Free Brownies & Betrayal (Sweet Bites Mysteries, Book 1) by Heather Justesen Page B
Authors: Heather Justesen
pizza.”
“Yes, sorry if I kept you. Gregorio’s Pizza is delicious—and I’ve been living in Chicago for years now, so that’s high praise.” I moved on, letting them go, but after a moment, I looked back over my shoulder at them. The little girl’s slumped form strengthened my resolved to find out what really happened.
For a 9” springform pan.
Preheat oven 350 degrees—It’s best to bake this with the springform sitting inside a large pan of water so the cheesecake bakes evenly. For consistent oven temperatures, you should preheat the oven for at least an hour before baking the crust with the filling. This can be done while baking the crust and preparing the filling.
Crust:
1 cup flour
1 tsp cornstartch
¼ tsp salt
½ cup butter at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 extra-large egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla
Butter the pan bottom and sides, and wrap the outside with aluminum foil across the bottom and up the sides.
Mix flour, cornstarch and salt. In another bowl mix butter and sugar until creamy, add egg yolks and vanilla, and beat until blended, then lower the speed and mix in the flour mixture. Mix the dough with your hands until it forms a ball when you squeeze it. Chill for thirty minutes if you have time.
Flour your hands and press the ball into the center of the pan working it up to the edges of the pan and up 1 ½ inches up the side. Prick the crust with a fork, then bake until just golden and set, about 15 minutes. Don’t let it over-bake. Set on a wire rack to cool. Leave the oven on for the cheesecake.
Filling:
4 8-oz packages cream cheese at room temperature (use full fat, not reduced-fat varieties)
1 2/3 cups sugar
¼ cup cornstartch
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 extra-large eggs
¾ cup heavy or whipping cream
1 tsp almond extract
½ lb semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 tsp ground nutmeg
Put one package of cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar and the cornstarch into a bowl and beat until creamy. Then add the other packages of cream cheese, one block at a time until mixed in. Scrape down the sides as needed. Increase the speed of the mixer and add the rest of the sugar, the vanilla, almond extract, and nutmeg. Then beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well.
In a pan melt the chocolate on low heat. Cool a little so it’s still warm to the touch, then whip in cream. Add the chocolate cream mixture to the cream cheese mixture, blending just until mixed, but don’t over mix.
Spoon batter into the prepared crust. Place springform pan into a larger, shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. Bake about 1 ¼ hours or until set. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place on a wire rack to cool for two hours, then cover loosely with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until cold, at least four hours. Overnight is better.
Honey likes more almond in her cheesecake, so I double it when I make it for her, but Marge likes it when I cut up a small bottle of maraschino cherries and put them on the crust before pouring the batter on top.
Shawn picked me up at straight-up six o’clock. I liked a guy who was punctual, so it earned him points in my book.
Not that I was keeping track of points. Obviously I wasn’t interested in a real relationship. This was a harmless flirtation, a distraction from real life. I kept telling myself that, hoping it would keep me from forgetting.
“You look great,” he said when he took in my black skirt and long-sleeved red blouse.
“Thank you. You look pretty terrific yourself.” He wore a sports jacket over a button-up shirt and a pair of tan chinos. I think this man would look good in rags.
His answer was to grin, and maneuver to help me into my leather jacket. What a gentleman. How did he get a sister like Analesa again? I felt a slight shiver of excitement when his fingers brushed my neck as he settled the coat on my shoulders, then slid his hands along my
“Yes, sorry if I kept you. Gregorio’s Pizza is delicious—and I’ve been living in Chicago for years now, so that’s high praise.” I moved on, letting them go, but after a moment, I looked back over my shoulder at them. The little girl’s slumped form strengthened my resolved to find out what really happened.
For a 9” springform pan.
Preheat oven 350 degrees—It’s best to bake this with the springform sitting inside a large pan of water so the cheesecake bakes evenly. For consistent oven temperatures, you should preheat the oven for at least an hour before baking the crust with the filling. This can be done while baking the crust and preparing the filling.
Crust:
1 cup flour
1 tsp cornstartch
¼ tsp salt
½ cup butter at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 extra-large egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla
Butter the pan bottom and sides, and wrap the outside with aluminum foil across the bottom and up the sides.
Mix flour, cornstarch and salt. In another bowl mix butter and sugar until creamy, add egg yolks and vanilla, and beat until blended, then lower the speed and mix in the flour mixture. Mix the dough with your hands until it forms a ball when you squeeze it. Chill for thirty minutes if you have time.
Flour your hands and press the ball into the center of the pan working it up to the edges of the pan and up 1 ½ inches up the side. Prick the crust with a fork, then bake until just golden and set, about 15 minutes. Don’t let it over-bake. Set on a wire rack to cool. Leave the oven on for the cheesecake.
Filling:
4 8-oz packages cream cheese at room temperature (use full fat, not reduced-fat varieties)
1 2/3 cups sugar
¼ cup cornstartch
1 Tbsp vanilla
2 extra-large eggs
¾ cup heavy or whipping cream
1 tsp almond extract
½ lb semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 tsp ground nutmeg
Put one package of cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar and the cornstarch into a bowl and beat until creamy. Then add the other packages of cream cheese, one block at a time until mixed in. Scrape down the sides as needed. Increase the speed of the mixer and add the rest of the sugar, the vanilla, almond extract, and nutmeg. Then beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well.
In a pan melt the chocolate on low heat. Cool a little so it’s still warm to the touch, then whip in cream. Add the chocolate cream mixture to the cream cheese mixture, blending just until mixed, but don’t over mix.
Spoon batter into the prepared crust. Place springform pan into a larger, shallow pan containing hot water that comes about 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. Bake about 1 ¼ hours or until set. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place on a wire rack to cool for two hours, then cover loosely with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until cold, at least four hours. Overnight is better.
Honey likes more almond in her cheesecake, so I double it when I make it for her, but Marge likes it when I cut up a small bottle of maraschino cherries and put them on the crust before pouring the batter on top.
Shawn picked me up at straight-up six o’clock. I liked a guy who was punctual, so it earned him points in my book.
Not that I was keeping track of points. Obviously I wasn’t interested in a real relationship. This was a harmless flirtation, a distraction from real life. I kept telling myself that, hoping it would keep me from forgetting.
“You look great,” he said when he took in my black skirt and long-sleeved red blouse.
“Thank you. You look pretty terrific yourself.” He wore a sports jacket over a button-up shirt and a pair of tan chinos. I think this man would look good in rags.
His answer was to grin, and maneuver to help me into my leather jacket. What a gentleman. How did he get a sister like Analesa again? I felt a slight shiver of excitement when his fingers brushed my neck as he settled the coat on my shoulders, then slid his hands along my