Carmel Apple Cheesecake Bites

This is the dessert I made at Thanksgiving that I thought was excellent from "The Girl Who Ate Everything" blog.

Ingredients

Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Cheesecake Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
¾ cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
3 large eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Apples:
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Streusel Topping:
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup quick cooking oats
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

Drizzle:
½ cup caramel topping for drizzling after baked (see note below_

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender (or 2 forks) until mixture is crumbly. Press evenly into a 9x13 baking pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with ¾ cup sugar in an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Then add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour over warm crust.
In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon evenly over cream cheese mixture.
For the streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. I like to really combine it by using my clean hands to thoroughly combine the butter into the mixture.
Sprinkle Streusel topping over apples. Bake 40-45 minutes, or until filling is set. Drizzle with caramel topping and let cool. Serve cold and enjoy! Make 16 servings.

Read more at http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/09/caramel-apple-cheesecake-bars.html#OgSkcLsl9MrqoDeJ.99

****NOTE: for the caramel sauce I used the following recipe from www.carlsbadcravings.com:

INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-2 - 3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS
Add butter, brown sugar, water, and salt to medium saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring until butter melts.
Bring to boil for 5 minutes (it will bubble a lot!), stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup evaporated milk and vanilla. Add additional evaporated milk to reach desired consistency.

NOTES
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 5-7 days.

This caramel reheats beautifully in the microwave or stovetop.

You can also freeze the sauce for up to 3 months. Just make sure to use an airtight container that's NOT glass because the milk expands when frozen and can rupture the glass. Defrost the sauce overnight in the fridge and warm gently before using.

Peanut Butter Pancakes w/Jelly

We love breakfast in this house, so I am always looking for new twists on the same old thing.  I tried this recipe this morning and it was a pretty good.  This is doubled, so it can be easily cut back in half.

First combined these dry ingredients:

• 2 1/2 c. flour ( I used a combination of white and whole wheat)
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt

In a separate bowl cream together:

• 1/2 c. smooth peanut butter (but I think chunky could be good too)
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp. sugar or honey

Then add 2 1/2 c. milk and the dry ingredients and mix completely.   Cook on hot griddle and serve with a jam of your choice or maple syrup.