All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.
Charles M. Schulz
The world’s largest chocolate fountain is at The Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. The floor-to-ceiling glass-encased triple chocolate sculpture is work of kinetic art. Dark chocolate, white chocolate and mocha chocolate circulate more than 2,100 pounds of creamy decadence through 500 feet of pipes 24 hours a day. If you’re a chocolate lover — and even if you’re not — you cannot help but stare and be spellbound by the silky pools of heavenly bliss as they float past. Combined with the intoxicating aroma, for a few fleeting moments, you’ll find yourself lost in a chocolate decadent dream. I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.
See what chocolate does to me?!
If ever there was a recipe for a chocolate souffle and cookie combined, this is it! This little nugget is sinfully delightful, intensely rich, and will melt in your mouth.
Anything this terrific should take hours to make. There are a few steps; I won’t mislead you. Yet, ever step you take will take will be worth it. I promise!
After I made these cookies, I shared them with some friends and neighbors, and then realized how good they really were by their reactions (and orders for more). I also sent to a dear friend of mine who made them promptly, and it is still at the top of the desserts in her “little black book” of tried and true recipes.
National Chocolate Day is October 28. What better way to celebrate than baking these cookies? Well, maybe eating them will be the best treat of all!
Life happens. Chocolate helps. These triple chocolate souffle cookies will help immensely.
I hope you’ll try them and send me your reviews. Live a Life Explored!
Ultimate Pumpkin Cheesecake
The pumpkin flavor, the creamy cheesecake, the snap of the cinnamon cookie crust, the dollops of freshly whipped cream, and the salted caramel drizzles all combine to create the homey taste of fall on your fork.
Equipment
- 1 9" or 10" springform pan
- Large roasting pan for water bath
- Stand mixer
- Food processor
- Heavy aluminum foil
Ingredients
For Crust:
- 1.5 cups Biscoff Cinnamon Cookies crushed
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
For Cheesecake:
- 4 packages 8 oz. full fat cream cheese packages room temperature
- 1.5 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1.5 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Whipping Cream
- Salted Caramel Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
For Cookie Crust
- Using a food processor, pulse the cinnamon cookies into crumbs, yielding 1.5 cups. Pour into a medium bowl. Add ground ginger, cinnamon, sugar and melted butter. Mix to combine well. Pour into springform pan, and with a fork, press firmly up the sides and bottom of a 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes and remove from oven. Allow crust to cool while you prepare the filling.
For Cheesecake
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until well-combined, and the mixture is smooth and creamy, approximately 2 minutes.
- Add sour cream and vanilla. Beat until fluffy and combined.
- On medium speed, add eggs one at a time, beating after each egg, until just blended. After the final egg has been mixed in, stop mixing.
- Scoop out approximately 2 cups of the batter and place in a medium bowl. Stir in the pumpkin, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice until well combined.
- On top of the crust, scoop out a layer of the "plain" cheesecake batter. Then in large spoonfuls, add the pumpkin batter, and alternate until both batters have been put into the pan. Using a large toothpick or butter knife, swirl the batters together by dragging the toothpick top to bottom and left to right. NOTE: This does not have to be a perfect science.
Water Bath
- Tear off two strips of heavy aluminum foil. Fold so that each strip is approximately the height of your springform pan. Wrap around the edges of the pan.
- Place springform pan wrapped in foil into a large roasting pan. Add hot water approximately 1 inch up the side of the springform pan. Place roasting pan in oven.
Cooking & Chilling Instructions
- Bake cheesecake for approximately 55 to 70 minutes, depending upon your oven. NOTE: If top of cheesecake is getting too brown, tent the top with foil to prevent further browning or burning. You will know the cheesecake is done when it is still slightly wobbly when shaking the pan. Turn off the oven, open the door partially and leave the cheesecake in the oven for one hour. Remove cheesecake from oven after baking and resting and allow it to cool completely on your kitchen counter. When completely cool, put in refrigerator to chill, approximately 5 hours or overnight.
- Add toppings as desired. Photos show freshly whipped cream and salted caramel drizzles.
Sounds delightful! I will enlist the grandchildren to help make a batch