Crazy for Crust

Seriously Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Holidays

Pumpkin Magic Bars

Christmas Brownies

Dorothy Kern — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 14:26:53 +0000

Christmas Brownies are rich, fudgy, homemade chocolate brownies topped with red and green M&Ms and festive Christmas sprinkles! Made with both melted butter, baking chocolate, and cocoa powder, they’re extremely chocolatey with a gooey center. It’s so fun to decorate these for the holidays and the bars are easy to add to cookie platters.

I’m a sucker for good and fudgy brownies and I firmly believe that brownies belong on your Christmas cookie platters, right alongside sugar cookies and snowballs. If you’ve been around Crazy for Crust for awhile, you know I have a thing for adding M&Ms and sprinkles to just about everything (hello, Santa’s Favorite Cookies). I love I can take my perfect brownie recipe and turn them into something more fun!

I’ve made a LOT of brownies over the years, and my biggest rule is they should be fudgy, not cakey. This is why I skip using baking soda or baking powder and I use 4 whole eggs: to keep those gooey centers. Pull these out of the oven when the toothpick test 2-inches from the side of the pan comes out with a few crumbs and use a plastic knife to cut them cleanly!

Christmas Brownie Ingredients

Sugar: I always use granulated sugar – and a lot of it – to make brownies!
Cocoa Powder: I use unsweetened cocoa powder (natural) but you can also use Dutch Process Cocoa.
Baking Chocolate: Use unsweetened baking chocolate for best results (this is found in the baking aisle).
Unsalted Butter: If you don’t have unsalted butter, you can use salted and remove the salt from the recipe. Melting the butter helps bloom the cocoa and bring out all the flavor.
Candies: Red and Green M&Ms and sprinkles are the best mix ins!
Use a metal pan for best results

Dorothy’s Expert Brownie Tips

You can omit or add any Christmas candy that you would like – omit the sprinkles and use more M&Ms if you want.
Swap my recipe for a box brownie mix for ease.
Cut your brownies with a plastic knife – the brownie won’t stick to it!
Want even more chocolate? Add some chocolate buttercream or cooked chocolate frosting for an even richer recipe.
Looking for Christmas Tree Brownies? I have those too, in brownie bite form!

Christmas Brownies Recipe

Easy Christmas Brownies are so easy and fun – the best brownie recipe with holiday m&ms and sprinkles!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings brownies

Calories 316kcal

Author Dorothy Kern

Cost $10

Ingredients

1 cup (2260 unsalted butter
4 ounces (113g) unsweetened baking chocolate coarsely chopped
2 cups (400g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 ⅓ cups (162g) all-purpose flour
½ cup Christmas M&Ms
¼ cup Christmas Sprinkles

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13″ pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Melt butter and baking chocolate in a large bowl. Heat it on high power for 1 minute then stir, heating in additional 30 second increments until melted and smooth.
Stir in sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, and cocoa and stir until combined. Stir in flour.
Pour brownie batter into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with sprinkles and M&Ms. Bake for 25-35 minutes until a toothpick along the edge comes out with just a few crumbs. This results in very fudgy gooey brownies. Cool before slicing into bars.

Video

Notes

Store in an airtight container at room temperature or freeze for several months.

Nutrition

How to Make Christmas Brownies

Melt butter and chocolate in a large bowl. You can also brown the butter if you want to make brown butter brownies!
Stir in sugar then eggs, then vanilla and salt. Stir in flour and you’ll have a thick brownie mixture.
Top the brownies in a foil or parchment lined pan with candy and sprinkles. Use your favorites!

Other Brownie Recipes

Dark Chocolate Brownies

The BEST Brownie Recipe: Brown Butter Brownies

Fudgy Oreo Brownies

The BEST Gluten-Free Brownies

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad

Dorothy Kern — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 14:16:43 +0000

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad is an easy fall salad recipe with crispy roasted Brussels sprouts, fresh apples, crunchy pecans, bacon, and goat cheese tossed with balsamic vinaigrette. It’s a delicious combo of sweet and savory and mix of textures. We enjoy this as dinner with some added protein, as lunch, or as a holiday side dish.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

I’m a huge Brussels sprouts fan, but I know not everyone feels the same way. In fact, I love making this salad for people who swear they hate Brussels sprouts because it just might change their minds! The secret is roasting them instead of boiling or just steaming them: roasting brings out their natural sweetness and gives them those crispy, caramelized edges. Once you add bacon and cheese, no one can resist their vegetables!

I usually make my own balsamic dressing, bur you can use a bottled version or even just use a drizzle balsamic glaze instead for an extra punch of sweetness. You can also make some of the components ahead of time, which makes this a great recipe to get on the table without last minute work.

Ingredients in Brussels Sprouts Salad

Brussels sprouts – I cut them in half and cut off any hard bits.
Cooked crumbled bacon – cook it until crispy, then drain
Sliced apples – use your favorite apples – we love fuji or gala apples
Chopped toasted pecans – learn how to toast nuts
Crumbled goat cheese – or you can use feta
Spring mix or your favorite lettuce – we love spring mix the best
Balsamic dressing – I like making my own, but sometimes I buy the Panera brand one at the store.

How to make Brussels Sprout Salad Tips

Make the roasted Brussels sprouts and bacon ahead of time – this is a great salad you can meal prep.
I don’t recommend slicing the apples ahead of time because they’ll brown. Also, you can keep the other ingredients separate in the fridge, so it’s easy to assemble the salad.
Remember, for the best roasted Brussel sprouts, cut them into equal sizes and place them cut-side down on the baking sheet. Also, don’t line your pan with foil – roast them directly on the sheet pan.
Leftover plain roasted brussels sprouts will keep for three to four days in the refrigerator.

Brussels Sprouts Salad Recipe

This easy Brussels sprouts Salad is sure to be a huge hit! With apples, pecans, bacon and a balsamic vinaigrette, it’s one of our favorite fall salad recipes.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 578kcal

Author Dorothy Kern

Cost $5

Ingredients

1 pound brussels sprouts halved
4 slices center cut bacon cooked, drained, and crumbled
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
5 cups spring mix or other lettuce
1 apple, sliced Granny Smith, Fugi, or Gala
¼ cup chopped pecans toasted
¼ cup goat or blue cheese crumbled
1 cup balsamic dressing store bought or homemade

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Oil a rimmed baking sheet.
Trim Brussels sprouts: slice off the root end and cut in half (cut them in thirds if they are very large). Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place cut side down on prepared baking sheet. Roast for 30-45 minutes, or until browned and crispy on the edges, stirring or shaking the pan occasionally to prevent burning. Cool slightly before adding to salad.
Assemble the salad: toss lettuce with apples, pecans, cheese, crumbled bacon, and Brussels sprouts. Toss with dressing.
Serve as soon as you add the sliced apples and dressing. To make ahead, assemble all but the apples and dressing and add those right before serving.

Notes

Prepare double the Brussels sprouts and bacon ahead of time: use them all week!

Nutrition

Other Favorite Salads

Brussels Sprout Salad has roasted brussel sprouts and is the perfect fall salad recipe with bacon and balsamic dressing!

Bloody Shirley Drink

Dorothy Kern — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 10:29:00 +0000

A Shirley Temple is amazing but you know what’s even better? An interactive Bloody Shirley Drink for Halloween! These are great for Halloween parties: just serve vials of grenadine blood alongside soda and you have the perfect gory party drink!

I’ve made many a Shirley Temple in my time (it’s Jordan’s favorite drink, she even orders Dirty Shirleys occasionally) so when I was thinking up Halloween drinks this one popped into my mind: a Shirley Temple but make it gory and spooky!

This is a 2 ingredient drink that’s totally interactive: just fill plastic syringes with grenadine and serve with soda. So simple and everyone will think they’re super fun.

Bloody Shirley Temple Ingredients

Depending on who’s making this delicious drink, it either starts with lemon lime soda or ginger ale. Use your favorite (or have both options).
Grenadine is cherry flavored syrup that’s bright red and gives the drink it’s telltale color.
Jordan wouldn’t be happy without a maraschino cherry in her drink, so have some on hand, just in case.
Want to make these dirty? Have vodka, tequila, or rum alongside in case the adults want to spice things up.

Dorothy’s Drink Tips

I purchased my plastic syringes on Amazon, but I’ve recently seen them at the Dollar Tree, so look around the Halloween aisles.
Freeze grenadine ice cubes for even more gore to keep the drinks cold.
This is the perfect drink to set up on a bar: vials of grenadine, 2L bottles of soda, ice, and glasses (and vodka!)

Bloody Shirley Temple Recipe

A gory way to serve a Shirley Temple at a Halloween Party!

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings drinks

Calories 209kcal

Author Dorothy Kern

Cost $5

Equipment

Plastic syringes (without the needle)

Ingredients

2 liters lemon lime soda or ginger ale
1 cup grenadine

Instructions

Fill syringes each with 1 ounce grenadine.
Add cold soda to a glass (with or without ice).
Serve glass with syringe inside, with or without a cherry garnish.

Notes

Make it a cocktail by adding 1 ounce vodka, tequila, or rum.

Nutrition

Halloween Party Recipes

Candy

Butterfinger Fudge

Cut Out Sugar Cookies

Candy

Halloween Toffee Bark

Halloween

Witch Hat Cupcakes

Witches Brew Punch

Dorothy Kern — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 10:29:00 +0000

Witches Brew Punch is the perfect Halloween punch recipe! It’s a fun, non-alcoholic drink made with sherbet, soda, and plenty of creepy witchy things like eyeballs and worms, making it the perfect drink for a party.

I love fun themed recipes, especially for Halloween. Spooky recipes that are actually fun and cute and taste good too are right up my alley. This is the perfect party punch because it’s good for everyone, adults and kids alike.

If you’ve never tried sherbet punch, you’re in for a treat. It’s sweet and bubbly and great as a mocktail, but if you want to make it a cocktail it’s totally easy to do that too. Simply by adding rum, vodka, or tequila you have the perfect drink for an adult party too!

Witches Brew Punch Ingredients

I love using Ginger Ale for this punch, but you can use lemon lime soda too. Or swap it with champagne for a bubbly punch.
Pineapple juice is the perfect sweet addition, and lime juice cuts through all the sweet flavors with a bit of tart.
Sherbet gets scooped on top, that’s what makes the “foamy” look. Use any flavor you like or can find.

Dorothy’s Spooky Punch Tips

This is best made right before serving so the sherbet doesn’t melt and the soda doesn’t go flat. Keep all the ingredients cold before making.
Don’t add ice; it’ll just water it down. Instead, serve with ice on the side.
Make it a Witches Brew Cocktail Punch: add 1 cup of vodka, tequila, or rum. Or replace the soda with champagne.
To make it spooky, add gummy worms, floating eyeballs, and spiders.
This is best served the day it’s made; the sherbet will melt and the soda will go flat if stored.

Witches Brew Halloween Punch Recipe

A cute but spooky green party punch that's great for kids and adults (or turn it into a boozy punch!)

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Servings servings

Calories 99kcal

Author Dorothy Kern

Cost $7

Equipment

Ingredients

2 L Ginger Ale
32 ounces Pineapple Juice
½ cup lime juice
1 (48 ounce) container sherbet (see note)
Green food coloring see note
Gummy Worms

Instructions

Add ginger ale, pineapple juice, and lime juice to a punch bowl. Stir.
If desired, add a few drops of green food coloring; stir.
Add scoops of sherbet on top, then decorate with gummy worms, eyeballs, and spiders.
Serve immediately.

Notes

I prefer using lime or pineapple sherbet but couldn’t find either so I used rainbow. Use whatever flavor you like and/or can find.
Food coloring is optional but will make your punch even more spooky.
Eyeballs: You can use gummies or any kind, I used ping pong balls so I could reuse them and so that they wouldn’t melt into the punch and so they would float.
The gummy worms will sink, so place them hanging over the edge.

Nutrition

Favorite Party Punch

Drinks

Bay Breeze Cocktail

Drinks

Cake by the Ocean Cocktail

Drinks

Blue Hawaiian Party Punch

Cocktails

Mai Tai Recipe

Sugar Cream Pie

Dorothy Kern — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 14:40:40 +0000

Sugar Cream Pie is an old-fashioned custard pie with flaky buttery crust and a rich, creamy vanilla filling topped with cinnamon and nutmeg. Also called Hoosier Pie, it’s a no egg custard pie and reminds me of crémé brulée but it has super simple ingredients that turn into a decadent dessert.

I’m a pie expert (it’s why I started the site, afterall) and I love that this is a no egg custard pie because dealing with eggs can be difficult. I tested this recipe extensively to get the ratios and filling just right and found that half-and-half gives it the best balance: creamy and rich without being too heavy, while cornstarch thickens the custard. It’s a little bit thicker than a chess pie, but similar flavor vibes.

I always partially blind bake the crust for this kind of pie before adding the filling because it doesn’t cook as long as a chess pie or pumpkin pie, so you want the crust to get a head start so it fully cooks through (no soggy bottom pies here!)

Hoosier Pie Ingredients

9″ pie crust: Try my all-butter crust or use refrigerated or frozen pie crust.
Cornstarch: This helps set the pie since we aren’t using eggs.
Half and Half: Some sugar pie recipes use milk, some use cream, but I find half an half to be the perfect middle ground, producing a thick and creamy custard that is the perfect amount of rich.
Butter: Use unsalted butter, and you’ll want to slice it so it melts quicker.
Vanilla, Cinnamon, Nutmeg: For flavoring
This pie has a rich vanilla flavor and is wonderful served plain, or you can add fresh fruit and whipped cream as a topping.

Click to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions. See below the recipe card for even more information: process shots, variations, FAQ and more.

Dorothy’s Expert Tips for Sugar Cream Pie

I love my homemade butter crust for this recipe, but store-bought is great when you’re short on time. You can also use a graham cracker crust for this recipe.
Partially blind baking the crust will ensure you don’t end up with a soggy bottom pie.
For an extra-rich filling, swap the half and half for heavy cream or heavy whipping cream.
If you notice the edges of the crust are browning too fast, you can wrap the edge with aluminum foil or use a pie shield.
Sometimes I omit the nutmeg and dust the top of the filling with cinnamon sugar. It creates a caramelized topping that reminds me of crème brulee.

Sugar Cream Pie Recipe

Sugar Cream Pie is an easy no egg custard pie that’s sweet and has tons of vanilla flavor. Also called Hoosier Pie, traditionally it’s sprinkled with cinnamon and nutmeg but sometimes we’ll dust it with cinnamon sugar before baking. This is such a classic pie recipe, reminiscent of crème brulee.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Chill Time 1

Total Time 2 10

Servings servings

Calories 285kcal

Author Dorothy Kern

Cost $8

Ingredients

1 9-inch pie crust (from scratch, frozen, or a box of 2 refrigerated)
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (32g) cornstarch
2 cups (474ml) half and half
6 tablespoons (84g) unsalted butter, sliced
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg

Instructions

Blind Bake Crust:

My all butter pie crust: Place crust in 9-inch pie plate and chill at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line cold crust with parchment paper and fill pie with beans or pie weights. Bake 15 minutes. Carefully remove parchment with pie weights. Poke holes all over the bottom of the crust with the tines of a fork and continue to bake for 5-8 minutes, or until the bottom of the crust is no longer opaque.
Pillsbury refrigerated crust: Place crust in 9-inch pie plate and chill at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line cold crust with parchment paper and fill pie with beans or pie weights. Bake 12 minutes. Carefully remove parchment with pie weights. Poke holes all over the bottom of the crust with the tines of a fork and continue to bake for 5-8 minutes, or until the bottom of the crust is no longer opaque.
Other type of crust: Follow the directions on the package or recipe for blind baking a crust for a single crust filled pie.
The pie crust doesn’t need to be cooled before filling and baking, so once the crust goes in for the second bake, start making the filling.

Make the Filling:

Whisk sugar, cornstarch and half and half in a medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Add the butter and stir until butter is melted, then stir constantly until mixture thickens and bubbles and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Pour hot mixture into pie crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg.
Bake pie at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, or until the top seems set and the pie just slightly jiggles when you tap it.
Cool completely on the counter then cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
Store in refrigerator. Pie can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Video

Nutrition

How to make Sugar Cream Pie

It’s best to use pie weights or beans when making a partially blind baked crust. A fully blind baked one is baked twice (once with and once without the weights) but for this one you’ll just bake it once with them, then remove.
The mixture will be thick almost like a thick off-white sauce or thin paste once it’s done.
Once you add to the pie crust, you’ll bake until set.

Favorite Pie Recipes

Fall

No Bake Pumpkin Pie

Brown Sugar Pecan Pie without corn syrup

Seriously Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Pecan Pie Dip

No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

Dorothy Kern — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 11:29:00 +0000

My No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe has a creamy pumpkin spiced filling with a Biscoff cookie crust, so every bite has that caramelized spiced flavor. You can also use a graham cracker crust or gingersnap crust; any way you make it the pumpkin filling and crunchy crust is the perfect fall cheesecake, no oven needed.

I love a good no-bake dessert and this pumpkin cheesecake is one of those ones I can eat straight from the pan. It’s fluffy and creamy and perfectly spiced. Using a biscoff cookie crust adds so much extra flavor without any extra work and the filling being no bake makes it super easy.

The key is to make sure the whipped cream is beaten properly and that you give the cheesecake enough time to chill. Next time you feel like pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake but don’t want to use your oven, make this instead!

Gingersnaps or Biscoff Cookies may be used.

No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Ingredients

Biscoff cookies are cinnamon spiced crunchy cookies and are the perfect compliment to the creamy pumpkin filling. You can also use gingersnaps or a graham cracker crust instead.
Pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix along with lots of pumpkin pie spice.
Make sure your cream cheese is room temperature to avoid lumps. Only use full fat, block cream cheese.
Heavy whipping cream to make whipped cream to fold in for the body of the cheesecake. Don’t want to deal with making whipped cream? You can use whipped topping instead.

Dorothy’s Testing Notes

Be sure to use a springform pan for this. It’s written for a 9-inch or 10-inch pan. It won’t fit in a standard pie plate.
The whipped cream needs to be beaten to stiff peaks for the filling to set up.
Don’t skimp on the chilling time; overnight is perfect.

No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe

Easy, creamy no bake pumpkin cheesecake with a Biscoff cookie crust. It's the best fall dessert!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Chill Time 12

Total Time 12 30

Servings servings

Calories 254kcal

Author Dorothy Kern

Cost $7

Ingredients

Gingersnap Crust:

2 cups (250g) Biscoff or gingersnap cookie crumbs (finely crushed)
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
6 tablespoons (84g) unsalted butter melted

Filling:

2 (8-ounces each) packages block cream cheese softened
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
½ cup (57g) powdered sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup cold heavy whipping cream

Instructions

In a medium bowl, stir together the cookie crumbs and granulated sugar. Add the melted butter and stir with a fork until the crumbs are moistened and the mixture is sandy.
Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan, using the flat bottom of a drinking glass or your hands to evenly and tightly press the crust into the pan. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill while making the filling.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese at medium speed for 2-3 minutes, until very smooth.
Add the pumpkin puree, both sugars, spices, and vanilla. Mix until smooth and well combined.
In a separate, clean bowl, use and electric hand mixer to beat the heavy cream until stiff peaks form.
Gently fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture one half a time, folding until no streaks of whipped cream remain. Do not stir; fold gently to maintain the airiness of the whipped cream.
Spread the filling into the prepared crust. Cover and chill for at least 12 hours.
Serve with additional whipped cream if desired.

Nutrition

How to make No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake

The crumbs for the crust should be like damp sand and press together firmly on the bottom and sides of the pan.
The cream cheese, sugar, and pumpkin should completely mix together with no lumps.
Gently FOLD in the whipped cream (do not stir or it will break the cream, resulting in a soggy mess).
The filling should spread to the sides of the pan.

No Bake Cheesecake FAQ

Why is my no bake cheesecake soggy?

Make sure to fold the whipped cream, do not stir. Make sure to fully compact the crust as well.

Do I need to bake the crust for no bake pumpkin cheesecake?

No need to bake this crust recipe; it’ll firm up and not be greasy.

Why didn’t my cheesecake set?

Make sure to use full fat heavy whipping cream whipped to stiff peaks and fold it into the pumpkin mixture. Allow it to chill a full 12 hours before removing the ring and slicing.

Other No Bake Cheesecake Recipes

No Bake Oreo Cheesecake

Ice Cream

No Bake Frozen Peanut Butter Cheesecake

BEST No Bake Cheesecake Recipe

No Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecakes

Dorothy Kern — Thu, 01 Oct 2026 09:53:00 +0000

These Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecakes combine two of my favorite desserts in one: a crunchy chocolate chip cookie crust topped with a creamy chocolate chip cheesecake! Dessert mashups are one of my favorite things to create (I wrote a whole cookbook on them!) and cheesecake plus chocolate chip cookies is the best combo.

I’ve been baking professionally for a really long time and I’m totally self-taught. Back at the beginning I was so scared of making cheesecake because I worried about it cracking, and then once I figured out how to combat that (a water bath) I still avoided a full baked cheesecake because of the time involved.

Once I realized you could make mini cheesecakes in a muffin pan I couldn’t stop making them. There was one year I made about eight different recipes! Why make a mini cheesecake? They’re so much simpler: while you still have to make sure your ingredients are room temperature to avoid lumps, mixing is simpler, baking doesn’t require oven babysitting, and they are so much easier to serve!

How to make Chocolate Chip Mini Cheesecakes

The crust is a chocolate chip cookie! It’s best to get a crunchy, store bought variety (i.e. Chips Ahoy). Once you grind them up and add melted butter you have the perfect chocolate chip cookie crust.
Mini cheesecakes are a simpler mix of ingredients because you only need a little bit of everything. The most important thing when making any cheesecake is to make sure all the ingredients are room temperature. This means the cream cheese, sour cream, and egg all need to sit out for at least an hour or more. This is so there are no lumps in your cheesecake and the batter is silky smooth.
A chocolate chip cheesecake wouldn’t be so without mini chocolate chips inside. Regular work fine too, but mini ones give you chocolate in every bite.
The best way to make cheesecake in a muffin pan is to use a muffin liner. This makes them come out easily without sticking. Once they are chilled, the paper peels right off.
Want to make this recipe even easier? Skip making the crust and just pop a cookie into each muffin liner as the crust. That’s what I do with an Oreo when making my Snickers Cheesecakes!
Remember that, even though they’re easier than a full cheesecake, you need to let them cool to room temperature and then chill them several hours to set before serving. These are best made the day before serving.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecakes Recipe

A dessert mashup of chocolate chip cookies and cheesecake made in a muffin pan! Easier to make and easer to eat!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Resting and Chilling Time 6

Total Time 6 50

Servings cheesecakes

Calories 319kcal

Author Dorothy Kern

Ingredients

For the Crust:

17 crunchy chocolate chip cookies (such as Chips Ahoy)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

For the Cheesecakes:

8 ounces (226g) block cream cheese softened
¼ cup (61g) sour cream room temperature
1 large egg room temperature
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup (85g) mini chocolate chips
1 tablespoon (8g) all-purpose flour

For the Topping (all optional):

⅔ cup (113g) mini chocolate chips or regular chocolate chips
½ teaspoon vegetable oil or shortening
4-5 crumbled crunchy chocolate chip cookies and/or additional mini chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners.
Place 17 cookies in a gallon size resealable bag. Seal all but one inch of the bag and roll with a rolling pin to crush the cookies. Alternately, you can process them in a food processor until they are a fine crumb.
Stir together cookie crumbs and melted butter. Press about 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture into the bottom of each muffin liner and press to compact.
Beat room temperature cream cheese with a hand or stand mixer until fluffy. Beat in room temperature sour cream. Beat in egg, sugar, and vanilla extract until no lumps remain. Stir chocolate chips with flour in a small bowl, then fold into cheesecake mixture.
Evenly divide (about 2 tablespoons each) cheesecake among crusts. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until they just begin to puff and be light golden brown. Cool completely and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
To make the topping, melt the ⅔ cup mini chocolate chips and oil/shortening in a small bowl in 30 second increments, stirring between each. Place melted chocolate in a small sandwich bag and cut off one tip. Drizzle over cheesecake and top with crushed cookies, if desired.
Store in refrigerator in an airtight container. Cheesecakes will last up to 5 days in refrigerator or can be frozen for up to 3 months. Once you add the topping, eat within the day.

Nutrition

Mini Cheesecake FAQ

How do I avoid lumps in cheesecake?

The key to a smooth cheesecake is to make sure all your ingredients are room temperature.

How can I make sure my cheesecakes set?

Only use block cream cheese that is full fat. Low fat and tub cream cheese have a different consistency and can affect the outcome.

Mini Cheesecake Recipes

Mini S’mores Cheesecakes

Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes

Mini Snickers Cheesecakes

Mini Fruit Tart Cheesecakes

Pumpkin Bread with Maple Glaze

Dorothy Kern — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 09:23:00 +0000

I love a good pumpkin bread recipe and this is certainly that, made extra good with the maple frosting on top! This easy pumpkin bread with maple glaze will become your new fall BFF: it’s moist and perfectly spiced and the frosting is one of the best things ever!

I’ve been eating and making pumpkin bread my entire life: it’s an easy quick bread made with pumpkin puree and lots of pumpkin pie spice. It smells amazing and one bite transports you to a crisp fall morning (even if it’s the middle of June).

What makes this pumpkin bread recipe better? A crisp fall morning needs a sweater and so does this bread: a nice maple frosting cardigan on top of the best moist bread! The combination of the spiced pumpkin bread and the maple icing is a fall match made in heaven.

The secret to making maple anything: use maple extract! It’s where all the actual maple flavor comes from (that just syrup can’t give). You’ll never want to eat pumpkin muffins or bread without this frosting once you’ve tried it!

Maple Pumpkin Bread Ingredients

Pumpkin Puree is the backbone of the bread. Be sure to use puree, not pumpkin pie mix.
I always use vegetable oil in my quick bread recipes to keep them extra moist. Canola oil can be substituted.
My quick breads are leavened with a combination of baking soda and acid. Sometimes that means using buttermilk, but usually I just add a teaspoon of white vinegar and use regular milk.
When it comes to milk, you can use any kind: whole, 2%, fat free or even nondairy milk.
Quick breads are great to make gluten free with GF AP 1:1 flour.
The maple glaze needs traditional frosting ingredients except we start with melted butter which makes it more spreadable and get a nice crust on top as the butter hardens.
You also need maple extract for the glaze. While you could use maple syrup, it’s not going to give you the punch of maple flavor you want for this recipe.

Dorothy’s Expert Tips

Feel free to use buttermilk and omit the vinegar, but if you’re using milk or nondairy milk, you must use it (or lemon juice) to act as the acid to activate the baking soda. This makes a tall bread that’s super moist!
You know quick bread is done baking when a toothpick comes out from the very center of the crack with just a few crumbs. If it’s wet, give it a few more minutes. Once the toothpick is dry, it’s over baked.
Remember, when making the glaze, that the fat content of liquid affects how much you need to add. The more fat (i.e whipping cream) in the liquid, the more you’ll need. The less fat (i.e. 2% or fat free), you’ll need much less. This is why a range is given; start lower and add as you go.
The frosting will not fully harden, but the top will dry.

Pumpkin Bread with Maple Glaze Recipe

This pumpkin bread is my favorite recipe yet! Soft and moist and full of pumpkin flavor, it’s not too sweet, which makes it the perfect bread for a maple glaze!

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 10

Servings slices

Calories 270kcal

Author Dorothy Kern

Cost $8

Ingredients

½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (50g) brown sugar
⅓ cup (79ml) vegetable oil or coconut oil
1 cup (244g) pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
⅓ cup (79ml) buttermilk (or add 1 tsp vinegar to ⅓ cup any kind of milk)
2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour (or 1:1 GF flour or 1 cup each whole wheat and all-purpose)
3 tablespoons (42g) unalted butter melted
1 cup (113g) powdered sugar
Pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon maple extract
1-2 tablespoons (5-10ml) heavy whipping cream (or any milk)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×5-inch metal loaf pan with nonstick baking spray.
Stir granulated sugar and brown sugar with oil and pumpkin. Stir in the eggs, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda. Stir until combined.
Stir in buttermilk (or milk + vinegar) and flour.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes. A toothpick will come out with just a few crumbs from the center of the crack. (Size of pan can adjust baking time, as can type of pan, i.e. glass or porcelain).
Let the bread cool before glazing.
Make the glaze: whisk melted butter and powdered sugar. Mixture will be thick and gloppy. Whisk in extracts and 1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream. It will smooth out, just keep whisking. Add more cream, up to 1 extra tablespoon, for desired consistency. Spread on bread, let dry before serving.

Notes

Use any kind of milk when making the glaze, but you’ll need much less the less fat in the milk. (i.e. Heavy cream you might need 2 T but 2% milk would need 1 T, etc).

Nutrition

Storing Pumpkin Bread

Because this is frosted, store it loosely covered at room temp for up to 3 days or in the fridge up to 5 days.
Freeze the cooled bread, unfrosted, wrapped well in plastic wrap. Freeze frosted bread then wrap well once frozen (unwrap before thawing).

How to make Pumpkin Bread with Maple Glaze

No need to use a mixer unless you want to. Otherwise, just stir all the ingredients together.
The batter will be thick and spread easily in pan. Always bake in a metal pan for best results.
You want the proper thickness of frosting so it spreads and doesn’t drip. It should be stiff.
Frost the bread and let it set.

Pumpkin Bread Recipes

Bread Recipes

Peanut Butter Cup Pumpkin Bread

Bread Recipes

Easy Pumpkin Bread Recipe

Bread Recipes

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread

Pumpkin Nut Bread

Copycat Pink Sugar Cookies

Dorothy Kern — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 08:35:00 +0000

These Pink Sugar Cookies are my favorite cookie recipe ever: They’re soft, thick sugar cookies topped with creamy pink almond frosting, inspired by the classic Crumbl Pink Sugar Cookie. I love recreating bakery favorites at home because they often taste better and are way cheaper, and these are no exception.

Crumbl Chilled Sugar Cookies

I’ve made a lot of cookie recipes over the years and I’ve learned that, when making copycat cookies, the little details are what make the recipe truly taste like the original. In these, almond extract and cream of tartar are the keys to making soft, pillowy cookies with that signature pink frosting.

These are easy to make cookies, no chilling required and I press them flat before baking to get that classic Crumbl shape. Don’t over bake them: I pull them from the oven as soon as they lose their glossy sheen so they stay soft once cool.

Make sure your unsalted butter is softened to room temperature.
Cream of Tartar and Baking Soda is used in these to keep them pillowy soft. While many recipes use baking powder, I’ve found this tried and true method makes the best cookies.
Almond Extract: This is the secret ingredient to the Pink Sugar Cookie – almond flavor in both the cookie and the icing!
Pink gel food coloring is a must (but regular grocery store red works too, just use a drop or two).

Dorothy’s Expert Tips

If you want to replicate the large Crumbl cookies, you can make them by using ¼ cupfuls of dough (I love using an extra large cookie scoop for this).
If you’re not a fan of almond extract you can swap vanilla extract.
If you want, add sprinkles on top of the cookies.
To ensure the cookie dough doesn’t stick to the flat surface when pressing them flat, spray the glass bottom with nonstick cooking spray.

Copycat Pink Sugar Cookie Recipe

These Pink Sugar Cookies are soft and delicious. The cookies are a classic sugar cookies and they have an amazing frosting that tastes good. Plus they're super cute!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 12

Total Time 42

Servings serving

Calories 271kcal

Author Dorothy Kern

Cost $7

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
¾ teaspoon salt
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

Frosting:

½ cup unsalted butter softened
4 cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon salt
3-4 tablespoons milk
Pink food coloring

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.
Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Mix in eggs, almond extract, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Slowly mix in flour until cookie dough comes together.
Scoop 2 tablespoon sized cookie dough balls onto cookie sheet, spaced 2-inches apart. Using the bottom of a drinking glass or similar flat object, press the cookies to flatten. (To avoid the dough sticking, spray the bottom of the glass with nonstick cooking spray).
Bake cookies 10-13 minutes, or until they just lose their glossy sheen. Cool before frosting.
To make frosting, mix butter and sugar until crumbly, then add almond extract, salt and 2 tablespoons milk. Mix until smooth, adding more milk as needed for spreadable consistency.
Tint frosting pink with a few drops of food coloring.
Frost cookies as desired. Store loosely covered.

Video

Notes

• You can make these large like the originals by using ¼ cupfuls of dough. Baking time will
be a bit longer.
• To avoid the dough sticking when pressing them flat, spray the bottom of the glass with
nonstick cooking spray.
• Add sprinkles for decoration if you want or use another color food coloring.
• Cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Nutrition

How to make Pink Sugar Cookies

Butter and sugar should be fully creamed before adding other ingredients. The mixture should be light yellow and fluffy.
Once adding the rest of the ingredients, scoop desired size cookie dough balls onto cookie sheets. Always use parchment or silicone to avoid sticking. Because these need to be flatter than a traditional cookie, flatten before baking.
Use a stand mixer to beat the frosting until fluffy.
Tint it a light pink to match the Crumbl cookie.

FAQs

Can sugar cookies be frozen?

Yes they can be in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

Can I omit the almond extract?

Yes you can. It will affect the flavor, but the cookie will be fine.

Other Sugar Cookie Recipes