Black Bottom Mini Pumpkin Caramel Cheesecakes

From The Picky Palate blog:


Black Bottomed Mini Caramel Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites

8 whole Oreos, finely ground in food processor

1 1/2 Tablespoons melted butter

8 oz softened cream cheese

1/2 Cup granulated sugar

1/2 Cup pumpkin puree (I used Libby’s)

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

3 Litehouse Lowfat caramel dip (comes in a package of 6 20z little cups)

12 Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kisses, unwrapped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine ground Oreos and melted butter into a bowl until well combined. Spoon into 12 mini cheesecake cups that have been sprayed with cooking spray. Press into the bottom of each cup so the crust is flat. Partially bake for 10 minutes then remove from oven.

2. In a stand or electric mixer beat the cream cheese, sugar and pumpkin until smooth. Beat in egg, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg until combined. Pour evenly into the 12 cups filling about 3/4 way full. Spoon about a teaspoon of caramel into the tops of each filled cup and swirl with a toothpick gently. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until cheesecake is cooked through. Let cool completely.

3. Remove cheesecakes from pan and top each with a spoonful of remaining caramel and a Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kiss. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

12 mini cheesecakes
(My mini cheesecake pan makes 6 of the slightly larger cheesecakes and the recipe still worked fine.

Monkey Bread

This is a fun, fast recipe to make. I'm taking it in to work tomorrow to appease the masses since I've been out the last couple of days.

Monkey Bread
Cut each biscuit in three 10 oz cans of refridgerated biscuits* into quarters.

In large saucepan, combine and melt together

• 1 c butter
• 1 1/2 c brown sugar
• 2 TSP cinnamon
• 1 c chopped pecans or walnuts
• In buttered Bunt pan:
  

Sprinkle a sparse bit of the nuts and syrup in a greased bundt pan just for topping.

• Sprinkle in 1/2 of the biscuit pieces.
• Slowly pour 1/2 of the syrup over biscuits.
• Sprinkle the other half of the biscuit pieces over the syrup layer.
• Finish by pouring the rest of the syrup over the top.

Bake at 300° for 45 minutes. Let sit in the pan for 7 minutes and then invert onto serving plate. Can cut with a knife or just pull parts off like a monkey!

Can cut with a knife or just pull parts off like a monkey!


*Of course I could only get four 7 oz cans and it worked just fine.