OUR ANNIVERSARY MORNING COFFEE sweetened with CHEESECAKE CUPCAKES

Ahhhhhh, morning coffee!
Drinking coffee should not be a habit, but a nice daily social event, when people actually communicate with each other in a friendly relaxing way. And for those who claim that they cannot wake up without a cup of strong java: GET OVER YOURSELF, IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD! Excuses, excuses! Just another reason for allowing yourself to be cranky!


For me, my morning coffee is my everyday date with my husband. Slurping the black deliciousness is sweetened with the house dessert (that means what ever I have on hands, sometimes just a piece of chocolate) and spiced up with plans for the day, maybe even future, and of course gossip! After all theses time we've been together, I still feel butterflies in my stomach each time I'm brewing the coffee. We drink Arabic/Turkish style coffee spiced with cardamom, never is a machine involved in the process. The time until the water boils, gives me time to go back and revive some memories of past times. And then the aroma of coffee slowly infuse the air all around me. No, I wouldn't have it any other way!

But today is a special day. Today we are celebrating the 22nd anniversary since we pledge our vows to each other; so today's morning cup of coffee was so much special and of course I baked something special for this occasion- cheesecake cupcakes topped with pears and chocolate. I used pears because for me they are a very festive fruit with unique flavor and interesting texture. This fruit is so simple, yet so complex and exotic.

Anniversary Cheesecake Cupcakes

CHEESECAKE CUPCAKES (18 cupcakes)
Ingredients for crust:
1 cup Graham crackers crumbs
2 tbsp light brown sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Directions for crust:
In a big enough bowl combine Graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar. Mix to combine. Add the melted butter and stir until all the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press 1 tbsp of crust mix into each paper cupcake from and set aside.

Ingredients for filling:
12 oz cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 dash of salt
3 eggs

Ingredients for topping:
1 29 oz can of Pear Halves in heavy syrup
1 batch Simple Ganche (for the recipe refer to: http://indulginglife.blogspot.com/2010/11/chocolate-covered-cheesecake-cubes.html#more)

Directions for filling, baking, and topping:
In a bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. beat with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time; beat well after each addition. Pour filling over the crust in the paper cupcake forms.

Bake in 325*F preheated oven for 15 - 17 minutes.

Let the cheesecake cupcakes cool down completely before you top them.

Dry the pear halves with a paper towel. Cut the pear half in half and slice the wide part into four pieces as shown in picture. With a help of a spatula, transfer the pear to the cupcake. Cover with ganache and put  them into the fridge to set; at least for one hour.

After they set, I just add some color to my cupcakes by garnishing them with some fresh mint and cranberries.

Enjoy at your special moment like we did and truth to be told: "One is not enough!"