Hazelnut, White Chocolate, and Pumpkin Cheesecake, and my note on organization

In response to a reader request, I want to share the recipe for the Hazelnut, White Chocolate, and Pumpkin Cheesecake I baked for Christmas this past year (talked about it in this post). However first I want to talk a little bit about how I organize recipes at home. 

Recipe Box

I tried, for what feels like years, to organize my recipe's in a cute, and classic, way- like in the recipe box above. I spent forever copying recipe's onto note cards like my mom and sister did, and I spent forever trying to make time to copy even more recipe's onto note cards. Whenever I used my handy little recipe cards they never did manage to make it back into their little box. One day I decided I had enough- I needed something functional! 

Enter my very functional recipe binder. 

Everything is in sheet protectors to keep them nice and clean- and I make photo copies of recipes so I can keep the pretty pictures of the food-or the handwriting of my loved one. AND it's nice and organized :)

Now from my recipe binder: Hazelnut, White Chocolate, and Pumpkin Cheesecake

I hate to admit it but I have no idea what magazine this recipe came out of- my sister cut it out for me because she knows of my love for all things cheesecake and all things pumpkin! This recipe makes one 9 inch cheesecake, but this cheesecake is so rich it can feed A LOT of people.       

Ingredients 

Crust-

3/4 cup vanilla-wafer crumbs

1/2 cup ground hazelnuts

3 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons melted butter 

Cheesecake filling-

3 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 cup canned pumpkin

4 eggs

1 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate

1/4 cup chopped hazelnuts  

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit 

2. Combine the crust ingredients, mix well

3. Press crust mixture into the bottom and 1/2 an inch up the sides of a springform pan

4. Bake crust for 10 minutes

5. Reduce oven temperature to 300

6. In large bowl blend cream cheese, sugar, flour, and pumpkin pie spice with an electric mixer at low speed 

7. Add the pumpkin and eggs, beat until well combined

8. Stir in white chocolate

9. Pour filling into the crust lined pan, sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts 

10. Bake (at 300) for 1 hour, then turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven with the door closed for another 30 minutes or longer until set

11. Remove the cheesecake from the oven, chill, and enjoy! 

Mint-tastic Cupcakes

Andes Mint Cupcakes

While pregnant I felt a great desire to bake, but I had very little free time because I was swamped with my last semester of school, preparing for Cordelia, and being sick to my stomach- so I never managed to bake anything. When I came across this recipe I jumped at the chance to make it for the hubby for his first Father's Day (he loves Andes Mints). The recipe came from Your Cup of Cake, I stumbled across this blog and I have quickly become obsessed, I think I want to try all of her recipes. To see her post on the Andes Mint Cupcake click here    

Chocolate Cupcake:

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup water

1 box devils food cake mix

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake pans with liners

2. mix sour cream, oil and vanilla extract together

3. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each one

4. Alternate adding the cake mix and the liquids (buttermilk &water), stir well

5. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake for 14-18 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

As a note, I think I filled my cupcake liners a little too full so the tops of the cupcakes kinda spilled over when they baked- they still tasted good, but they didn't look as pretty. 

Chocolate Mint Filing:

1/3 cup chocolate chips

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1. Melt chocolate chips and heavy cream together, I did this in the microwave but you can also do it on the stove-top over medium heat

2. Stir in peppermint extract and powdered sugar

3. When the cupcakes come out of the oven use a squeeze bottle to fill the cupcakes with the filling

Mint Buttercream:

8 oz cream cheese

1/2 cup butter

4 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

green food coloring 

1. Beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy

2. Add powdered sugar, heavy cream and peppermint extract- beat well

3. Add green food coloring

4. Pipe buttercream onto cooled cupcakes and top with an Andes Mint  

The hubby loved them and they were a huge success- and they are the prettiest thing I have ever baked too! I feel a new desire to cook, and bake so look forward to more food posts.