...my muffins & cupcakes have taken a back seat recently, mainly because I'm not doing them very well :-/
In the meantime I have been making loaves, cookies & cakes...
Lemon drizzle with poppy seed...
Blueberry loaf...unfortunately I didn't get a picture of it out of the tin as it didn't last very long once I had taken it out & sliced it...
Choc chip cookies...from a recipe my little boy brought home from school...
And a carrot cake for my sister in law's birthday...
...one for Shelly (the boxed one) & one for me (and a few people at work)... it was well received by all...thankfully...
There are some great recipes all over the internet but I used http://bakedbree.com/mini-almond-cheesecakes-baked-in-a-jar as inspiration for mine...
I've been collecting jars for a while...much to hubby's annoyance...as they're all over the kitchen counters...what? I just need more storage space that's all!
(my chosen jars for the cheesecakes, ready to go in the oven to be sterilised)
Different shapes & sizes...
tall ones...
short ones...
and tiny little ones...I love these ones, they're so cute...
...I got the idea a while ago to bake cheesecakes in them (after I made the muffins in them last year)...
I originally did a lemon cheesecake in a jar & they were delicious, this time I have made a favourite...chocolate...so here we go...
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5.
For the biscuit base:
12 digestive biscuits
2 & a half tablespoons of light brown sugar
2 & a half tablespoons of cocoa powder
60 grams melted butter
...smash the biscuits to crumb...a great stress reliever as we all know...mix all the ingredients together & set to one side...
For the cheesecake topping:
500 grams cream cheese (I used full fat Philadelphia)
76 grams sugar
2 eggs
3 teaspoons of vanilla extract
In a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese with the sugar until it's soft.
Add the eggs one at a time & the vanilla, a teaspoon at a time & mix well.
Place 3 heaped tablespoons of biscuit into the jars & flatten down. Fill the jars about a 1/3 of the way with cream cheese topping. Leave enough room for a topping.
Place the jars in a large roasting pan & fill this with hot water so it reaches half way up the jars.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes...and they come out looking like this...
...while they were baking I melted a packet of plain choc chips for the topping...and decided to use some chocolate flakes aswell...
...spoon a layer of chocolate sauce over the top of the cheesecake & sprinkle on some flakes. Pop them in the fridge for a few hours, the chocolate sauce will harden, making that lovely cracking noise when you start to eat it....there's something so satisfying about that noise...don't you think...?
And there you have them...enjoy...I certainly did...
