somedays, life just gets away from you. you wake up in the morning with a plan, and at the end of the day, everything you wanted to accomplish is in shambles. 

that pretty much sums up the day of my birthday party. i had all these pretty and delicious cakes planned, but life was not cooperating and time got away from me and i of course ended up an emotional mess.

no surprise, all my friends and family are amazing and they all came and made the day extra special. but i learned a valuable lesson. when in doubt, go with a staple. 

you know what i mean. that tried, true go to. and my dessert staple is cheesecake. these bites are great because they are easy to make, easy on the eyes, and easy to make disappear. the best part is you can make them seasonal with any of your favorite fruits and you can enhance colors with just a drop or two of food color. 

marbled mango cheesecake bites
serves: 1-2 dozen depending on your size preference
prep time: 5 minutes
bake time:30 minutes
cool time: 2 hours to over night
total time: 2 hours 35 minutes
ingredients: 1 cup finely chopped pecans (i pulse mine in the food processor). 1 cup flour. 1 stick butter, melted. .25 cup brown sugar. pinch of salt. 1 lb softened cream cheese. 1 cup sugar. 3 eggs. 1 tsp vanilla extract. .25 cup mango purée. 9 x 13 baking dish. parchment paper. tooth pick. 

start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. in a medium bowl, combine the flour, pecans, brown sugar and melted butter. 

use your hands to lightly combine the mixture till it is in pebble size crumbs. 

pour the crust dough into a parchment lined 9 x 13 dish. use your palms to press the dough till it reaches the edges of the dish. 

bake until the crust starts to turn golden. about 10-12 minutes. while the crust is baking, prepare the filling. 

in the bowl of a stand mixer with your whisk attachment or with a hand blender, cream together the cream cheese and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. about 3-5 minutes. 

reduce the speed of your mixer to add in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. 

once your crust is out pour all but .5 cup of the filling over the crust. use a spatula or butter knife to spread the filling evenly over the crust. 

combine your mango puree with the remaining .5 cup filling. mix until completely combined. 

using a spoon, drizzle your mango cheese cake mixture over the cheese cake filling. 

then, using your toothpick, swirl the mango cheesecake filling to create a marbled effect. 

bake the cheesecake in the oven until set, 20-25 minutes. 

when the cheesecake is set, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely. pop it in the freezer for a half hour or so till it gets really solid. 

then slice off the rough edges, and cut into squares of your size choice. serve or store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. 

xo, a

marbled mango cheesecake bites
serves: 1-2 dozen depending on your size preference
prep time: 5 minutes
bake time: 30 minutes
cool time: 2 hours to over night
total time: 2 hours 35 minutes
ingredients: 1 cup finely chopped pecans (i pulse mine in the food processor). 1 cup flour. 1 stick butter, melted. .25 cup brown sugar. pinch of salt. 1 lb softened cream cheese. 1 cup sugar. 3 eggs. 1 tsp vanilla extract. .25 cup mango purée. 9 x 13 baking dish. parchment paper. tooth pick.
start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees. in a medium bowl, combine the flour, pecans, brown sugar and melted butter. use your hands to lightly combine the mixture till it is in pebble size crumbs. pour the crust dough into a parchment lined 9 x 13 dish. use your palms to press the dough till it reaches the edges of the dish. bake until the crust starts to turn golden. about 10-12 minutes. while the crust is baking, prepare the filling. in the bowl of a stand mixer with your whisk attachment or with a hand blender, cream together the cream cheese and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. about 3-5 minutes. reduce the speed of your mixer to add in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla extract. once your crust is out. pour all but .5 cup of the filling over the crust. use a spatula or butter knife to spread the filling evenly over the crust. combine your mango puree with the remaining .5 cup filling. mix until completely combined. using a spoon, drizzle your mango cheese cake mixture over the cheese cake filling. then, using your toothpick, swirl the mango cheesecake filling to create a marbled effect. bake the cheesecake in the oven until set, 20-25 minutes. when the cheesecake is set, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely. pop it in the freezer for a half hour or so till it gets really solid. then slice off the rough edges, and cut into squares of your size choice. serve or store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. 

when summer comes to a close, it is always a bummer for a whole host of reasons. bye bye long days, warm water and insane fresh produce. now that we are in the thick of winter, i'm missing those gorgeous summer berries, juicy watermelon and vine ripened heirloom tomatoes that didn't have to come from the other hemisphere. basically, i have the pretty produce blues. 

but the bright shining, light in these dreary months? winter citrus. oh yes, they come in all sizes and colors. sweet lemons, blood oranges, POMELOS! there are just so many choices. and sometimes while i'm at the produce store, i can't pick just one. so i end up with an abundance of choices and in need of a recipe to use them all up. 

lemon bars are a classic treat, but they become something stunning when you sub mixed winter fruit instead of just lemons. i've baked this recipe using everything from blood oranges, to limes, to grapefruit and every combo in between. use what you have on hand, what you like, or use what you think is prettiest. 

winter citrus bars
serves: 12-18 bars (depending on the size you want)
prep time: 10 minutes
inactive time: 30 minutes
cook time: 55 minutes
total time: 1 hour 35 minutes
ingredients: crust. .5 lb butter (2 sticks). .5 cup sugar. 2 cups all purpose flour. .25 tsp salt. 

filling. 6 large eggs. 2.5 cups sugar (3 cups if you use only lemons). 1 cup flour. 2 tbs citrus zest. 1 cups citrus juice (i used the 75% grapefruit, 1 lemon and 1 blood orange. served segments of fruit for garnish. .25 cup powdered sugar for garnish. parchment paper. 9 x 13 inch baking pan. 

in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar. 

on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar till well combined. 

turn the mixer down to low and add in the flour and salt. mix till combined and the dough starts to come together. 

line your baking pan with parchment and turn the dough out into the pan. 

use your hands to gently press the dough into the pan so it is in an even layer. 

lightly poke the crust with a fork and chill for 30 minutes. 

preheat your oven to 350 degrees f. 

bake your crust for 12-15 minutes until it just starts to lightly brown on the edges. remove it from the heat, and set on a cooling rack. 

while the crust is baking, combine the eggs, juice, zest, 2.5 cups sugar and flour in the bowl of a stand mix. 

whisk on medium speed till well combined. 

pour the filling onto the cooling crust and bake till set and no longer giggling. about 30-35 minutes. 

if you reserved citrus segments to decorate your bars, bake your bars off until almost cooked, about 20-25 minutes. remove, place your segments in desired design and place back in the oven for remaining bake time. 

once done, remove from the even and allow to cool to room temperature.
the easiest way to cut them is to first freeze them. once frozen, pull the parchment out of the pan and discard it.

slice the bars into desired size. 

dust with powdered sugar and serve. 

xo, a

winter citrus bars
serves: 12-18 bars (depending on the size you want)
prep time: 10 minutes
inactive time: 30 minutes
cook time: 55 minutes
total time: 1 hour 35 minutes
ingredients: crust. .5 lb butter (2 sticks). .5 cup sugar. 2 cups all purpose flour. .25 tsp salt.
filling. 6 large eggs. 2.5 cups sugar (3 cups if you use only lemons). 1 cup flour. 2 tbs citrus zest. 1 cups citrus juice (i used the 75% grapefruit, 1 lemon and 1 blood orange. served segments of fruit for garnish. .25 cup powdered sugar for garnish. parchment paper. 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar.
on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar till well combined.
turn the mixer down to low and add in the flour and salt. mix till combined and the dough starts to come together.
line your baking pan with parchment and turn the dough out into the pan.
use your hands to gently press the dough into the pan so it is in an even layer.
lightly poke the crust with a fork and chill for 30 minutes.
preheat your oven to 350 degrees f.
bake your crust for 12-15 minutes until it just starts to lightly brown on the edges. remove it from the heat, and set on a cooling rack.
while the crust is baking, combine the eggs, juice, zest, 2.5 cups sugar and flour in the bowl of a stand mix. whisk on medium speed till well combined.
pour the filling onto the cooling crust and bake till set and no longer giggling. about 30-35 minutes.
if you reserved citrus segments to decorate your bars, bake your bars off until almost cooked, about 20-25 minutes. remove, place your segments in desired design and place back in the oven for remaining bake time.
once done, remove from the even and allow to cool to room temperature.
the easiest way to cut them is to first freeze them. once frozen, pull the parchment out of the pan and discard it.
slice the bars into desired size.
dust with powdered sugar and serve.