Chocolate Cheesecake Cupcakes with Ganache Frosting

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

6 tbsp. butter, room temp.,

3/4 cup sugar, plus 2 tbsp.

1 egg, room temp.,

2/3 cup milk at room temp.,

3 ounces creme cheese

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tbsp. mini semi sweet chocolate chips

2 tbsp. chopped walnuts

Place rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350f. Line 12 muffin cup with cupcake papers. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and set aside. Using a mixer, creme the butter and 3/4 cup sugar until pale yellow, about 1 minute. Add the egg and stir until just combined. Gently add half the flour mixture and stir until just incorporated. Mix in the milk, add the remaining flour mixture and stir until combined. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, 2 tbsp. sugar, and vanilla. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.

Fill prepared cupcake lines with enough chocolate batter to just cover the bottom. Add a dollop of the cream cheese filling to each, then top with remaining batter (cream cheese should not be visible).

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Let the cupcakes stand in the pan for 3 to 5 minutes and then remove and allow to cool completely on the rack. Dip each cupcake into the ganache, forming an even layer of frosting. Place in the refrigerator to set, about 15 minutes.

Ganache:

3/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy cream

Place a heat proof bowl over a pot of simmering water, and whisk together the chocolate, and cream. Continue whisking until chocolate is melted and mixture is thick, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

We had these as part of our Easter dinner and have had then once again since, anything with cheesecake filling I find the be a real winner....

Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding

I am not a fan of bread pudding but I even enjoyed this.

2 doz. Krispy Kreme doughnuts. (glazed) torn into little chunks, the crullers give it a more bread-like pudding, but go with your fav. Put into a largo bowl.

3 eggs well beaten.

1 can sweetened condensed milk.

Vanilla flavoring to taste (I used 1tsp.)

1/2 stick butter (melted)

Cinnamon to taste, t-2 tsp depending on how much Cinnamon you like

Mix sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, butter and cinnamon in a bowl together with beaten eggs and pour over doughnuts chunks. It will be too dry, you can make a choice at this time you can add a can of fruit cocktail, this will cut down on the sweetness, or you can start adding milk, slowly until it has the consistency of lumpy cake batter.

Add pecan about 1 cup (optional) raisins 1cup (optional). Pour into a 13x9 glass pan and cook at 350 Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

Let it cool and then top with a Simple Sugar Glaze:

2 cups confectioner's sugar

3 to 4 Tbsp milk or water

mix together until it becomes smooth and pourable. Drizzle over the bread pudding. Make more if this isn't enough.

Buttermilk Glaze (my fav.)

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp soda

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

1/4 cup butter

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Combine first five ingredients in a saucepan, bring to a boil, remove from heat. Cool slightly, then stir in the vanilla. Pour over the pudding.

The Theme from Star Wars was playing in the background when I started this, it made me feel powerful, the song that came on after that was Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple.