Hello readers!
Last blog post of 2016

2016…what can I say, it has been a whirlwind year. So many changes and milestones in my personal life. The last year of life for a ton of amazing artists. An intense election in which we are still reeling in the aftermath. There has been a lot to take in this year. Before I start down a rabbit hole of my feels for 2017, let’s just keep this last post fun and light. We can open up the can of worms next year (only 4 days away).

I decided to experiment a little in the kitchen for Christmas, and ended up with this No Bake Peppermint Cookies and Cream Cheesecake! You can try this for your next Christmas, Friendsmas, New Years, any wintery holiday.

Ingredients:

1 pack double stuff Oreos (140z)
Cream Cheese Original (16 oz)
1/3 cup Sugar
5 tablespoons melted Butter
1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1 tablespoon Gelatin
1 cup warm Milk
5 Candy Canes
Red Food Coloring/Gel

Plus
Pie tin with lid

*cute Gingerbread Man measuring spoons not included (Pier 1)

First you want to separate your Oreo sandwiches. Set the cream filling aside and place cookies in a bag. Also unwrap and place candy canes in a bag.
Take a heavy cup or rolling pin and pulverize both the cookies and the candy canes.

Set aside 1/2 cup of the cookie crumbs and 1 tablespoon of the candy canes for later.

Pour melted butter into cookie crumbs and mix until well combined. Place crumbs in the pie tin and press down lightly to create a crust. Set aside.

In a large pot over low/medium heat mix together the cream cheese, sugar, cream filling from the Oreos, vanilla extract, and the ground candy canes. Stirring until there are no lumps.

Now I’m not gonna lie. I stirred and stirred but it still remained a little lumpy. Seriously stirred for like 20 minutes. I’m not sure if an immersion blender or a whisk would of done a better job but oh well.
Lesson learned.

Mix the warm milk with the gelatin until dissolved. Pour the milk into the cream cheese mixture, stirring constantly until it starts to bubble slightly. Stir in some red food coloring to deepen color.

You can see my slight lumps in there….

Remove from heat and let cool for a minute. Then pour into the cookie crumb crust. Smooth with a spoon or spatula to fill in crust. Using a sifter, top with the 1/2 cup cookie crumbs and the 1 tablespoon of candy canes.

Put in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Cut and serve!

I’m not going to lie. This cheesecake got mixed reviews. Some people said it needed more peppermint flavor, some thought the peppermint was too strong. Overall people enjoyed it though. It was a nice holiday twist on a favorite treat.

To try or not to try?
That is the question.

Love,
B

p.s.
I just wanted to thank you all so much for reading my blog this year. It has been a process that I am still figuring out. Hope everyone has a happy New Year! See ya in 2017!