Mini-Mocha Cupcakes

The Recipe:

2 3/4 cups flour
2 3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. Baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt

Sift dry ingredients together. In a saucepan, melt together:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup cocoa (I used dark)

Add: to the cocoa mixture

1 1/3 cup strong coffee
1 1/3 cup sour milk
2 2/3 cups sugar
3 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix dry into wet ingredients. Measure out into pans. Baked at about 350F for 16 minutes.
Frost with a mocha buttercream: bag of powdered sugar, cocoa, sift together. Then add 3/4 cup soft butter, and cream with instant coffee. Add enough to pipe, or spread. Not too much.

Peppermint Cheesecake

Makes about 18

3 pkg.s cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
8 oz. sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 T. flour
2 tsp. peppermint extract
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup diced candied cherry, sprinkled with additional T. of flour
3/4 cup crushed peppermint candy canes
1 package (minus a few for eating when you get back from the grocery store) of chocolate sandwich cookies. I used a package of the minis, thinking I was going to make the mini-muffin size.

For the crust: pulverize chocolate sandwich cookies and a candy cane in a processor. Put in the bottom of a baking cup. Put in batter, sprinkle cookie crumbs and crushed candy cane on top.
Bake 350F for about 35 minutes.
Serve with whipped cream. Would also be good with white chocolate topping, and more crushed candy cane on top.

Czar's Gold and Caviar Nougat Mini-Cheesecakes

These were inspired by the Russian Team Room in New York City, off their Christmas Day and New Year's Menu. I did these as part of an adult education class I am teaching, "Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Sweets." I found a recipe for a nougat cheesecake on the Kraft Foods site.









3 pkg.s cream cheese, softened
3 eggs
8 oz. sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 T. cornstarch
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups crushed pistachios
1 1/2 cups crushed toasted almonds
1 cup diced candied cherries

Crust (I did two ways, as I ran out of mini Nilla wafers):

1 Mini Nilla wafer fits the bottom of a mini-muffin tin.

I ran out of them, didn't have enough to make another 48. I had a small handful left, so put them in the food processor with about 3/4 cup almonds, some flour, and butter. I had enough of that to crank out another 48.

This made enough cheesecake batter for at least 8 dozen small cheesecakes (one bite).

Top each with a dollop of melted Toblerone and Nutella, sprinkle with gold sugar (Czar's gold), pistachios, and diced candied cherry (the caviar).