Recipe Swap: Ginger Molasses Frozen Cheesecake Nibs

What: August Recipe Swap
Original Recipe: Sorghum Molasses Cookies
Recreated Recipe: Frozen Ginger Molasses Cheesecake Nibs


This was nearly my first Recipe Swap fail. I was convinced that I needed to create a molasses beer cookie that had an oozing ginger center. I was so close to an amazing, porter based molasses cookie with a creamy ginger center that I could almost taste it. In fact, I did taste it ... a few times. It was so close, but I just couldn't quite get the recipe where it needed to be.


Imagine now that it's Sunday afternoon, just a few mere hours from when my recipe is supposed to be posted and I over tweaked my cookie recipe so much that these cookies now look like sad, flat little tortillas. So much for the puffy, gooey middle.

Perhaps I wasn't meant to make a cookie this time. Perhaps I'm playing too close to hip on this one. Perhaps I need to go back to my very first inclination - ice cream. The clock is ticking and now all this thinking has lost me an hour. Think dammit, think!

The cookies didn't fail, they just need a new venue. And the creamy ginger middle is amazing on its own so why hide it? A fast blend with the hand mixer, cookies turn to a yummy crunch, pop it all in the freezer and voila. Mini Frozen ginger cheesecake nibs with the crunchy outside all covered in chocolate.
Moral of the story? Don't name your recipe or write your post until the recipe is actually complete; you never know what Fat and Happy recipe you might end up with!

Tips and Techniques: Work quickly because the cheesecake will melt easily; place the pan back in the freezer as needed.

Ginger Molasses Frozen Cheesecake Bites

2 heaping Tbls fresh grated ginger

1 2/3 cups powder sugar

2 Tbls butter

4 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 tsp Madagascar vanilla

Molasses cookie crumbs (recipe below)

1 cup melted chocolate

1 Tbls shortening

 
Grate the fresh ginger, place it in a small Cuisinart with the powder sugar and butter; blend until the mixture is completely combined. Place the ginger mixture in a large glass bowl along with the cream cheese, yogurt and vanilla. Use a hand held blender to combine everything.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use a small ice cream scoop to scoop the ginger ice cream into small balls, place in the freezer until solid. Roll the ginger cheesecake balls in the cookie crunch and then place back in the freezer to re solidify.

Melt 1 cup chocolate with the shortening (this will help the chocolate be slightly runnier, hence easier to dip and still allow the chocolate to harden) and then dip each cheesecake ball in the melted chocolate. Place them back in the freezer until ready to eat.

Molasses Cookie Crumbs

Below is my version that worked well with these frozen mini cheesecakes. But feel free to use what ever molasses recipe you have.

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup dark porter beer

In a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together. Add in the eggs, molasses and beer and blend. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Either bake as cookies or spread in a pan and bake as a brownie. Then crumble half of the pan and place in a warm oven until the crumbs crisp up. Use as directed to roll the frozen ginger cheesecakes in.

Please do take a moment to see all of my fellow recipe swappers creations at Burwell General Store.