Toffee

I’m still recovering from Thanksgiving.

From tons of cooking, eating, family time, and shopping. In fact, I need a vacation from my vacation!

But through it all, I’ve got to take a step back and remember all that I’m thankful for. Loved ones, good health, and of course, this Toffee Crunch Caramel Cheesecake 🙂

I made this little number for Thanksgiving and was pretty darn happy with the cake. It’s dense, creamy and surprisingly not overly sweet even with the caramel. It was also a perfect way to use the homemade toffee my nieces my made. Yep, they’ve got skills.

And of course, I am thankful for you all. OOBER Thankful.

To show my appreciation, we’re giving away a lovely KitchenAid® 7-Speed Hand Mixer so that you can whip up your own tasty creations (hopefully this yummy cheesecake will be on your list, too!). The mixer is lightweight, durable and just pretty! A kitchen must!

And you’ve got 4, count ’em F-O-U-R different chances to win it! To enter:

Leave a comment and tell us what the first thing you’ll make using the mixer;
Subscribe to The Culinary Chronicles & get automatic emails when new posts are published (If you already subscribe, leave a comment indicating so);
Like our Facebook Fan Page (If you already “Like” us, leave a comment indicating so); or
Follow @CulinaryChron on Twitter (If you already Follow us, leave a comment indicating so).

The giveaway will end on Tuesday, December 6th at 5pm (PST) and the winner will be announced the next day.

GOOD LUCK and THANKS for being you! 🙂

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Toffee Crunch Caramel Cheesecake
One 9-inch cake

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
3 Tablespoons Sugar
6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted

Filling:
32 Ounces Cream Cheese, room temperature
1 Cup Packed Light brown sugar
1/8 Teaspoon Cornstarch
2 Tablespoons Unsalted, melted and cooled
5 Large Eggs
½ Vanilla Bean Pod, split with seeds scraped out
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Topping:
¾ Cups Granulated Sugar
1½ Tablespoons Water
½ Teaspoon Lemon Juice
½ Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
½ Cup Toffee, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9-inch spring form pan by wrapping the outside with 2-3 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Spray the inside of the pan with cooking spray.

Prepare the crust by combining graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter until moistened and resembles the texture of wet sand. Press crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about one inch up the sides. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden and cool to room temperature.

Prepare the filling by beating cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Add in cornstarch and vanilla beans. Beat in butter, then eggs, 1 at a time, until just blended. Beat in vanilla extract. Pour batter over cooled crust. Place spring form pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to come halfway up sides of spring form pan. Bake cake uncovered until filling is puffed around edges and moves slightly in center when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour. Turn off the oven, remove pan from water, remove foil and return the cheesecake to the oven. Allow the cake to sit in the oven with the door propped open for about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Allow the cake to cool for an additional 30 minutes. Wrap well with plastic film and foil. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

Prepare the caramel by stirring sugar, water, and lemon juice in large saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until mixture turns deep amber, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 9 minutes. Add cream (mixture will bubble). Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until reduced to just under 1 cup, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Chill until thickened but still pourable, about 15 minutes.

Spoon caramel over top of cake just to edges (do not allow caramel to drip down sides). Garnish top edges with chopped English toffee. Return to the fridge and chill at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.

To serve, run a hot knife around pan sides to loosen cake; release pan sides.

Adapted from Epicurious

There are very few American desserts in my opinion that are more iconic than the brownie (yeah-yeah….some would say Apple Pie but that’s just too cliche 🙂 )

Now the texture of a Brownie can truly vary from one person to the next. Some prefer the cake-like approach, whereas I enjoy the dense-chewy brownie. I also love the crunchy bits that the corner squares offer—mmm, good!

So, when the BF and I decided to make a triple feature at the drive-in movies one evening, I immediately began whipping up a batch of brownies to pack with us. I decided to kick up my “go-to” milk chocolate brownie batter by adding some toffee chips and peanut butter. Because as my girl Ina Garten would say, “How bad could that be?” 🙂

And they were OH-SO-GOOD!! Gooey, chocolatey, decadent…..and the bits of toffee added such a great texture. I’m wondering why I didn’t think of this earlier! But at least we’ve got it now and I’m more than happy to share the goodness.

So friends, pour yourself a nice icy-cold glass of milk and tuck into one of these brownies. You won’t regret it! 🙂

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Milk Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Toffee Brownies
Makes 9, 3 inch Brownies

Ingredients:
½ Cup Unsalted butter
1½ Cups Milk Chocolate Chips, plus ¼ Cup reserved (I used Ghirardelli Chips)
½ Cup Toffee Chips
½ Cup Smooth Peanut Butter, plus1Tablespoon Water
¾ Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
½ Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
2 Large Eggs
¾ Cup All-Purpose Flour
1 Tablespoon Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
¼ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Baking Powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper for easy removal. Cover parchment paper with cooking spray.

In a heatproof bowl, melt butter and 1½ cups milk chocolate chips in the microwave until smooth. Do this in 20 second intervals, stirring in between to ensure that you do not scorch the chocolate. Cool the chocolate mixture until room temperature. Stir in brown sugar and vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, until mixture is glossy and smooth.

Whisk together remaining ingredients and combine with chocolate mixture. Stir in remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips and toffee chips. Spread batter evenly in pan. Mix peanut butter and water in a heatproof bowl. Microwave for 15 seconds to thoroughly incorporate both ingredients. Drizzle peanut butter mixture on top of the brownie batter. Using the tip of a pairing knife, create swirls of the peanut butter. Do not over mix, as you want to keep the peanut butter visible.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes up mostly clean. Cool in pan for at least 10 minutes and cut into 3 inch squares.