Desserts

Graham Cracker Crust

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with 9 liners. This recipe yields only 9 mini cheesecakes, so there will be 3 empty in the pan.
2. Combine all of the crust ingredients in a medium bowl. Mixture will be sandy. Firmly press a heaping Tablespoon of crust mixture into each liner. (I use closer to 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons of crust per mini cheesecake.) Pre-bake for 5 minutes.

Cheesecake

1. Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract, and lemon juice then beat until fully combined. On medium speed, add the egg and beat just until combined. Batter will be thick. Divide the batter between all the liners. It's about 1 Tablespoon per cheesecake.
2. Bake until the edges are set and the centers only slightly jiggle, about 18-20 minutes.
3. Set the pan on a wire rack and allow cheesecakes to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for 2 hours. The cheesecakes will slightly sink in the middle. It gives you room for toppings!

Strawberry Filling

1. Whisk the cornstarch and water together in a small pan until all the cornstarch has dissolved over medium heat.
2. Combine strawberries, zest and lemon juice and sugar in blender. Add the dissolved cornstarch and water into the mixture. Blend all ingredients until smooth. 
3. Transfer strawberry filling back into the pan and stir over medium heat until it simmers. Reduce heat and let it cool. The sauce should thicken. If it's too thin add a little more cornstarch and stir.
4. Let the sauce cool completely before adding it to the mini cheesecake. Assemble cheesecake and ENJOY!  Top with whip cream and strawberries!

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9 x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Prepare the cake. Combine cake mix, egg, greek yogurt, melted butter, and vanilla and mix until combined. It's okay if the batter still has some lumps.

3. To make the crumble. Whisk together flour, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Cut in chilled butter until crumbly. Set aside. 
   

4. Spoon half the cake batter in the bottom of the greased baking dish. Take half of the crumble mixture and evenly sprinkle over the first layer of batter. Grease a rubber spatula and gently spread the remaining batter over the crumble (see note). Top with remaining crumble.
   

5. Bake for 30-35 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9-inch pan (round or square)

Chocolate Cake

1. Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside. Whisk the oil, eggs, and vanilla together in a medium bowl. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the hot water, and whisk everything together until combined. Make sure there are no pockets of dry ingredients hiding.
2. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 25-27 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack.

Choloate Frosting

1. With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. This isn't a lot of butter and it will get stuck on the sides of the bowl, so you may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to really help get it creamed. Add confectioners' sugar, cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons of heavy cream/milk, and vanilla extract with the mixer running on low. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes until it really comes together. Add another teaspoon of milk/cream if it looks a little too thick.

2. Crumble the cooled cake into the bowl on top of the frosting. Make sure there are no large lumps. Turn the mixer on low and beat the frosting and cake crumbles together until combined.
3. Measure 1 scant Tablespoon of moist cake mixture and roll into a ball. Place balls on a lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 2 hours or freeze for 1 hour.
4. Melt the coating in a 2-cup liquid measuring cup (best for dunking!). Use a microwave or you can use a double boiler and pour some at a time into the liquid measuring cup. Let the coating cool down for a few minutes before you begin dipping. If it's too hot when you dip, the coating will crack.

Coat the cake balls

1. Remove only 2-3 cake balls from the refrigerator at a time. (Keep the rest cold!) Dip a lollipop stick about 1/2 inch into the coating, then insert into the center or the cake ball. Only push it about halfway - 3/4 through the cake ball. Dip the cake ball into the coating until it is completely covered. Make sure the coating covers the base of the cake ball where it meets the lollipop stick. Very gently tap the stick against the edge of the measuring cup to allow excess coating to drop off. Decorate the top with sprinkles and place upright into a styrofoam block, box (flip the box upside down and poke the lollipops into the bottom of the box) or even tall shot glasses work. Repeat with remaining cake balls, only working with some out of the refrigerator at a time. The cake balls must be very cold when dipping!

2. Coating will set within an hour. Store cake pops in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You may freeze the cake pops up to 3 months.