop Tart, the clever boy wasn't far off. It is graham crackers layered with pudding blended with non-dairy topping, twice, and then chocolate frosting. They really do taste like éclairs!

Chocolate Éclair Dessert Squares
Yields 14 servings

2 (3.4-ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding
1 (8-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
3 cups whole milk
1 (16-ounce) box graham crackers
1 container dark chocolate frosting

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry pudding mix, whipped topping, and milk until it begins to thicken; set aside. Arrange a single layer of graham crackers in the bottom of a 9" x 13" pan. 

Carefully spread half of the pudding mixture on top of the graham crackers. Top with another layer of graham crackers and the remaining pudding. Top this with a final layer of graham crackers. 

Microwave the can of frosting (lid and foil covering removed) for about 30 seconds on the highest setting until pourable. Pour over graham crackers and, using an offset spatula, spread evenly over the dessert, including corners and edges. Cover and chill for 8-24 hours before serving.