Kahlua Cheesecake Cookie Cups

Chocolate cookie cups filled with a fluffy chocolate Kahlua cheesecake. The perfect bite-sized indulgence!

This mini Kahlua cheesecake recipe should definitely be on your list of must-try treats. The creamy cheese filling is laced with Kahlua for a subtle hint of coffee flavor that pairs perfectly with the rich chocolate cookie crust. 

If you don’t have a mini muffin pan, this recipe can easily be done with a regular muffin pan or even as a whole cheesecake.

Ingredients

Chocolate Cookie Cups or Pie crust :

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar packed
• 2 large eggs room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Kahlua Chocolate Cheesecake Filling:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream chilled
• 8 oz cream cheese full fat,softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 oz semi-sweet chocolate melted, cooled
• 1/4 cup Kahlua Liquor

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray mini muffin tins with cooking spray.

Whisk together flour, cocoa powders, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Beat butter and sugars on med-high until light and fluffy (approx. 2-3mins). Reduce speed and add eggs one at a time and vanilla. Beat until combined. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined.

Using a small cookie scoop, scoop dough into muffin tins, press down to flatten.

Bake for approx. 10-13 minutes or until mostly set, but still soft in the middle.

Remove from the oven and immediately use a small glass (shot glass works great) to press firmly down in the center to create a well. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, loosen each slightly by twisting it in the pan. Cool for 5 more minutes then remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Kahlua Chocolate Cheesecake Filling:

Whip heavy cream until stiff peaks (ideally with a cold whisk and in a cold bowl).

In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add chocolate and Kahlua and beat until incorporated.

Fold cream cheese mixture into whipped cream and pipe into cooled cookie cups. Refrigerate until set (approx. 2 hours).

If making as a cheesecake, follow these instructions… Bake in oven at 350°F for 60 minutes. Edges will likely have slightly puffed and may have just begun to turn a light golden brown and the center should spring back to the touch but will still be Jello-jiggly. Don’t over-bake or the texture will suffer, which means we all suffer.

Sprinkle with chocolate shavings or cocoa powder if desired. 

Serve chilled and eat within 2-3 days. Or freeze for up to 4 weeks.

Advertisement

Apple Whiskey Cookies

Who’s ready for fall? Buttery, soft, and oh-so-delicious, these Apple Whiskey Toffee cookies boast all your favorite fall sensations. Trust me these homemade cookies are hard to turn down.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup butter room temperature
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 apples, peeled & diced
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 cup toffee chips
• 1 cup whiskey 

INSTRUCTIONS

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the eggs and vanilla.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. 

Add that mixture to the creamed mixture. Stir to combine.

Stir in the whiskey, applesm, chocolate and toffee. 

Refrigerate for 30-60 minutes or more. 

Heat the oven to 375F degrees.

Spoon the batter using a medium cookie scoop onto a lined cookie sheet and cook for 10-12 minutes, until golden.

Let rest for 5 minutes. Then, remove to a cookie rack to continue cooling.

Caramel Banana Bread

Think of this as a breakfast bread version of bananas Foster.

With its super-moist texture, buttery banana and caramel flavors, and incredibly soft crumb, this is my favorite banana bread recipe. It’s not only drizzled with caramel—it’s stuffed with it too!

Check out my Nutella Swirled Banana bread recipe too.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup butter, melted, plus more for pan
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 4 super ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup caramel, plus more for drizzling

Homemade Caramel Sauce

• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar 
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoon butter, cubed

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350° and butter and flour a 9″-x-5″ loaf pan. 

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.

In another large bowl, mix sugar, butter, buttermilk, vanilla, egg and egg yolk until smooth. 

Pour wet ingredients over dry and stir until combined, then fold in mashed bananas and caramel.

Transfer batter to the prepared baking dish. 

Bake until deeply golden and a toothpick comes out clean, about 1 hour. 

Let cool for at least 10 minutes.

Drizzle with caramel.

Homemade Caramel Sauce Instructions

Add the sugar and water to a 3-quart heavy bottomed saucepan; stir a little so it sits in a flat, even layer.

Warm pot over medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves, turns clear, and starts to bubble. (It will be cloudy at first, but will turn into a clear, bubbling liquid.) This takes about 3-4 minutes.

(At this point, do not stir again – simply allow to bubble, swirl the saucepan occasionally and brush down the sides of the pan, as needed, to prevent crystallization.)

Sugar will form clumps, but continue swirling and cooking until the mixture thickens and turns a deep amber color like honey (this can take anywhere from 8-12 minutes), keeping a watchful eye so the mixture doesn’t burn.

Carefully add the butter and whisk until completely melted. (The caramel will bubble up rapidly, so be careful and continue to whisk.)

Remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly pour in the cream, whisking continuously until all of the cream has been incorporated.

Whisk in the vanilla and salt.

Set aside to cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

Then pour into a lidded glass jar and allow to cool completely. (It will thicken as it cools.)

Brownie Shortbread Cups

These brownie shortbread cups will hit all your cravings… both buttery soft shortbread and gooey fudge brownies. You can have the best of both worlds.

These brownie shortbread bars have two layers. The bottom layer is a simple shortbread crust made from little more than butter, sugar, and flour.The crumbly cookie crust comes together in a single bowl before being patted out in a muffin pan. While the crust bakes slightly in the oven, prepare the brownie batter, you can also use your favorite brownie mix box. After baking in the oven, the cups are ready to devour. The combination of shortbread and brownies is pretty phenomenal if you ask me

Let’s get to baking!

INGREDIENTS

For the crust:

• ¾ cup unsalted butter at room temperature

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1–1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the brownie:

• ¾ cup unsalted butter

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

• 1–1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 3 large eggs

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour

• 6 tablespoons dark cocoa powder

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon salt

OR

2 boxes your favorite brownie mix and the ingredients needed

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line an 8 or 9” square baking pan with parchment paper or a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Lightly grease with cooking spray and set aside.

Begin by preparing the crust. 

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and granulated sugar until smooth. Stir in the vanilla. Add the flour and salt and stir just until combined to crumbs. Gently press the mixture down flat into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until set. 

In the meantime, begin making the brownie filling.

In a medium saucepan over low heat, gently melt together the butter, chocolate chips, and sugar, stirring regularly to melt evenly and prevent scorching the chocolate. Once melted and smooth, set aside. 

In a large bowl, beat the eggs on medium speed with a mixer until they lighten in color and fluff up, about 2-3 minutes. Gently stir in the chocolate mixture. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, stirring just until combined. 

Pour the batter on top of the prepared shortbread and smooth. 

Increase the oven heat to 350 and bake for an additional 30-33 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out only with a couple of small brownie crumbs. Do not overbake. 

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely prior to slicing.