Tag Archives: Valentine’s Day

Sweets for My Sweet: A Dessert Food + Wine Pairing

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Hello, sweet readers! I hope you enjoyed your Valentine’s Day, and hopefully the fun is continuing into this week and beyond. Love should not be limited to just one day, am I right? 😉

I apologize for not having this post up in time for Valentine’s Day; full-time life has a way of being full-time. No complaints. Even though February 14th has come and gone, this is something you can enjoy anytime just for the fun of it; no reason needed. ❤

Andiamo! Today, we’re zipping over to Italy in our wine glasses; to be specific, the Piedmont region of Northwest Italy, which is famous the world over for a sweet, sparkling dessert wine: Moscato d’Asti.

I recently shared with you how sparkling wine is made, via the traditional method and the tank method. There is a third way known as the Asti method, which we’ll talk about now.

While your traditional and tank method sparkling wines (e.g. Champagne and Prosecco) begin with dry wine, sugar, and yeast, an Asti method sparkling wine starts with grape juice and yeast. The yeast begins to ferment the grape juice in a sealed, pressurized tank. The initial carbon dioxide created from fermentation is allowed to escape, but then along the way the tank is resealed and additional carbon dioxide generated is trapped inside, creating bubbly wine. Before the yeasts completely eat all the sugars and create a dry wine, they are stopped via filtration and removed. This means there is still sugar (sweetness) left, and thus you have a sweet, low alcohol, sparkling wine.

So what is Moscato d’Asti and why choose it for Valentine’s Day? Or for any time?

  • Muscat (Moscato is the Italian name) is one of the earliest domesticated wine grapes: a supremely aromatic white grape variety hailing originally from Greece. When you hear the phrase, “nectar of the gods”, I imagine the Greeks could have been talking about Muscat wine. And it’s funny because ambrosia, the canned fruit cocktail/whipped cream/marshmallow salad, is a potent aroma of the wine.
  • It tastes REALLY good! It’s a delicious dessert wine that will please someone who maybe is not a “huge wine drinker” but it will also please a connoisseur. It’s a famous wine of the world you just need to know about.
  • It tends to be pretty affordable, so you can spend your extra money on other things for your loved one(s).

There are a number of options on the market, but I went with this entry-level one because it is delicious, widely available, and also I love the blue glass bottle:

Risata Moscato d'Asti

Risata Moscato d’Asti

  • $10.97 at Total Wine & More
  • 5.5% ABV
  • Pale lemon color
  • Sweet!
  • Light body
  • Low alcohol
  • Delicate, fizzy bubbles
  • Aromas of seashell, honeysuckle, pear, lime, orange, stone fruit, honey
  • Flavors of grape, peach, tangerine

This wine is obviously plenty delightful on its own; it is, after all, a dessert wine.

But believe it or not, Moscato pairs beautifully with desserts. Wedding cake never met a better match.

Don’t believe everything you hear about “champagne and chocolate” or “champagne and cake”. If you’ve ever actually put those things together in your mouth at about the same time, you know those combinations are heinous, and I do not use that word lightly. All kinds of foul and nasty flavors that never should be are suddenly at war on your palate.

Please. Spare yourself and your loved ones the atrocity and serve Moscato with your wedding cake.

For this pairing, I baked some sugar cookies with vanilla buttercream frosting. I even tried a cookie (or two) with a glass of Moscato, just to make sure it wasn’t going to be horrendous.

Spoiler alert, it was anything but! You are going to love this! ❤

All this tasting and experimenting is hard work, but that’s my job as a wine blogger: to serve you and protect you from vile food and wine pairings. And I take my duties seriously! 🙂

These cookies are buttery, scrumptious morsels that say “I love you” in every bite. They are also customizable, in that you can play up the flavors in the buttercream frosting to complement the flavors in your Moscato. Think vanilla or almond extract, citrus zest, maybe even a touch of peach or pear juice/syrup? Just pick one flavor at a time, though. 🙂

Sugar Cookies with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

“Take me to your Moscato….”

Sugar Cookies with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
(Heavily modified from the sugar cookie recipe in The Cookie Book by Rebecca Firth)
Makes approximately 48 cookies
*If you do not have a large-capacity stand mixer (6-8 quarts), this recipe will be taxing on your mixer (it’s a huge quantity of cookies). Halve the recipe, if you want. I would advise using an electric hand mixer or your own brawny muscles and a very durable spoon. 🙂

The Cookies

Ingredients

  • 24 T unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 1/4 c. granulated sugar
  • 1/4 c. light brown sugar, packed
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 2 tsp. real vanilla extract
  • 3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1 c. bread flour
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, bread flour, sea salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
  • In an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, sugar, and brown sugar and mix on medium for about 4 minutes, until light and fluffy.
  • Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla and blend completely, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and run the machine for 1 minute more, or until blended.
  • Preheat the oven to 375° and cover several baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Grab a slightly larger than a tablespoon amount of dough, roll it in to a ball, then flatten slightly between your palms and make a slight downward indentation in the middle (for easier frosting later on). Place cookies on baking sheets spaced about 1 inch apart from each other.
  • Bake one sheet at a time for about 12-14 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. This will depend on your oven temperature, how many cookies are on your tray, and the size and thickness of your cookies. Eyeball it.
  • Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

  • 8 T unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 1/2 c. powdered sugar
  • 1-2 T milk
  • 1-2 tsp. extract, fresh fruit zest or fresh fruit juice to flavor, optional (but recommended!)
  • Gel food coloring, optional
  • Sprinkles, optional

Instructions

  • To make the buttercream, in an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle, add the butter, powdered sugar, and milk. Mix on medium until smooth.
  • Add in any extracts for flavor or food coloring, if using.
  • Add more powdered sugar in 1 T increments if the buttercream is too thin, or, conversely, add more milk in 1 tsp. increments if the buttercream is too thick. Proceed with sprinkles, if using.
  • Frost your cooled cookies. Since this frosting contains milk, everything will need to be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to one week.

Is your sweet tooth stimulated? For additional Valentine’s Day food and wine inspiration, check out some past posts:

Barbera
Snickers Cheesecake
Grape Galette and Sparkling Wine
Dark Chocolate and Ruby Port
White Chocolate and Orange Muscat
Charcuterie and Wine Pairings
Milk Chocolate and Brachetto
Chocolate and Brachetto

On a Lighter Note: A White Chocolate and Wine Pairing for Valentine’s Day

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Happy Valentine’s Day, readers! I hope you’ve got some indulgent treats awaiting you today, perhaps a special bottle of wine or your favorite dessert? If not, I have a pairing I hope you will really like.

Valentine’s Day typically calls to mind images of dark chocolates nestled romantically together in a box and sleek, alluring bottles of red wine. But since I’ve already covered what to pair with milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and what to pair with sparkling wine, I wanted to explore uncharted territory: I became curious about what to pair with white chocolate. I’m sure there are some people out there who prefer white over milk and dark chocolate. Sure, white chocolate isn’t *true* chocolate because it lacks cocoa solids and only contains cocoa butter, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a delicious treat. To me, there is a time and an occasion for every type of chocolate! 🙂

But is there a wine for every type of chocolate, especially white?

White chocolate is very rich, sweet, and creamy, and calls for something that can handle its weight and richness.

Last year, for fun, I paired some white chocolate with Pinot Noir and then with Sauvignon Blanc. In both instances the pairings were flops and tasted less than desirable. Of course there may be certain versions of those wines out there that randomly would work well with white chocolate, but if I don’t like something when I try it, I am certainly not going to recommend it to you. Bad wine and food pairings can be truly awful!

But there has to be something, right?

I am probably not the first one to invent this pairing, so I won’t take credit for it; in fact, I most likely encountered it while reading about wine (what else is there to read about?). It occurred to me that pairing white chocolate with orange Muscat, a white wine that can be made in a sweet dessert style, would create that amazing flavor combination of orange and vanilla, like an orange creamsicle. Anyone remember the Dixie® cups with the swirl of orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream? The ones that came with the little flat wooden spoons?

I love that flavor combination, so I sent my husband to pick up a bottle of orange Muscat and some white chocolate bars so we could conduct some scientific research (that is what I call drinking wine and pairing it with food in my house. Best science class you’ll ever have.). 😉

Here is what our research yielded:

Quady Electra Moscato 2022

Quady Electra MoscatoWhite Chocolate

  • ABV 4.5% (super low!)
  • $11.49/bottle (whoa, also super low, very helpful right now)
  • Pale gold color
  • Light bodied, nice refreshing acidity, sweet
  • Aromas/Flavors: “millions of peaches, peaches for me” | honey, grape, Muscat aromas
  • Serve chilled
  • Admittedly, this is quite sweet wine, and rather simple, but it works beautifully with the white chocolate.
  • It really is reminiscent of tangy orange sherbet and smooth, creamy vanilla ice cream.
  • Pairing it with white chocolate was delightful and seamless.
  • But word to the wise – only use plain white chocolate! We tried a hazelnut white chocolate bar with this wine and it was gross. Try the brands Private Selection or Lindt, for example.

I like this pairing because it’s a little different, a little more unique than chocolate truffles and red wine (or heaven forbid, sparkling wine – great to drink just separately from chocolate).

It’s rich yet light, sweet, floral, creamy, delicious. It’s like Valentine’s Day in its purely innocent form: cute, flirtatious, fun and easygoing. There are no clashing flavors, making it an entirely pleasant experience. Phew!

I can get serious and sullen sometimes, turning inward and becoming preoccupied with gloomy thoughts. Forget the outside world, which is serious and sullen enough on its own; my own inner world can brew more than its fair share of despair.

At those times I have to remind myself to reject negative thoughts and lighten up. I’ve even started re-watching the TV series The Office because it still makes me laugh out loud, every episode, after all these years. How it is a 25-year old show now is beyond me.

I think this white chocolate and orange Muscat pairing works that kind of magic.

Here’s to lightening up.

Cheers, and Happy Valentine’s Day! 🙂

Wine + Chocolate: Finding Dark Chocolate’s Soul Mate

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Disclosure Statement: This post contains affiliate links. When you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I receive a commission at no additional cost to you. All opinions are my own.

Wine and chocolate… two of God’s most revered gifts and humanity’s most celebrated gustatory creations, coming in a range of colors and flavors. You already know how divine Brachetto and milk chocolate can be together. I posted on it last year and apparently I had posted on it years before. (Oops. Just take that as a sign of how good it is.) 🙂

But are wine and chocolate better together, or should each just be enjoyed on its own? If so, which ones work together and which ones flat out don’t? Since Valentine’s Day is imminent, I’d like to explore this question with you, with the goal of sending you home with an amazing wine and chocolate pairing that will score some serious brownie points with your loved one(s). No pun intended with the brownies.

Today, we’re going to step out of the light and into the dark and sensual realm of chocolat noir. But what to pair with the darkest of the dark, the richest of the rich? Be prepared – it’s an indulgent pairing that may or may not be what you’re thinking.

Compared to milk chocolate, dark chocolate is bitter, with fruity notes, and very tannic, thanks to those blessed polyphenols that are so good for us and cause the grippy sandpapery feeling in our mouths. And what do a lot of red wines tend to be? Dry, bitter, and tannic. You would think all these shared traits would make for a great pairing, but it frequently has the opposite effect in the mouth – bitter and bitter do not make good bedfellows (duh, says every couple alive). Some other red wines probably go well with dark chocolate, but pairing can get tricky and takes some trial and error. You have to take into account more factors in the wine (sweetness, alcohol, acid, tannin, fruit, etc.), and this requires more experimentation than I have time for today (or tonight as I write this).

But one type of red wine is always a sure bet and a foolproof partner to dark chocolate… ruby port.

wine and chocolate pairing

You have to try it to believe it.

Ruby port? you ask, confused. Not Cabernet Sauvignon? Not Merlot?

Um, a resounding yes, and here is why.

Ruby port and dark chocolate are a perfect match because they create balance together. The richness, intensity, and body of both are similar, but the port’s sweetness contrasts beautifully with dark chocolate’s bitterness. Dark chocolate will simply amplify bitterness and tannins in a dry red wine like a Cab or Merlot and make for a disappointing pairing. We can’t have that now, can we?

I am lucky enough to have some Bacovino Rubi 2020 Red Mountain Dessert Wine lying around, and opened some up to pair with dark chocolate. Sumptuous, silky, and made from Washington Syrah grapes versus the traditional Portuguese grapes (various Tourigas and Tintas), it’s a divine treat that showcases well the depth and beauty of Washington grapes in this wine style.

Here is all you need to know about this lovely wine:

Bacovino Rubi 2020 Red Mountain

  • 100% Red Mountain Syrah made into a port-style dessert wine
  • $45/bottle
  • 19.5% ABV
  • Beautiful label that commends itself as an attractive Valentine’s Day gift
  • Sweet and smooth but the acid and alcohol pull it back from “syrup” territory
  • Delicious right now, but imagine laying it down for a number of years – whoa baby! It will just continue to get richer and more complex with age.
  • Deep ruby color
  • The winemaker notes: “Appealing red fruit and white pepper followed by a lengthy, candied finish.”

For the dark chocolate, I used Private Selection 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate Swiss Bar from my local grocery store. It’s absolutely delicious chocolate and is typically less than $3/bar (so you can splurge on this amazing dessert wine). When paired with the port, it’s like a chocolate covered cherry exploding in your mouth. Dear. God.

Bacovino Rubi and Dark Chocolate

Look no further for your Valentine’s Day gifts.

While there are numerous wine and chocolate pairing recommendations for Valentine’s Day, many might not be steering you in the right direction. Ruby port and dark chocolate is a time-tested, decadent, indulgent pairing that is a guaranteed hit. You could use any dark chocolate bars, truffles, or even a flourless chocolate torte. Just make sure it’s dark chocolate, not milk.

Random tip from a winemaker I spoke to not too long ago – she recommended enjoying port/dessert wine as an aperitif (a before dinner drink). I tend to think of port keeping post as the ultimate dessert wine/after dinner drink (which it rightfully does), but what a novel way to think about it: a little treat for when you want to sip some wine while you make dinner. Put it in a little crystal glass and turn cooking dinner into less of a chore. 🙂

Are you a dark chocolate & ruby port fan? Comment below with your favorite brands! And let me know if you try the Rubi. 🙂

Happy Valentine’s Day/Wine & Chocolate Day, readers! ❤

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Charcuterie with my Cuties and Wine for Valentine’s Night

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Happy Valentine’s Day! I hope however you are celebrating today that you are feeling the love. ❤

If you are thinking “I’d like to make this day a little extra Valentine-y” but don’t want to go down the usual routes; if you need inspiration for a dinner that is delicious, interesting, fun, and relatively inexpensive (it’s utterly flexible), and is also something slightly fancy for the love holiday, look no further. It also does not require a reservation, parking, dressing up, and the like. It’s great for one person, for a couple, or for as large or small a group as you desire. So if that’s you this Valentine’s Day, I’ve got you covered.

One of the great things about wine is the special company it keeps with food. And the illustrious charcuterie board (a.k.a. Lunchables for Grown-Ups) has become the golden standard for enjoying with wine. In case you need enlightening, a charcuterie board is simply several types of prepared meats served with various cheeses, crackers, breads, nuts, olives, fruit, assorted condiments like mustard, jam, etc. all presented together on a large serving platter.

During the pandemic, when we were not eating out because restaurants were only offering to-go, I decided to throw together an epic smorgasbord with anything and everything charcuterie-related: several types of cheese and crackers, a couple salamis or other meats, sliced pears, berries, grapes, nuts, etc. I also bought several bottles of wine to pair specifically with the cheeses I had selected. We dined al fresco.

The kids LOVED it, because they got to eat cheese, crackers, and salami for dinner, and put what they wanted on their plates. I loved it for obvious reasons and also for the rare praises instead of moans and complaints from the picky eater cohort.

We did this a couple times and since it’s been a while, I decided it would be fun to do it again for Valentine’s night.

I slaved so hard in the kitchen… opening up packaged stuff and putting it on a platter, I’m exhausted… 😉

I’ve got a cheese collection from Costco (the Kirkland Signature Cheese Flight they sell around the winter holidays) which features the following cheeses: cow’s milk cheese from Belgium, aged cow’s milk cheddar from England, goat’s milk cheese with honey from Spain, sheep’s milk pecorino cheese with truffles from Italy, and cow’s milk cheese with tomatoes, onions, and spices from the USA.

When you make a charcuterie board, you can use whatever cheeses you like, but to keep it interesting, aim for:

– three to four (or more!) different cheeses
– a mix of soft, semi-soft, and hard cheeses
– a mix of different types of milk (e.g. sheep, cow, goat)

For wine, I went with a black pinot and a white pinot (literally Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc) from different AVAs (American Viticultural Areas – unique designated wine grape growing areas) in Washington and Oregon. According to Erin Doman, all Pinots (Noir, Gris, Blanc, Meunier, etc.) are mutations of the same variety.

We’re drinking Skagit Crest Vineyard & Winery Pinot Blanc from Washington (specifically the Puget Sound AVA) and River’s Edge Winery Barrel Select Pinot Noir from Oregon (specifically the Elkton AVA, one of Oregon’s newer AVAs). You can pair almost any wine with various cheeses (more on that later), but for this article’s sake I am just focusing on these two elegant beauties.

Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc grapes both make lighter bodied wines with moderately strong acidity (makes your mouth pucker) so they work especially well when paired with creamy cheeses. Some wines are great on their own and some are meant to be drunk with food. These wines are delightful each on their own and they shine bright with the cheeses.

The River’s Edge Pinot is bursting with juicy, plush aromas of dark cherry, blueberry, spices, and something woody. My favorite cheese match with the Pinot Noir is the Italian pecorino with truffles. The truffle notes in the cheese really complement the mushroom notes in the Pinot Noir. So earthy and complex, I love it! This is a great Pinot Noir for wine drinkers who like full flavors and good substance (like me, ha ha). 🙂

Skagit Crest’s Pinot Blanc is an exceptional companion to cheese! It is like smelling a springtime wedding: flowers hugged by some robust honeycomb, lime, grapefruit, and a little gravel. On the palate there is excellent acidity with no astringency or harshness, moderate alcohol and flavors of stone and citrus fruits. It’s very similar to Pinot Gris/Grigio (same grape, just French and Italian names), but I love this subtly different and refreshing change from typical Pinot Gris. For cheese partners, the Belgian cheese and the Spanish honey goat cheese were both great with this wine.

I am hoping to do more food and wine pairing recommendations in the future, but for now would highly encourage you to seek out these particular wines and enjoy them with some cheese. Bon appétit!

Daze of Wine and Roses: An Indulgent Pairing of Chocolate Truffles and Sparkling Wine for Valentine’s Day

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Disclosure Statement: This post contains affiliate links. When you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I receive a commission at no additional cost to you. All opinions are my own.

It’s no secret I love February — it may still be winter, but at least for me it is a short month filled with a whopping three big holidays of ultimate feminine spoiling: my birthday, Valentine’s Day, and my wedding anniversary all happily fill this month of love. February is cozy, sweet, dreamy, and I love all 28 days of it! 🙂 In the same way Christmas lights and decorations help lift the gloom of dark December, so Valentine’s

Gettin’ ready for Valentine’s Day with premium chocolate

Day (in all its cheesiness) makes February more fun and gives us a great excuse to enjoy some chocolate and drink some wine! Although none of us here NEED an excuse for that. 😉

But the world of chocolate and wine pairing, though. Yikes. It’s like stepping into a flavor minefield if you don’t have good direction. A pairing can either send your taste buds into flavor ecstasy or quickly banish them to foul pairing hell. So what to do if you would actually like to try and achieve flavor bliss?

First, think of your food and drink like paints on a palette or musical notes — you are composing specific “works” based on the combined qualities of your ingredients. In a nutshell, food and wine can either create complementary pairings (where the weight, textures, and flavors complement or agree with each other) or contrasting pairings (where the weight, textures, and flavors have opposite characteristics and create  exciting dynamics through contrast). An example of a complementary food and wine pairing would be ribeye steak with Cabernet Sauvignon (heavy, rich, full-bodied). A contrasting example would be pad thai with Riesling (both light, but spicy against acidic and sweet). 

But for now, let’s just keep it simple with a delicious complementary pairing that will delight both wine noobs and experts alike.

You’re just too good to be true… can’t take my eyes off of you….

Let me introduce you to Banfi Rosa Regale, an Italian sparkling red wine from Piedmont, Italy. It is made from a red grape known as Brachetto. Yes, it is sweet and bubbly like soda pop, BUT it offers great structure, fine perlage (tiny bubbles equal higher quality in sparkling wines) and enough acidity to make it elegant and sophisticated and oh so enjoyable. The aromas of red berries, orange, and rose are hypnotic, and the sweet but slightly tart flavors of strawberry and raspberry that unfold on your palate with drive you crazy and keep you coming back for more. I first tried this wine at a business networking event when I worked at a chamber of commerce, and it was pretty much all I could think about that evening — how utterly amazing this wine is! I still feel that way, and that is why I think you should stock up on this wine for Valentine’s Day!

(goes to pour herself another glass because it’s too… freaking…good…)

Heaven, I’m in heaven…

Now, that wine was amazing on its own, but wait, things are about to get even better when it meets its sweet match! This wine will get along VERY well with milk chocolate. I would personally applaud your choice of Seattle Chocolate Milk Chocolate Truffles (which is what I paired with) but you could also have great success with other brands of milk chocolate you enjoy. The creamy sweetness of each are tantalizingly divine together. I literally taste vanilla whipped cream. Wow! 

Speaking of chocolate, the aforementioned Seattle Chocolate Company has some of the best-tasting chocolate in the world (prove me wrong) and they have a great factory tour which is a fascinating education in all things chocolate. I even got to touch fresh, raw cacao fruit before the beans get roasted. Since I especially love exploring subtle flavors and aromas in wine, I really enjoyed blind tasting through several of their delicious chocolates and trying to guess the flavors and ingredients. Their store also carries a number of fun pairing ideas of their chocolates matched with various Washington wines. Do check them out if you’re in the greater Seattle area!

So there you have it: milk chocolate with Brachetto for the Valentine’s Day win!

Happy Valentine’s Day, sweet readers! ❤ 

Eat Your Sweetheart Out: Snickers Cheesecake

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Eeeeeeeee! It’s the season of sugar! (You really can’t make weight loss resolutions until after Easter, seriously). Valentine’s Day is today, and I sure hope your pancreas is ready for what I’m about to dish up. 🙂

It started with the urge to make a decadent cheesecake for my mom’s birthday.

When I googled snickers cheesecake, I came up with results that showed cheesecakes with swamps of Snickers bar chunks on top. This seemed like a good idea (and it’s not bad, I’ve had it at the Cheesecake Factory before), but not quite what I was hoping for, as far as great flavor and texture are concerned. Instead, I decided to pay tribute to the spirit of a Snickers bar, with roasted, salted peanuts, hot fudge, caramel, and whipped cream on top. I think I’ve created a winner! Snickers Cheesecake

If you’re looking to make dessert this Valentine’s Day (or any celebration, for that matter), you’ll appreciate this cheesecake recipe. It’s not too hard (considering) and it tastes way better than shoving mutilated candy bars in your cheesecake batter. 🙂

Ditch the box of chocolates, Forrest Gump… you and your Valentine will die and go to candy heaven with this recipe.

Ode to Snickers Cheesecake
(Heavily adapted from a recipe for Irish cream cheesecake from Favorite Old-Fashioned Desserts by Pat Dailey)
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases)
By Brenna Arnesen

CRUST
1 – 9 oz. box Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers
4 T unsalted butter, melted

FILLING
1 c. plus 2 T granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 lbs. (4 – 8 oz. packages) cream cheese, softened
1 T cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla extract

TOPPING
Hot fudge sauce
Caramel sauce (I used jarred for both, quick & easy)
Roasted salted peanuts, coarsely crushed
Whipped cream (from a can)

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Crush the cookies into fine crumbs in a food processor or blender. Add the butter and mix well. Transfer crumbs to a 10-inch springform pan and press them into an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Bake until the crumbs are set, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

For the filling, mix the sugar and eggs in a food processor or with an electric mixer for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cream cheese in batches and mix until thoroughly smooth. Add the cornstarch and vanilla and mix well.

Pour the filling into the crust. Bake until the cake is just set in the center, about 35 – 40 minutes. Remove the cake from the oven and cool for 5 minutes, but leave the oven on.

Take your crushed peanuts, approximately 1 – 1.5 cups worth, and sprinkle on top of cheesecake. Return cheesecake to oven and bake for 6 minutes or so, until peanuts set and get slightly toasted. Cool to room temperature. Drizzle with room temp hot fudge sauce and caramel sauce to your liking. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours before serving, and then serve with whipped cream.

And snicker at how easy this dessert was to make! 🙂

Have a sweet Valentine’s Day! What are you eating and drinking tonight?

Love,
The Rambling Vine