My friends all know that I love to cook, bake, clean, sort, organize, create, throw out...okay, pretty much anything involving staying home in my pj's and having something to show for it is where my true passion lies. To add to that, I am a sucker for sweets! I would make a dessert for every meal if I had the time and energy to do so. This week my cavity-free sweet tooth was craving, none other than...cheesecake :) I mean a sick, mouth-watering, "can't think of anything else" type of craving. But just like any other woman who enjoys fitting into her bathing suit, I was determined to not give in. (I mean, I control my body right?!) I almost beat it too, that is, until my husband announced we had a Superbowl party to attend. This gave me the perfect excuse I was looking for to experiment on our friends...(insert evil laugh here).
I pulled together a conglomeration of cheesecake recipes, cake ball ideas, and several Pinterest posts to come up with these Cheesecake Pops, so the finished product is all I can take credit for. They are the perfect size for a little "pop" of sweet, creamy goodness that will satisfy any craving (and feed about 30 people)! Enjoy :)
Cheesecake Pops
For the cheesecake:
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup sour cream
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
3 eggs
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Using a mixer beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth and creamy (I could have stopped and ate this right here by the spoonful! But wait...it gets better...) then mix in the sour cream.
3. Add the flour, vanilla, and salt (mixing well and scraping down the sides of your bowl as you go). Add the eggs one at a time and mix until smooth. Divide batter evenly between two, greased, 9-inch cake pans.
4. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, depending on your oven. Once the edges have started to brown slightly, take them out of the oven to let cool before placing in the refrigerator to become really cool (for 3 hours or overnight).
For the "pops":
32 skewers (I used 16 long kabob skewers cut in half)
8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
8 oz milk chocolate chips
2 Tbsp coconut oil
Optional toppings: coconut, crushed pecans, crushed Oreos, the sky's the limit!
1. Take the chilled cheesecake out of the fridge and cut into (approximately) 2-inch squares. I was able to make 16 squares per cake pan.
2. Form them into individual balls and place on a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Stick your skewers in the middle of the balls and place in the freezer to firm-up for 30 minutes.
3. When your balls are almost done with their flash-freeze experience start to melt the chocolate over a double boiler: fill the bottom of a saucepan 2-inches full of water to boil, place a glass or metal bowl over the boiling water so that the bottom of your bowl is NOT touching the water and voila!
4. Over the double boiler melt the semi-sweet chocolate with the milk chocolate and the coconut oil and stir until melted. This should only take a few minutes so be careful not to cook for too long or your chocolate will burn! Remove from heat.
5. Take your "naked" pops out of the freezer and cover those bad boys up! Dip each in your ooey-gooey, yummy chocolate and place back on the parchment paper. This is where you can sprinkle on the toppings of your choice...quickly! They will start to harden pretty fast.
6. Place back in the freezer for another flash freeze (10-15 minutes) or keep them in the fridge until they are ready to be served.
These were a hit with my husband and I, as well as at our Superbowl party at large! I hope they are a hit for your event as well :)
