I♥cuppycakes!

Ode to Creme Brulee

Aaaww… Please don’t give me that look.

I feel guilty enough already.

I know. It’s been a while. *smacks hand*

Hello my name is CB … [crowd chants Hello CB] … and I’ve been on Weight Watchers for almost 23 weeks. Yup! I’m doing still it. Trust me. You aren’t the only one surprised. Unfortunately that doesn’t leave me much wiggle room for baking. B/c I can’t be trusted with 12 cupcakes innocently sitting on my granite countertop. But last night I REALLY missed it.

The smell of vanilla extract.
The tickle of flour up my nose.
The sound of my KitchenAid mixer creaming the butter and sugar.

I couldn’t bake just anything though. I was craving one of my favorite desserts: Creme Brulee. So I started googling as fast as my little fingers could type. And came up with a combination of 2 dessert favorites. Twofer! And you all know how much I love a 2for.

But of course. This is a cupcake blog. I couldn’t leave you without a cupcake. It’s an oldie but a goodie. (Click here)

Oh and PS.

My cousin’s bridal shower is at the end of August so I’m already brainstorming cupcakes for her. Hang tight. I’ll have cupcakes to share with you soon!

Creme Brulee Cheesecake Bars
Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker

Makes 36 bars (I cut it into 20 b/c 36 is WAY too tiny in my opinion!)

INGREDIENTS

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1 box (1 oz) French Vanilla instant pudding and pie filling mix (I used Cheesecake flavor instead)
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted (I used unsalted butter)
2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs + 3 egg yolks
2- 8 oz cream cheese, softened (I used Neufchatel cheese instead)
1/2 cup sour cream (I use 0% Fage greek yogurt)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup toffee bits, finely crushed (I used Heath toffee chips)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Line a 9×13 inch pan with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a stand mixer fitted with a flat beater, combine cookie mix, pudding mix, brown sugar, melted butter, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and 1 whole egg until soft dough forms. Press dough into bottom of pan and 1/2 inch up sides of pan. [Notes: I totally missed the part about pressing the cookie dough "1/2 inch up the sides of the pan". Oops! But it still turned out delicious despite the lack of cookie "wall".]

In a large bowl, (I wiped out the same bowl I made the cookie dough in) beat cream cheese, sour cream and sugar on medium speed until smooth. Add 1 whole egg, 3 egg yolks and remaining 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Combine until smooth. Spread over cookie crust in pan.

Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until set in center. Take pan out of the oven and immediately sprinkle with crushed toffee bits. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Let come to room temperature before cutting into bars. Store leftovers in the refrigerator. [Notes: These freeze really well too!]

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A
He’s loves cheesecake but not a huge toffee fan so I wasn’t sure he’d like this one but I heard lots of “Mmmm…” while he was eating.

Wifey rating: A
Cookie base – Good. Cheesecake filling – great. Creme Brulee – fell short. Don’t get me wrong. The bar is DE-LISH-OUS but I can’t really say it tasted like a creme brulee. At least not enough for my tastebuds. Maybe next time instead of the toffee bits I’ll top it with brown sugar and brulee with my torch for that authentic creme brulee taste.

Other rating: A+
Husband had a meeting with a few coworkers and brought these as a dessert. He said everyone raved and there were no leftovers. Many of them asked for the recipe!