Category: Cheesecake

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

The Sunshine Inn Blog1 Comment

Carrot Cake Sandwich Cookies

  • Servings: 14 sandwiches
  • Difficulty: Easy
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Christmas time is a time for sharing. My young protege chef, sent me, as a Christmas gift, a recipe book he made. These are recipes he makes at home. This is one of them. I’m sure you will love it.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of shredded carrots
  • 2/3 cup of packed brown sugar, divided
  • 1/4 cup of unsalted butter, divided
  • 2 tbsp of canola or vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp of grated orange rind
  • 3/4 tsp of vanilla extract, divided
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup of all purpose flour (I used unbleached)
  • 1 tsp of cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp of salt
  • 1/4 tsp of baking soda
  • 4 ounces of low fat cream cheese
  • 1 cup of powdered sugar (icing sugar)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper
  3. Combine carrot, 3 tbsp of brown sugar in a bowl and toss to coat.
  4. Place carrot mixture in a fine mesh strainer and let drain for 10 minutes. Discard fluid.
  5. Melt 2 tbsp of butter in microwave.
  6. Add oil and rind to butter, 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and egg. Whisk together.
  7. Combine flour, remaining brown sugar, cinnamon, 1/4 tsp of salt and baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk together.
  8. Add carrot mixture, butter and stir until just combined.
  9. Drop dough by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets for a total of 28 cookies. Gently pat to form circles.
  10. Bake for 11 minutes or until set. Let stand for 3 minutes. Remove cookies from pan and let cool completely on wire rack.
  11. Combine cream cheese, remaining 2 tbsp of butter, remaining 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract and remaining salt and beat with a mixer at medium speed for 3 minutes or until fluffy. Add powdered sugar and beat at low speed for 1 minute or well combined. DO NOT OVER MIX.
  12. Spread 1 tbsp of icing on flat side of 1 cookie, top with other cookie flat side down.
  13. Keep refrigerated.

Nutrition Per Sandwich

  • Calories 174
  • Fat 7.0 g
  • Sugar 18.1 g
  • Carbohydrates 26.2 g
  • Protein 2.2 g
  • Fibre 0.7 g

I can tell you that his turned out nicer than mine. He then tells me that was why he was using a measuring tablespoon not a regular tablespoon for the measuring out of the dough. Now he tells me, lol.

I have to admit these were great. They are moist, fresh, and not overly sweet. You can add raisins if you like, or more cinnamon if that is what you want. After all, you just have to have fun and make them your own.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

The Sunshine Inn Blog2 Comments

Pumpkin Cheesecake

  • Servings: 8 good size servings. Can be stretched to 12.
  • Difficulty: Easy
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I like pumpkin, I like cheesecake. Why wouldn’t they be good together? My better half doesn’t mind pumpkin as long as it’s not overwhelming. Well this recipe fits the bill. I’ve modified the original recipe to reduce calories and fat.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp of unsweetened apple sauce
  • 2 packages of light cream cheese (500g total, or 2 cups)
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 1 tsp of vanilla
  • 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 eggs

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a bowl mix the graham crackers and applesauce until well moistened. Then put in a 9’’ pie plate. Press out evenly. If you press too hard the crust will be very tough.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, blend cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Mix until well creamed.
  4. In a smaller bowl, take 1 cup of the cream cheese mixture and add pumpkin puree and cinnamon and mix well.
  5. Pour cream cheese batter into pie crust.
  6. Gently pour pumpkin batter over cream cheese batter.
  7. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes
  8. Refrigerate 3 hour or more before serving.

Nutrition Per Serving (1 out of 8 slices)

  • Calories 245
  • Sugar 21 g
  • Carbohydrates 27 g
  • Protein 5.9 g
  • Fiber 1.0 g
  • Fat 12 g

You really have to make sure that you serve this cold. This was well received. You can add a little cinnamon if you like or sub it for pumpkin spice. You can not use fat free cream cheese. It doesn’t cook as well. You can sprinkle some cinnamon on top if you like. Or if you want a little crunch, you can sprinkle brown sugar on over the top. Be careful for the calories and sugar content. If you don’t have concerns for either have fun and make it your own.