Creme Brulee Cheesecake!

9 graham crackers

½ stick butter, melted

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1 c. sugar

2  eggs

1  egg yolk

1 t. vanilla

½ t. salt

¼ c. sugar (for the brulee topping)

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil, leaving an overhang.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until moistened. Press into the bottom of an 8 inch pan lined with foil. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned and set, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool and reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.  Mix the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, egg yolk, vanilla, and salt with an electric mixer until  smooth.  Pour the mixture over the crust and bake until the cheesecake is set but still slightly jiggly in the center, about 45 minutes. Cool completely in the pan and refrigerate until firm. Cut the cheesecake into squares and sprinkle the tops of each square with sugar. Torch the tops with a kitchen torch until it turns a deep amber color. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pecan Pie Cookies!

1 prepared single pie crust

2 T. butter

½ c. pecans, chopped

⅓ c. brown sugar

¼ c. corn syrup

2 eggs

⅛ teaspoon salt

1/2  c. chocolate chips

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large non-stick pan, combine butter, pecans, brown sugar, corn syrup, salt and eggs. Cook  over medium-low heat just until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.

Unroll dough and cut out circles. Place each circle on a pan lined with parchment paper.  Gently fold up the edges and spoon 1 T. of the pecan mixture into each circle. Bake 9 minutes at 400 degrees or until filling is just set. Remove from oven and let cool.   Microwave chocolate chips about 30 seconds or until mostly melted. Spoon into a plastic bag and snip off a tiny corner and drizzle chocolate over the cookies. Cool until set.

Sugared Nuts!

3 c. pecans

3 c. almonds

2 T. water

2 c. sugar

3 t. cinnamon

2 t. salt

 

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and water on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and salt, folding until combined.  Pour sugar mixture over nuts and stir to coat. Spread nuts over two large baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool the nuts and store at room temperature, covered.