Everything is Better on a Stick!
So I'm on this The No butter. ***crickets*** Tell me. I've most assuredly lost my everfluffin' mind. I'm now all about low-fat cheeses and reduced fat mayo, olive and canola oil in place of my beloved butter.. fish and ground turkey - salads and fresh fruit.. dear sweet jebus somebody hold me. So knowing myself as well as I do, I knew there'd be no fakkin way I could make this challenge without inhaling half of it. I mean c'mon.. it's cheesecake on a freakin' stick. Covered in chocolate. It's Brilliance in the form of a lollipop is what it is. I'm weak and only human.. and as a co-founder of this amazing group, well I knew I had to take one for the team and get all of my cream cheese bricks and chopped chocolates in a row, if yanno what I mean. And I think that you do. I threw on an apron so that my thighs, hips and ass wouldn't see what I was about to do and got to it. This started as a New York style cheesecake.. no crust. It's just creamy heavenly cheesecake baked until just set - frankly, one of THE BEST cheesecakes I've ever had. And the recipe was really easy.. this is a time consuming and kinda messy recipe, but all in all, no problems and I really enjoyed making them. I kept 90% of them at 2 ounces.. but after counting 35 of them and still having a boatload of cheesecake left, I took out my big star cookie cutter and made a few big whammer jammers.. those I used for quality control. Because our Daring Bakers mean the world to me and I'd do anything to protect them, including eating a giant star shaped cheesecake lollipop double dipped in first peanut butter coating and then dark chocolate to make sure they were NOT poisonous. Well I am here today to tell my story, so I guess we can all assume the cheesecake is safe for consumption! (Actually, they are more than just safe... they are BIG DEE - lil licious) :D These cute lollies were brought to our attention by two of the sweetest and most kind hearted women that I've had the pleasure of meeting, Elle from Feeding My Enthusiasms and Deborah of Taste and Tell. Excellent choice, gals! Thank you so much! Elle and Deborah found the recipe in Jill O'Connor's Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth. By this recipe alone, this book has got to be good! Ya'll must give the blogroll a good clickin' this month, the creativity used in making these pops - both in flavoring and decorating - is going to blow ya'll away! Bake on Daring Bakers! Bake on! :D xoxo Labels: Cheesecake, Chocolate, Daring Bakers, Desserts, OH MY GOD |
Comments on "Everything is Better on a Stick!"
I'm guilty of using low fat cheese cake in my pops lol. Attempted the cookie cutters -no luck for moi but your stars looks perfect!
You are a kick ass rockig chick, you know that:)? I mean that for the lifestyle change and of course for the pops that turned out gorgeous!
I mean Lis my rocking child, these are just way too much fun! I love each one of them! You are so brave to protect us so very well! Thank You!
fabulous looking pops lis! i'm another half-at cheese gal too, and i only ate one of the pops! so much self-sacrifice!
Amazing!
They look great! and best of luck with the lifestyle change :)
these look amazing! thanks for setting up the new forum, it's great!!
Sono bellissimi i tuoi!:)) Elga
I'm all for lifestyle changes and glad yours allows for exceptions in the name of Daring Baker quality assurance. Thank you and Ivonne for all your work on the new forum -- it's great!
Don't torture yourself. We live just one life; let's live it up once a month!! Your pops are TOPS...very very pretty @ decadent. BTW, Lisa, thanks for the help with the substitution options & for setting up the swell new place! Have a GREAT day!!
LOL - thanks for taking one for the team Lis! Your pops look great, and I agree entirely - this was a messy, time consuming challenge, but the end result is smashing!
if you're going to break a diet, might as well be for something divine like these.
lovely pops. oh, and well done with the new DB site/forums- loving it.
Yaay for cheesecake pops. So much fun. Yours look like a carnival - so much colour and excitement.
No no no, say it's not true. No sugar, chocolate or butter!??! I don't know if I would've had the strength to make the pops if I were in your position. So kudos to you. AND great idea with the star cutter. Double kudos!
Thanks for taking one for the team! :) Your pops look absolutely wonderful - I love the stars!
They look wonderful!!! Everything is moderation is my motto (except cheesecake! LOL
Aw sis, these pops make me feel I am in candy wonderland. Great job!
=)
Good for you for making changes in your lifestyle. I absolutely LOVE the star shaped ones! They are just adorable!
Beeeooootteeeeeeeful! :) Way to go - pops and lifestyle change. From someone who can't eat chocolate, the cravings will get better. Promise!
Your pops look great and no butter? You are stronger than me! :)
Lifestylechange, Smifestylechange! You cannot deny the glory of the cheesecake pop!! I dig the stars - you've upped the cute factor by allowing people to nibble off the points!
I couldn't maintain a lifestyle change with no butter. And your pops look fabulous! Peanut butter coating???? I bet they TASTE fabulous too! And yeah the book is great. Thanks!
Aw man! PB and chocolate?! And I love the stars! The only cookie cutters I could lay my hands on were Halloween ones. LOL
I cracked up at your post- pretty much going through the same thing a... -er- lifesyle change. but sometimes moderation in moderation. I halved the recipe but I tasted the cheesecake and it was good! I am bravely giving my pops away today so that my HB&A don't become the size of a small planet!
xoxo
Lis, they turned our AMAZING!!!
As for your post, you know how proud I am of you and you know I'm with you 100% all the way.
And now I finally know why women wear aprons!!!
lifestyle change lol, no butter, u need rehab...lovely pops
No butter? I think I just had a heart-attack when you said that (or maybe it's from all the butter I eat!)
Good for you for changing your, ahem, lifestyle! And glad you let loose and had some cheesecake!!!
There's no way I'd give up butter. If I die of a heart attack, I want to have earned it!
I really earned it this month.
adorable! Love the stars. You did a great job decorating. This recipe did make a ton of pops. I gave them to everyone I know:)
Thanks for looking out for all of us crazy DBs and sampling to make sure we weren't all going to poison ourselves! ha ha ha
Your pops turned out great!
Ooooohhhhh! Those beautiful whammer jammers...all that luscious cheesecake on a stick. For my dairy version I used both cream cheese and Neufchatel. I actually like the flavor better and Neufchatel is lower fat than cream cheese.
Good luck with your dietary changes...sometimes they can make you feel a whole lot better.
Natalie @ Gluten a Go Go
Wonderful challenge! I want one of those Jumbo pops!! I just joined and will be starting next month! yeay!
Ooops. I recently turned 41and it never occurred to me to make kitchen sacrifices such as butter, sugar, etc. I'm blocking my ears oh brave one! Loved your stars, and your flavorings. Thanks for helping make 1000+ households a little heavier, but happier!
i wanted to use low fat cream cheese but it's cheesecake right? Had to go all the way with the sin! Love your peanut butter coating!
You're denying yourself butter? Not just cutting down, but denying yourself butter? We are talking about real butter and not margarine or any of those oleos, right?
My brain is still a-boggled.
I like how happy and festive your lollies look!
No butter????
j
I need that lifestyle change too. Your pops are so festive and fun.Really spectacular. You got skillz!
I'm right there with ya with the lifestyle changes. I made a half batch and was actually kinda bummed to see how many it made (more than expected). Truck along, though--DB is only once a month, and unless our health depends on absolutes, an occasional indulgence might not hurt. =) Your pops are beautiful! I love the variety of shapes and sizes. Just like people. Ahhhh. ;)
Lis, those are the dang cutest pops. I'm loving the colors against that dark chocolate. NICE. And as far as no buttah goes...I'm weeping for you girl, at the same time I'm screaming w00t! Party on to better health. I'm with yah. Mwah.
Wow! Those look soooo good! Great job! Love the decorations!
I LOVE the colors! And I know all about cutting back. I'm spending an inordinate amount of time at the gym lately. I did use low fat cream cheese. Thank heavens.
I too have been working toward the diet- er, I mean lifestyle change since i turned 40 but, as one of my friends says "everything in moderation including moderation." So, i used the full fat stuff and dove right in.
That said, cheesecakes isn't my weakness so I was able to exercise a bit of control!
Nice work on the big-ass stars.
I LOVE all your fun Pops! Great job.
xoxox Amy
This was a terrific and tasty challenge. I'm looking forward to your new lifestyle recipes!
Well, if your gonna eat only one, it might as well be a big fat star!!! Thanks for taking a hit for the team. You Rock!
Sacrificing yourself for us.... It brings tears to my eyes! :-)
Despite having helped make mine, and eaten them, I've just been told I need to remake mine to look like yours. Oh boy....
oh how I miss you guys- but I am so proud of you all as I root you on from the sidelines.
As for the "lifestyle" change- you go girl. But everyone need some cheesecake every once in a while. otherwise you could go mad and kill somebody.
Sometimes one must say to Hell with the thighs, hips an' ass!! Taking one for the team an' all, I am sure they understand.
Your first 90% look fab but it's the last 10% I think are most appropriate coz you is a...
"SUPA" STAR
Love the PB and chocolate. Now why didn't I think of that?
OMH, can I say that you totally cracked me up with this post? Girl, good on ya for taking life by the balls. Don't think of 40 as downhill - you're great no matter what, no matter when. You deserved that cheesecake pop :) We loves ya.
Perfect for a party!!!
love the star shapes, they look great! i've changed my diet in other ways, but i will not change my baked goods!! is low-fat cheesecake an oxymoron? ;)
Very cute. My grandma says that a little of what you fancy does you good. I think a little bit of cheesecake is good for the soul!
I was on the no sugar, no white flour until this challenge. Then everything went downhill. Oh well there is always tomorrow! Your pops are gorgeous!
Boo on your lifestyle change...no butter or sugar. Ugh. You should look into Intuative Eating. Lose weight and still eat real food.
And yes, everything is better on a stick.
LOL. thanks for eating the huge star-shape cheesecake for the "quality control"! I certainly wouldn't mind taking that role off your shoulder next time. Your pops look awesome! :D
I love the star shaped ones Lis. I hope that you were able to give quite a few away so that you could carry on with your lifestyle changing ways:D
Your lollis look gorgeous. Good luck with the lifestyle change and for making sure none of us were poisoned! ;-)
How darn gorgeous are those? Look at you getting so fancy with the stars!
LOVE the star ones.
Pure joy, beautiful, delicious and by the way I think I can help you with the quality control and if you are on a diet send me the pops...after eating them I'll run 500 kilometers to burn the calories...easy
Gorgeous pops!
Good luck with the lifestyle change, Lis. At 44, I can tell you that it gets a little harder every year so you may as well tackle it now. Be strong (but not so strong that you don't have any fun!)
Thanks for all you do for the DB gang.
I love the shapes! The stars are really cute. :)
I love the star pops. They are just gorgeous!
So glad you gave the
lifestyle change' a pass just for this challenge...your pops are bodacious! Dipped first in peanut butter?? Very creative. Been boppin' around to lots of sites and this is one hellava great, creative group! Thanks Lis!
Oh, yum! I love the shapes especially and all of the various flavorlicious options. They are beautiful!
Best,
Sarah
thanks for taking one for the team--love those star shapes! also, thanks for the new forum--must have been so much work on your part, but it kicks a$$!
Yes, everything IS better on a stick! These look great!
It has come to my attention that my hips and thighs ventured into a wider world...not surprisingly their venturing coincided with my DB status.
Love your shapes, yes those too! The different colors of chocolate look so festive.
Kudos for the lifestyle change!!
I love those lollipos.
I love the stars! Great job!
"I threw on an apron so that my thighs, hips and ass wouldn't see what I was about to do and got to it"
Omg, I'm rofl!
Your pops look fabulous!
Lis, I'm with you on the lifestyle change, but it's sooooo hard! Especially with challenges like this! Not to mention, having access to to wonderful food blogs all over the world, with such tempting photos and recipes!! I like what Giada does, she has a VERY small plate of what ever she wants. Moderation is the key, calories do count. In saying this, one of your small and pretty pops would be acceptable!! :D
I love your pops!! very bright and cheery!
It doesn't hurt to have a few goodies every now and then, right? I'm glad that you could make the sacrifice and do the challenge so wonderfully. ;) I particularly like the star-shaped ones!
That's it... I quit!
How am I suppose to compete with "star-shaped" pops. Gosh darn it... I'm hanging up my apron.
As always...Great work!
Iisha of
http://thefablifeofi2daj.blogspot.com/
This comment has been removed by the author.
you are the best Lis! but i can relate to what you are saying I too took it easy with the taste testing here - yours look simply incredible!
Hey girl, Yes, she did finally wander out and eat some "real" food. LOL I highly recommend the citrus peel one - it was the messiest but definitely dreamy. Just give me a holler when you get a chance; you know where I am! :)
I'm amazed that you can stick to your life-style change at all... maybe you deserve a star-shaped treat. Glad it was delicious and not at all poisonous.
Not only do your pops look superfantastic, but I love reading your blog!! I'm so glad to be (albeit new) a part of this amazing group of Daring Bakers!
Love the pictures and LOVE the stars. These buggers were tasty, weren't they.
XO!
Glad you were able to take one for the team! Because seriously, living without sugar really can't be healthy. I don't believe it.
I love the big stars! They make me want to bite off the points one by one...
you are to damn funny woman! I love your pops! They rock! The "lifestyle" change is hard but it works if you don't completely deny yourself! Everything in moderations really does work :) Good luck :)
Carrie
Your pops look great!
Good luck on the lifestyle change....I'll be starting one myself soon. (Oh, I don't use butter anymore except for cooking, for everyday use I use Smart Balance and I don't miss butter at all)
Your pops are absolutely perfect- -love the stars! Know whatcha mean about the lifestyle change. Type II diabetes diagnosis did that for me. I cut out what I can and cut back the rest. This recipe worked marvelously with low-fat cream cheese. And I ate a little instead of a lot.
I did stars too, although I never thought of peanut butter!!! Sounds and looks delish!
Ha ha! I'll hold you! I'm also 40, ick, but it's not so bad. And I just started my :::cough::: diet too. I got rid of the processed foods and soda :::sigh:::. I just eat better and smaller portions. So far, so good, but I do have my weekends to eat a tiny bit of fattening crap.
Your pics are so vivid!
40 svolta non è tanto male.
Rock a con il tuo cattivo auto!
"Because our Daring Bakers mean the world to me and I'd do anything to protect them, including eating a giant star shaped cheesecake lollipop double dipped in first peanut butter coating and then dark chocolate...."
Oh you made me laugh so hard! And I really love the stars.
Love the stars Lis!
Good luck with the changes, you're a better person than I, there are some things I just can't give up.
Wow, over 90 comments...way to go, Lis. Just wanted to let you know I just finished reading your blog in entirety and I lurve it. Love the KD posts the most, because who hasn't been there??
They're so, so cute! You did a great job.
Looks like we're about the same age and having the same challenges. I think I've resorted to just trying to squish in loads of exercise so I can continue to bake without packing it on!!
Love the colorful shots taken and also the pretty dainty sprinkles. The star-shaped cheesecake pops were awesome!
honey! 40 is the new 20!!!
didn't you hear? 40's are the new 30's:) By the way, those look.... well, AMAZING.
Those star shapes are just too cute Lis! And all the sacrifices you have to make for your fellow daring bakers :) Good luck with your lifestyle change (at least in spring/summer it will be easier to enjoy light and healthy meals)
Please Lisa visit my blog there is a surprise for you
late to publish, and late to go and visit the fello daring bakers :(
Your job is wonderful ! don't mind, your pops are gorgeous !
Thank you so much for your help! I finally got my pops up on my site. I love your star shaped ones!! Great idea!
jennifer
www.oyecookie.com
Ooo I get to give comment #100. I feel so special. Your pops turned out beautiful (far more beautiful than my monstrocities) and your blog had me in stitches. Especially the part about shielding your thighs and butt from what was about to take place in the kitchen. I will definately be checking out your blog from now on.
I love reading your blog. I hope you don't mind me listed your blog in this directory.
Your readers and fans can vote for you by giving you a star here. ;)
Welcome to the big 4-0 sweetheart! Great job on your cheesecake pops!
Lis!!! Sorry it took me so long to get here - sometimes life kinda gets in the way - now where have I heard that before??!!! LOL
Your Pops are awesome! I too had the idea of using my cookie cutters but chickened out in the end. This was really a fun (and tasty) challenge and you Rocked it!!
Not only was starting the DBers a VERY sensible thing to do, but so was temporarily suspending your new lifestyle choice. I mean, you did it for us, and TOTAL discipline and dedication is kinda scary, even in people you know and love. Take it from me, temporary insanity is what gets me through the day and saves the permanent sanity required for ongoing living.
Your pops are just poppin' and I wanna know who got the other 32?
another present for you is waiting in my blog :)
Gosh you are courageous and those popsicles look amazing. I need to become more daring, only my oven (hm, broiler) won't follow. Damn!
Oooh purty colours.
PS - I've tagged you for a wee meme. Hope you don't mind.
I love these cookies on a stick... Based on my "lifestyle change" I will have to sadly restrain myself from eating them all!!
These really Rock!!
Cheers
Cathy
www.wheresmydamnanswer.com