Sunday, April 27, 2008

Daring Bakers: Cheesecake Pops




First off, I have to apologize for my absence in the blogging world. School and interviews for a summer job (I found one! at a place that makes waffles and pancakes) have kept me very occupied, and with finals and what not coming up soon I'll continue being busy for a while. I'm updating my blog when I can but I know I'm greatly falling behind in visiting other people's blogs. I love and appreciate all of your comments and visits to my blog though! I look forward to being done finals (end of May) so I can have more time to bake (I'm already compiling a long list of the things I want to make this summer) and do food blog things. I'm not trying to be a snob by not visiting and commenting!

Deborah from Taste and Tell and Elle from Feeding My Enthusiasms chose cheesecake pops for this month's Daring Bakers' challenge. I wasn't really excited by the idea of cheesecake pops, though I am a huge fan of cheesecake. They seemed like more work than they were worth and I didn't want to have to find lollipop sticks. (I ended up using sticks meant for caramel apples.) BUT of course this story turns around.


I loved these cheesecake pops. Like really loved them. They were so cute! I especially fell in love with the one I coated with broken Reese's pieces (not the peanut butter cups but the pieces that are like smarties/m&m's which are so much better than peanut butter cups). It was really fun to come up with different chocolate/topping combinations and I had lots of yummy things in the house to play around with.


The variations I made were: white chocolate & oreo, white chocolate & oreo & gummy bears (had to have one with gummy bears!), white chocolate with toasted coconut, milk chocolate with crushed Reese's pieces, and milk chocolate with crushed animal crackers. (Speaking of animal crackers, I am still dying to make this lemon cheesecake that uses them in the crust.)


For the first pop, I attempted to first coat the ball in crushed up oreo cookies and then in white chocolate - which is why you see cheesecake pops that just look like "cookies & cream" because it all mixed together. Delicious though.


All the flavour combinations were really yummy, and I was surprised at how much I liked the cheesecake when it was covered in chocolate like that. I didn't add shortening to my chocolate (an allowed deviation), and found the texture of it perfectly matched the cheesecake. The chocolate hardens really quickly on the frozen cheesecake pops though, so you have to work fast. This might not happen if you add the shortening to the chocolate though.


I would definitely make these again for a special occasion or party. Or maybe have a cheesecake pop decorating party! Mmm. I 1/5 the recipe and it turned out really well. You can see the measurements that I used at the bottom of the recipe. Go check out the other Daring Bakers' cheesecake pops!


Cheesecake Pops
Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey

Makes 30 – 40 Pops

5 8-oz packages cream cheese at room temperature
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
¼ cup heavy cream

Boiling water as needed

Thirty to forty 8-inch lollipop sticks
1 pound chocolate, finely chopped – you can use all one kind or half and half of dark, milk, or white (Alternately, you can use 1 pound of flavored coatings, also known as summer coating, confectionary coating or wafer chocolate – candy supply stores carry colors, as well as the three kinds of chocolate.)
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

(Note: White chocolate is harder to use this way, but not impossible)

Assorted decorations such as chopped nuts, colored jimmies, crushed peppermints, mini chocolate chips, sanding sugars, dragees) - Optional

Position oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Set some water to boil.

In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. If using a mixer, mix on low speed. Add the whole eggs and the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well (but still at low speed) after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and cream.

Grease a 10-inch cake pan (not a springform pan), and pour the batter into the cake pan. Place the pan in a larger roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with the boiling water until it reaches halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is firm and slightly golden on top, 35 to 45 minutes.

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very cold, at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

When the cheesecake is cold and very firm, scoop the cheesecake into 2-ounce balls and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Carefully insert a lollipop stick into each cheesecake ball. Freeze the cheesecake pops, uncovered, until very hard, at least 1 – 2 hours.

When the cheesecake pops are frozen and ready for dipping, prepare the chocolate. In the top of a double boiler, set over simmering water, or in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, heat half the chocolate and half the shortening, stirring often, until chocolate is melted and chocolate and shortening are combined. Stir until completely smooth. Do not heat the chocolate too much or your chocolate will lose it’s shine after it has dried. Save the rest of the chocolate and shortening for later dipping, or use another type of chocolate for variety.

Alternately, you can microwave the same amount of chocolate coating pieces on high at 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth.

Quickly dip a frozen cheesecake pop in the melted chocolate, swirling quickly to coat it completely. Shake off any excess into the melted chocolate. If you like, you can now roll the pops quickly in optional decorations. You can also drizzle them with a contrasting color of melted chocolate (dark chocolate drizzled over milk chocolate or white chocolate over dark chocolate, etc.) Place the pop on a clean parchment paper-lined baking sheet to set. Repeat with remaining pops, melting more chocolate and shortening (or confectionary chocolate pieces) as needed.

Refrigerate the pops for up to 24 hours, until ready to serve.

Note: I 1/5 the recipe and the measurements worked out really well. I made sure that the batter would come up 1 1/4 inch in the baking dishes I used (3 little ramekins). I baked it for the same amount of time as you're supposed to bake the regular cheesecake.

The measurements I used (makes about 6 or 7 pops):

1 8-oz pkg cream cheese
86 grams sugar (0.4 cups)
7.6 grams all-purpose flour (0.05 cups)
a little less than half of a 1/8 tsp measure if you have it
1 large egg
0.4 egg yolk (eyeballed this obviously)
0.4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp (15 mL) heavy cream

55 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your pops look FANTASTIC! You did a great job getting them round, much better than I did!

Silvia - Magnolia Wedding Planner said...

You really are fantastic in baking! these lollipops are great and I like a lot the one with the gummy bears it's so cutie!!
Congrats for the job1
Silvia

kickpleat said...

so cute!! and you will have to mention where you'll be working! pancakes and waffles...do tell.

Shelby said...

Your pops look delicious! Job well done!

Anonymous said...

I love love love your coatings & decorations! Too cute & very creative!

Fat Grl Slim said...

OMG, I'm drooling! That's what I get for subscribing to your blog :). I feel like I should go for a run just to make up for the sinful thoughts I'm having about making those cheesecake pops.....

And how come I've only just noticed that you are in Vancouver??? I may be an American but I spent some quality time attending UBC. Best 5 years of my life and I miss BC daily! So yeah BC!!!!!!!!!! Is True Confections still around?????? I dream about that place sometimes.......

Katie B. said...

Coated in Reese's pieces??!??!?! I LOVE IT!!!!

Christine said...

Awesome job! Mine didn't come out as round as your! I love the oreos one!

Jen Yu said...

I love how many different toppings you did for your pops! The gummy bears are the BEST :) So cute. Best of luck to you with the end of the term. Hope it goes smoothly!

Anonymous said...

These look fabulous! I love how creative you got and all of the combinations you used. Next time I make these I'll have to use yours for inspiration!

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

I really like the sound of those! I would love the gummi bear ones, but I don't eat them because of the gelatin :(
I dream of jelly sweeties!

Zakia / Avenue Z Desserts said...

looks great! cookies n cream. mmmmmm

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Ashley, your cheesecake pops are by far the CUTEST ones I've seen thus far, after viewing a lot of bloggers' cheesecake pop variations - the gummy bears one is especially adorable!! :0D Glad that you enjoyed this month's Daring Bakers Challenge!!

Anonymous said...

Wonderful variety of coatings! I actually love the look of the cookies and cream.

Sarah said...

I love the gummy bear one! So cute! And I love the fact that you added the 1/5 recipe conversion...the full recipe made way to many, but the 1/5 recipe would be perfect. Great job!

Deborah said...

I am drooling over the Reeces Pieces one!! And you should definitely try that lemon cheesecake - it is amazing!

Jerry said...

Love the gummi bears, great touch!

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I love all the variations. I would have loved to taste these little treasures:D

Unknown said...

I love the variety in your pops, and congrats at having more time to bake! I look forward to reading your posts.

maybelles mom said...

I ADORE the gummy bear ones.

Unknown said...

SO CUTE! I love the Reeses one...you're right, they're the best. Maybe cutting the recipe in 1/5 is what I should have done instead of wimping out. Oh, well.

glamah16 said...

Wow! My favorite is the one with the Gummi's.

Melanie said...

Ok, congrats on being officially the only DBer I've seen that used gummi bears. Cute!! Your variety of toppings was endless - and I loved the white chocolate ones. Great job!

Anonymous said...

Nice job. Those look amazing. I need to think about trying this challenge.

Anonymous said...

Yours are amazing! I love the cookies n' cream one, gotta try it.

The gummi bears are a nice touch.

Antonio Tahhan said...

absolutely amazing!! the Reese's pieces one seems like it would be my favorite, too! although, I'm sure I'd love to eat all those combinations you have

Anonymous said...

Great work on the challenge! I like that you have such a wide variety of toppings- It's sure to please everybody.

~Amber~ said...

Your pops look amazing! Although I think the gummies are a weird addition they are super cute. I love gummy bears.

Tracy said...

Yum! I love all the different toppings!

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

This looks really good. I'll like to eat one now.

Gigi said...

i just love all the toppings! very creative. you did a wonderful job.

Anonymous said...

These look delicious!

test it comm said...

Great pops! I like the candy coatings. Congrats on the summer job.

Gretchen Noelle said...

Love the topping ideas but the reeses pieces would certainly win out for me - what a terrific idea!!! Thanks again for your "fifthing" help, I was so glad not to have tons of these laying around!

winedeb said...

Too cool! I love your foodie artwork on them!

L said...

They all look so good. We ate all of ours. I may end up making some more.

Anonymous said...

Yum! I actually saw a couple shows recently that featured restaurants who are also making cheescake pops. I love the idea of slowly savoring the richness of the cheesecake!

Jes said...

Your pops look rad! The gummy bear one is pretty much my favorite!

Anonymous said...

this is totally awesome!!!! it looks sooo beautiful and delicious! they look like timbits and that's just bonus. ;)

-shewgarbaby

Anonymous said...

Yum! Those look so delicious! Love the idea!

Mari said...

You went all out and they are all fabulous! I'll have an Oreo cheesecake pop, please!

Jaime said...

your pops are so round and perfect - i had trouble shaping mine. i love the gummy bear one!! :)

i feel just like you do - soooo far behind on visiting blogs since i went on vacation, got sick, etc.

Colette said...

Those are beautiful! I'm dying to try the Reeses Pieces one!!

T’s Treats said...

They look Wonderful!! I love the idea of Reese's Pieces!! Man I can't believe I didn't think of that.. I did the damn peanut butter cups, and the Pieces would have been soo much better, and gummy bears..OMG LOVE IT!! Great job!!

Carole said...

These are at the top of my list for a new treat! I love how you made all different toppings, which will just thrill my children who have all different likes/dislikes! I'll post my results on my blog!

Dolores said...

I'm glad you made this challenge fit into your busy schedule. I love the gummy bear version... I know several little boys that would be all over them.

Brilynn said...

I love the addition of the reeces pieces!

Jerri at Simply Sweet Home said...

These cheesecake pops look awesome. I love the way you used all the different candies. brilliant!

Anonymous said...

Heeeeeeeeeeee ! the one with the jelly bears !!!! incredible !!!!!
what a job !!!!!

eatme_delicious said...

Thanks everyone. :)

Sheltie Girl said...

You had me at the gummy bears...too cute.

Natalie @ Gluten a Go Go

Oye Cookie! said...

brilliant!! i love the idea of coating them in candy!! great job.

jennifer
www.oyecookie.com

Peabody said...

I love the gummy bear ones, those are too cute.

Anonymous said...

loving the one with the jelly sweets! they look great!!

Anonymous said...

Love cheesecake, any way, any form. These look absolutley devine! Love the cookies n cream ones.