Recipe Scrapbook Home Bran Buddy / HiFi Buddy Bars Chocolate Peanut Butter Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Prototype 4 Prototype 5 Prototype 6 Prototype 7 Prototype 8 Chocolate Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Chocolate Peanut Butter Dream Bars Prototype 1 Chocolate Cherry Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Peanut Butter Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Banana Prototype 1 Fluffernutter Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Lemon Prototypes 1 & 2 Orange Prototype 1 Pumpkin Prototype 1 (plus Balls variation) HiFi Buddy Balls Orange Prototype 1 Chocolate Prototype 1 (plus Orange-Chocolate variation) Prototype 2 Peanut Butter Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Chocolate Peanut Butter Prototypes 1 & 2 Maple Prototype 1 Eggnog Prototype 1 Pancakes Eggnog Pancake Batter Notes Trader Joe's Mix Latkes Spicy Latkes Matzah Pizza Stack Basic Crust Bran Buds Pie Crust Pies Chilled Eggnog Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Chilled Pumpkin Eggnog Prototype 1 Key Lime Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Pecan Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Eggnog Notes Additional Eggnog Notes Cheesecakes Chocolate Prototype 10.1 Prototype 10.2 Prototype 10.3 Prototype 10.4 Prototype 10.5 Prototype 11 Prototype 12 Prototype 13 Prototype 14 Prototype 15 Prototype 16 Prototype 17 Prototype 18 Prototype 19 Prototype 20 Prototype 21 Prototype 22 Prototype 23 Prototype 24 Prototype 25 Prototype 26 Eggnog Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Prototype 4 Prototype 5 Prototype 6 Prototype 7 Prototype 8 Prototype 9 Prototype 10 Prototype 11 Prototype 12 Prototype 13 Prototype 14 Prototype 15 Prototype 16 Prototype 17 Prototype 18 Prototype 19 Prototype 20 Prototype 21 Prototype 22 Prototype 23 Prototype 24 Prototype 25 Prototype 26 Prototype 27 Prototype 28 Prototype 29 Prototype 30 Prototype 31 Prototype 32 Prototype 33 Peanut Butter Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Prototype 4 Prototype 5 Maple Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Prototype 4 Prototype 5 Prototype 6 Prototype 7 Prototype 8 Lemon Prototype 3 Prototype 4 Prototype 5 Prototype 6 Prototype 7 Orange Prototype 3 Prototype 4 Prototype 5 Chocolate Peanut Butter Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Prototype 4 Prototype 5 Prototype 6 Prototype 7 Prototype 8 Prototype 9 Prototype 10 Banana Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Prototype 4 Prototype 5 Prototype 6 Pumpkin Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Prototype 4 Prototype 5 Prototype 6 Prototype 7 Prototype 8 Prototype 9 Prototype 10 Prototype 11 Prototype 12 Prototype 13 Plain Prototype 4 Prototype 5 Prototype 6 Prototype 7 Prototype 8 Prototype 9 Prototype 10 Prototype 11 Prototype 12 Prototype 13 Prototype 14 Prototype 15 Prototype 16 Prototype 17 Prototype 18 Prototype 19 Prototype 20 Prototype 21 Prototype 22 Prototype 23 Prototype 24 Eggnog Pumpkin Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Prototype 4 Prototype 5 Prototype 6 Cookies+Creme Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Prototype 4 Prototype 5 Prototype 6 Prototype 7 Prototype 8 Prototype 9 Prototype 10 Prototype 11 Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Prototype 4 Prototype 5 Chocolate Eggnog Prototype 1 Vanilla Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Prototype 4 Orange Vanilla Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Chocolate Banana Prototype 1 Prototype 2 S'mores Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Prototype 4 Prototype 5 Prototype 6 Pumpkin Pecan Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Whoopie Pie Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Pecan Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Marshmallow Prototype 1 Cherry Prototype 6 Prototype 7 Fluffernutter Prototype 1 Dulce De Leche Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Chocolate Cherry Prototype 3 Strawberry Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Prototype 4 Prototype 5 Prototype 6 Prototype 7 Prototype 8 Almond Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Chocolate Strawberry Prototype 1 Chocolate Almond Prototype 1 Neapolitan Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Prototype 4 Prototype 5 Triple-Plus Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Prototype 1 Blueberry Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Patriotic Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Key Lime Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Prototype 3 Cheesecake Tips Pecan Pie Filling Prototype 1 Prototype 2 Additional Notes Name Change: Bran to HiFi Birthday Gift Replacement of Bran Buds with Regular All-Bran Batter Composition Changes (Mid-2015) Batter Composition Changes (Mid-2017) Update Since COVID-19 (Late-2021) All Recipes & Notes Red Velvet Research Project Preliminary Secondary My 1980's Cheesecake Prototypes Pitfalls to avoid: Unsuccessful recipes

Baked Banana Cheesecake—Prototype 1:   A major challenge to this one was in the flavoring. I wanted real banana flavor, not artificial. While banana puree seemed like a great idea for the crust, I was concerned that if I used enough of this puree to get a sufficient flavor in the batter that this batter would end up being too wet. I needed a higher banana concentration with less water. I found a package of freeze-dried banana slices at Trader Joe's (nothing but bananas for the ingredients—what more could I ask for?) and used a blender to ground the contents to "banana powder" (which I then felt needed to be put to use immediately—refrigerating whatever was left over).   Crust: 2 oz. banana puree 1.5 oz. melted, white chocolate 4 oz. lowfat cottage cheese (such as Hood, no salt added), whipped 4 teaspoons skim milk 4 teaspoons granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2.2 oz. finely ground Bran Buds (blend in last, do it fast) Batter: 2 tablespoons butter, softened or melted 2 oz. ground banana powder (see intro comments above for more info) 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 1/2 cups (20 oz.) of lowfat cottage cheese (such as Hood, no salt added), whipped 1/2 cup skim milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Follow up gradually with a dry combination of: 1/3 cup flour 1/4 teaspoon salt Completely mix all of the above ingredients used so far, then finally add: 2 eggs (last ingredient here)—aim to get these at least fully mixed in (yet without overbeating, if possible). Make sure that the oven is preheated to 300 degrees. Use a bath. Bake for about 110 minutes. Cool off afterward. Then carefully remove from pan, and refrigerate.   Somehow, this was a reasonably decent banana cheesecake. The banana flavor could be detected.   Baked Banana Cheesecake—Prototype 2:   I sought an alternative to banana powder, due at least to the high cost of the freeze-dried slices. So I pureed a few bananas and then concentrated the resulting puree over very low heat to about half the original weight, hence a "2X" concentrate. I then froze this until I was ready to use it. This concentrate was used in the crust as well as the batter.   Repeat Prototype 1, but make these changes: For the crust, replace the 2 ounces of banana puree with 1 ounce of banana concentrate (see intro comments above for more info), and boost the skim milk by 8 teaspoons, to 1/4 cup. For the batter, replace the 2 ounces of banana powder with 3 ounces of banana concentrate.   It seemed like the banana concentrate was not such a great idea. I had difficulty blending it in with the other ingredients (whether preparing the crust or the batter). Furthermore, when I mixed the Bran Buds in with the crust's other ingredients, the resulting mixture immediately became extremely thick (perhaps going back to the regular-strength puree while keeping the milk at 1/4 cup seemed like a good idea). But what about using the (relatively thin!) banana puree in the batter (maybe about 6 ounces of it)? Perhaps the flour needs to be increased (maybe to 1/2 cup) Nevertheless, the taste of this prototype was still decent, and it fared well at Living Hope Church in Beverly (although the second prototype of my baked pumpkin cheesecake did even better—much better—as I brought that one as well to the same event).   Baked Banana Cheesecake—Prototype 3:   Okay, let's go with the aforementioned ideas. However, some reconsiderations have entered my mind since Prototype 2's immediate aftermath. I felt that the flour would need an even bigger boost than what I thought earlier. This seemed to be particularly important since I would be going bigger on the batter's banana puree as well (I had concerns about the puree otherwise being too weak). Due to liquid concerns here, I reasoned that the batter's milk should be reduced a little, in deference to the puree. As for the crust, I decided to swap out its milk for more cottage cheese (for a greater cheese-like flavor). This one was a niece's request—the latest banana prototype for Rebecca.   Repeat Prototype 2, but make these changes: For the crust, revert the 1 ounce of banana concentrate to 2 ounces of banana puree, and replace the 1/4 cup of skim milk with 1/4 cup of additional cottage cheese—thus the cottage cheese is boosted from 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup (6 ounces). For the batter, eliminate the banana concentrate there as well, replacing it with 8 ounces of banana puree, and double the flour, from 1/3 cup to 2/3 cup. Also, cut the milk here from 1/2 cup to only 1/3 cup. Bake in a tub at 300 degrees for about 110 minutes (if using a 9 1/2" pan). This was my first banana prototype that was baked in my new 9 1/2" Frieling pan (discussed elsewhere in this recipe scrapbook). I was initially going to pre-bake the crust before adding the batter to it. However, the crust stiffened up so quickly after my stirring in the Bran Buds, that I determined that the pre-baking was unnecessary. Rebecca enjoyed this one. I myself could very easily taste the banana flavor. (Was it, in fact, a little too strong? I had earlier considered using 6 ounces of banana puree, rather than 8, in the batter.)   Baked Banana Cheesecake—Prototype 4:   There are quite a few changes from Prototype 3 for the crust, based on refinements done to other cheesecake flavors earlier in 2013. The batter has greatly changed as well, as reflected in Prototype 1 of my chocolate banana cheesecake. But I reasoned that the batter's banana flavor in that one was somehow overpowering. So I would repeat its banana batter, but reduce the puree and arrowroot for the latest banana-only prototype presented here.   2-to-1 Blend of Yogurt Cheese and Cottage Cheese: Prepare ahead of time 16 ounces of yogurt cheese, derived from one 32-ounce container of nonfat yogurt. If the resulting yogurt cheese falls below 16 ounces, add back enough of the whey (that was strained out from the yogurt) to make up the difference. To this yogurt cheese combine 8 ounces (1 cup) of whipped, lowfat cottage cheese. Crust: 2 oz. banana puree (note: the puree here is optional—use it if a banana-flavored crust is desired) 1 oz. melted, white chocolate 1/2 cup (4 oz.) 2-to-1 blend of yogurt cheese and cottage cheese (see above) 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 oz. All-Bran, ground up Pour this crust mixture into pan (9 to 9 1/2 inches) and pre-bake without tub at 300 degrees for 5 minutes, then cool enough to comfortably touch at least the pan's upper sidewall. Batter: 2 tablespoons melted or softened butter 5/8 cups granulated sugar 6 ounces of banana puree 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 2/3 tablespoons arrowroot 20 oz. (2 1/2 cups) 2-to-1 blend of yogurt cheese and cottage cheese (see above) 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs Pour on top of crust. Then bake in tub at 300 degrees for 90 minutes (if using a 9 1/2" pan), cool (outside of oven and tub) for another 90 minutes, remove from pan and refrigerate. I opted for including banana puree in the crust. The batter had a nice banana taste which was not too dominant—it was just about right, along with a slight tang. The crust had a delicious banana flavor as well. The whole cheesecake, served among a modest selection of refreshments, was gone in about half an hour at Living Hope Church.   Baked Banana Cheesecake—Prototype 5:   This one is almost identical to a double version of Prototype 4's recipe. However, the arrowroot is slightly increased to a more workable amount, and the oven time is increased.   2-to-1 Blend of Yogurt Cheese and Cottage Cheese: Prepare ahead of time 2 pounds of yogurt cheese, derived from two 32-ounce containers of nonfat yogurt. If the resulting yogurt cheese falls below 32 ounces, add back enough of the whey (that was strained out from the yogurt) to make up the difference. To this yogurt cheese combine 16 ounces (1 pint) of whipped, lowfat cottage cheese. Crust: 4 oz. banana puree 2 oz. melted, white chocolate 1 cup (8 oz.) 2-to-1 blend of yogurt cheese and cottage cheese (see above) 1/4 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2 oz. All-Bran, ground up Pour this crust mixture into pan (9 to 9 1/2 inches) and pre-bake without tub at 300 degrees for 10 minutes, then cool enough to comfortably touch at least the pan's upper sidewall. Batter: 4 tablespoons melted or softened butter 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 12 ounces of banana puree 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 3/8 cup arrowroot 40 oz. (5 cups) 2-to-1 blend of yogurt cheese and cottage cheese (see above) 2 teaspoons vanilla 4 eggs Pour on top of crust. Bake in tub at 300 degrees for 120 minutes (if using a 9 1/2" pan). Then cool down while still in oven (with this oven shut off) and in tub with door slightly ajar for an hour. Afterwards, remove from oven and tub and continue to cool down at room temperature for another 120 minutes, then remove from pan and refrigerate. One crust option was to omit its banana puree, but I chose to still include it for this prototype. The banana flavor itself was terrific, both in the crust and in the batter. But I was hard-pressed in seeking more of a cheesecake-like presence. However, I felt that the amount of banana puree used in this prototype was just right—not excessive. Instead, I reasoned that perhaps a bit more tartness was needed (think: all yogurt cheese next time, instead of the 2-to-1 cottage combo). There was an interesting coincidence in my making this one. The day that I selected—in working around my work schedule—to make it, January 16th of 2015, happened to be my niece's—Rebecca's—birthday! About three years earlier, my brother Eric, his wife Jean and their daughter "Becca" came out to visit me, and beforehand I asked them to pick a cheesecake flavor for their enjoyment upon arrival. That decision was ultimately left with Rebecca, who chose banana. So I baked my third banana prototype back then. Although my niece could not make it to my place for this more recent prototype, it was still my wish to, somehow, dedicate this cheesecake in her honor. This one was actually served at Living Hope Church, among a modest snack selection. Although attendance was fairly high, there remained about 1/4 of the cheesecake left after what was probably close to an hour (maybe not too many people were in the mood for banana). I later saw someone leave with the last few slices (I was guessing that these would be given to those who could not make it to the church on that day).   Baked Banana Cheesecake—Prototype 6:   This mid-2016 update is largely modeled after my third strawberry prototype, but for the banana prototype presented here, I have carefully increased the baking time in an effort to get this one to end up more firm.   3-Cheese Blend (1CT-1NC-4YG): Prepare ahead of time 32 ounces of yogurt cheese, derived from two 32-ounce containers (that's 64 ounces altogether) of nonfat yogurt. If the resulting yogurt cheese falls below 32 ounces, add back enough of the whey (that was strained out from the yogurt) to make up the difference. To this yogurt cheese combine 8 ounces of whipped, lowfat cottage cheese and 8 ounces of softened Neufchatel cheese ("light cream cheese"). Crust: 2 oz. melted, white chocolate 8 oz. (1 cup) 3-cheese blend (see above) 1/4 cup granulated sugar 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 2 oz. All-Bran, ground up Place the resulting mixture in the greased pan and pre-bake without tub at 300 degrees for 5-10 minutes, depending on the mixture's thickness (closer to 10 minutes if thin enough to be fully distributed across the pan's bottom by gentle shaking, closer to 5 minutes if thick enough to require spreading out this mixture by pressing on it with a utensil and/or fingers), then cool enough to comfortably touch at least the pan's upper sidewall. Batter: 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 40 oz. (5 cups) 3-cheese blend (see above) 2 teaspoons vanilla 12 ounces of banana puree (tip: about 18 ounces of whole bananas, i.e., with the outer peels included—hopefully two large bananas—should yield a sufficient amount of the inner fruit) 1/2 cup arrowroot 5 eggs Original Baking Procedure: Expect about 8-9 cups of the resulting batter, but do not add this to the pan all at once. Rather, this needs to be done in three installments. Wrap the pan in foil just before adding the first batter installment (to minimize the foil's disturbance and therefore its leakage risk, do not put it on any earlier). For each of the first two installments, gently scoop about 3 cups of batter into the pan. After adding an installment, bake the pan with its contents for 30 minutes. For the first installment, bake at 325 degrees. For the second installment, continue baking at 325, but only for the first 15 minutes here—for the remaining 15 minutes, reduce the temperature and bake at 300 degrees. For both installments here, bake with the pan in a tub filled with at least 1/4 to 1/2 inch of boiling water, but (to reduce spillage risks) do not fill the tub all the way at this point, because the whole tub-and-pan assembly is going to need to be removed from the oven (in order to comfortably add contents to the pan) between installments. After these first two installments are done, there should be about 2-3 cups of batter left, with 60 minutes of baking time reached at this point (30 minutes for each of the first two installments). Now comes the third installment—carefully add the last of this batter on top of the pan's earlier installments (the entire surface should be fully coated). Next, return the entire pan-and-tub assembly to the oven. At this point, fill up the tub generously with boiling water. Resume baking at 300 degrees for another 120 minutes (based upon usage of a 9 1/2" pan). Afterward, shut the oven off, and leave its door slightly ajar, with the cheesecake still inside—and in the tub—for an hour. Next, remove the cheesecake from the oven and tub. Continue to cool it down at room temperature for another two hours. After doing so, remove the cheesecake from pan and refrigerate. Looks like the increased baking time—per the original baking procedure, indicated above—has indeed paid off. The improved firmness seemed to show up best in the lower installments (which had longer baking times). Perhaps I should make the last installment thinner in the future? Maybe, maybe not (I was concerned about the top surface becoming a little too hard or "crusty"). But the flavor seemed to be right on target with an undeniable banana taste and a reasonable cheese presence as well. The cheesecake was served at Living Hope Church, among a generous selection of other baked sweets, and not much of this prototype was left afterward. A young person there, Michael, gave it a very great review (he often rated my other cheesecakes as well. I repeated this prototype in March of 2017, but with a new baking approach. It was based somewhat on my fifth strawberry prototype, but with considerably more baking time, as shown below.   New 2017 Baking Procedure: Expect close to 8 1/2 cups of the resulting batter, but do not add this to the pan all at once. Rather, this needs to be done in four installments. Wrap the pan in foil just before adding the first batter installment (to minimize the foil's disturbance and therefore its leakage risk, do not put it on any earlier). For each of the first three installments, gently scoop about 2 1/2 cups of batter into the pan, fully covering the surface (here's a tip—scoop small amounts of batter around the edge of the pan, letting this batter flow towards the middle on its own), and then bake this pan with its contents for 25 minutes, at 325 degrees. However, at the end of the third installment's 25 minutes, add on another 30 minutes of baking time, but only at 300 degrees (that's a 55 minute "baking installment"—the first 25 minutes at 325 degrees and the next 30 at 300). For these three installments here, bake with the pan in a tub filled with at least 1/4 to 1/2 inch of boiling water, but (to reduce spillage risks) do not fill the tub all the way at this point, because the whole tub-and-pan assembly is going to need to be removed from the oven (in order to comfortably add contents to the pan) between installments. After these first three installments are done, there should be about 1 cup of batter left, with 105 minutes of baking time reached at this point (25 minutes for each of the first two installments, and 55 for the third one). Now comes the fourth installment—carefully add the last of this batter on top of the pan's earlier installments, fully coating the entire surface. Next, return the entire pan-and-tub assembly to the oven, with the temperature remaining at 300 degrees. At this point, fill up the tub generously with boiling water. Resume baking for another 105 minutes (based upon usage of a 9 1/2" pan). Afterward, shut the oven off, and leave its door slightly ajar, with the cheesecake still inside—and in the tub—for an hour. Next, remove the cheesecake from the oven and tub. Continue to cool it down at room temperature for another two hours. After doing so, remove the cheesecake from pan and refrigerate. The firmness was terrific, even throughout the upper installments! And the top wasn't too brown either. I was very satisfied with the outcome. This time I made this cheesecake especially for my cousin Rachel and happily presented it to her during my late March visit to her home in Vermont. This latest banana prototype was well received by her family, and it seemed like I got the most enthusiastic compliments from Rachel and her daughter Mya.