This is an easy cheesecake recipe I borrowed from James’ mom. It is super simple (only 5 ingredients) and really delicious. To prevent the cheesecake from cracking, place a shallow pan of boiling water in the oven. Also, turn off the oven 5 minutes prior to the end of the cooking time and let cheesecake sit for 10-15 minutes in the oven, cracking the door slightly.

If the cheesecake does crack, just dress it up with whipped cream, caramel sauce, or fresh fruit to hid the imperfections. Bring cream cheese and eggs to room temperature before using (do not use fat-free or reduced-fat cream cheese). Be sure not to over mix once you add the eggs, it will whip air into the cheesecake and cause it to puff up.

3 bars (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
1 9-inch prepared graham cracker or chocolate pie crust

Preheat oven to 450F

Beat together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until just combined and smooth. Stir in eggs, careful not to over mix. Press into prepared pie crust.

Bake 10 minutes at 450F then reduce heat to 350F. Bake an additional 25-30 minutes, until edges are firm and center is still slightly wobbly.

Once removed from the oven, let the cheesecake cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes or more. 

If you have an electric oven, like me, you might need to adjust cooking times and temperatures. I preheated the oven to 450F and then reduced heat to 350F as soon as the cheesecake was inside, because the oven takes a while to adjust temperatures. I also only baked mine for 30 minutes, then turned off the heat and let sit in the oven for another 5 minutes.

If your cheesecake puffs, let sit on a wire rack covered by a bowl or cake cover. The cheesecake will settle slightly after a couple of hours.

Once cheesecake is cooled to room temperature, refrigerate until ready to serve.

There are tons of recipes out there for Baked Apples, so I’m certainly not reinventing the wheel here, but I did try my own take on a Fall classic. The original recipe came from Real Simple magazine, using nuts, brown sugar, and butter. I jazzed it up with some raisins, cinnamon, and a topping of caramel sauce. This would also be great with walnuts and dried cherries or sliced almonds and dried apricots, but I decided on chopped pecans and raisins. You could also substitute cardamon or ginger for cinnamon. Use firm apples that are good for baking such as Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Northern Spy, or Braeburn.

8 large apples, such a Braeburn
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/3 cup raisins or other dried fruit
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt  
4 tbsp butter
caramel sauce or topping

Preheat oven to 400F

Rinse apples in cool water and pat dry. Using a melon baller, scoop out core of apples leaving about 3/4 inch at the bottom.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, nuts, raisins, cinnamon, and salt. Spoon mixture into each apple. Top each apple with 1/2 tbsp butter. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until apples are tender. Sprinkle water on the apples if too dry.

To serve, cut apples in half and drizzle with caramel sauce.

Shown below, drizzled with caramel sauce:

This deliciously intense recipe comes from another Camilla V. Saulsbury book called Brownie Mix Bliss. As the title suggests, this book is full of great recipes that use a box of brownie mix and some extra ingredients to create an easy and tasty batch of brownies that is anything but boring.

Much in the vein of Cake Mix Cookies, these recipes are fairly simple but with big results. Here is my first attempt from the book, a spicy mixture of espresso, dark chocolate, cayenne pepper, and (of course) brownie mix. Don’t be scared by the cayenne pepper…it is bold, but goes well with chocolate and coffee flavors. Add a cinnamon-flavored glaze, and this Aztec-inspired recipe is sure to knock your socks off!

1 1/2 tbsp instant espresso powder
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 box (19.5 to 19.8) traditional brownie mix
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup water
2 large eggs
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 (1 oz) squared bittersweet or semi-sweet baking chocolate, finely chopped
Cinnamon Glaze (see below)

Preheat oven to 350F (325F for a dark-coated metal pan). Coat the bottom of an 8 inch square pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, dissolve espresso powder into vanilla extract. In a medium bowl, combine brownie mix, melted butter, Stir with a wooden spoon just until the dry ingredients are moist. Stir in chopped chocolate. Spread batter into prepared pan.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted 2 inches from edge of pan comes out clean. Do not overbake. Transfer to a wire rack.

Spread Cinnamon Glaze over brownies while still warm. Cool completely and cut into squares.

Cinnamon Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
3/4 tsp cinnamon  
1 1/2 tbsp melted butter
3-4 tsp milk

Combine sugar and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter. Add milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, stirring well, until a spreadable glaze forms.  

Here is an Autumn spice mixture that can be used in pies, cookies, cake, and other desserts. The recipe comes from the book Herb Mixtures & Spicy Blends, which is a compilation of herb and spice mixtures from around the country. This mixture was provided by Cricket Hill Herb Farm.

5 tbsp ground cinnamon
4 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix. Store in an air-tight jar in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Mix will last at least 6 months and up to a year if properly sealed and stored.

I love German Chocolate Cake, so I was very excited to see this recipe for German Chocolate Bars in Cake Mix Magic by Camilla V. Saulsbury. This is another easy recipe that starts with a simple box of cake mix and ends with a delicious dessert.

1 box (18.25 oz) German chocolate cake mix
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups flaked sweetened coconut, divided
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips, divided

Preheat oven to 350F and coat the bottom of a 13×9 inch baking pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, butter, and 1 egg. Blend for 1-2 minutes with an electric mixer on low speed until well blended. Press mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk condensed milk with remaining 1 egg and vanilla extract. Stir in 1 cup coconut, pecans, and 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips. Spread mixture evenly over prepared crust. Sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup coconut and 3/4 cup milk chocolate chips. Lightly press into condensed milk layer.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until center is almost set. Center will firm when cool. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into bars.