Not gonna lie - there were a little intense for a man who doesn't often delve into the world of sweets. But, turns out, I'm not the only person in this world, and I'm surrounded by lovers of intense sugar-to-tongue contact. So - here we are.
The surprisingly thing about these is I was able to halve the normal amount of sugar used in these, AND use mostly 100% cocoa baking chocolate, and the sweetness didn't suffer at all. I wouldn't go so far as to call these healthy, but they were certainly healthier than any of the recipes I found online.
In the interest of Saturday morning brevity, and the fact that I want to get out from behind the computer and go play in the sun, I'll sum it all up here - crunchy, sweet, rich snacks that can be created in the course of a day as you run in and out of the house. If you are, or know any, sweet lovers, you should drive in and try making these - they'll love you FOREVER.
Dark-Chocolate Dipped Cheesecake Pops Recipe
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tbs honey
1 1/2 lbs cream cheese (or three of those tubs you see below)
1/2 cup half and half, or heavy cream - or just milk - I used half and half
2 large eggs, just the yolks
1 tbs pure vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter (I used 1 3/4 - and it was a little too much)
2 tbs coconut oil
6 oz pure cocoa chocolate
3 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1. Preheat your oven to about 325, then line an 8" baking pan with foil. Lightly grease the foil
2. Beat the lumps out that brown sugar, then combine with the cream cheese in a really large bowl - mix it really, really well.
3. Add the cream slowly, beating in between pouring
4. Add the yolks and the peanut butter, and fold until completely mixed - fold slowly though, you don't want any air getting caught in there. The cheesecake will crack up, and not in that good way.
5. Pour the mixture into the baking pan and spread evenly
6. Stick in the oven for about 15 minutes, then cool down the oven by lowering the heat to 200 an opening the oven door just a bit. Continue to bake for about 45minutes
7. Turn off the oven, and let the cheesecake cool without taking it out. After about 45 minutes, put it in the fridge for at least 7 hours
8. Now - if you want here, you can simply lift the cheesecake out of the pan using the foil and cut it into squares - which may be neater than what I did. I just scooped out a 1" ball and rolled it with my hands. They didn't come out quite as pretty as I had hoped, but I did prefer the shape.
9. After you make your balls or square, whathaveyou - CAREFULLY insert your lollipop sticks into the top of each one. I stuck each one about 3/4 through the cheesecake.
10. Stick in the freezer for about 30 minutes
11. If you were wondering if there was any cheesecake left over for snacking...
12. Using a double boiler, melt your 100% cocoa chocolate slowly in a double boiler, stirring
13. Once it melts fully, remove from the heat and add the coconut oil and semi-sweet chocolate, and stir until full melted
14. Submerge or roll the cheesecake pops in the the chocolate, then almost immediately roll the chocolate in whatever topping you like - I used a butter-toffee crunch thingy I found at the store
It's true, it takes a little time and a lot of waiting, but it's not intensive, and you can do most of it as you run in and out of the house over the course of a day. The result? Friends and family with mind-blown and happy mouths, and if you like cooking, what more could you ask for?
Giving it a shot? Post a pic! www.facebook.com/cutseveryday
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