Shelly's Recipe

PEANUT BUTTER SWIRL CHEESECAKE

Category: Cheesecake

Crust
1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
4 tbsp butter, melted

Filling
4 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted
1 cup creamy peanut butter
6 regular-size peanut butter cups, quartered

Crust: Preheat oven to 350. Coat a 9 inch springform pan with cooking spray; tightly cover outside of pan with double thickness of foil. Combine ingredients until crumbs are evenly moistened and press into bottom and up 1/2 inch of the sides. Bake 10 minutes; let cool on a wire rack.

Filling: Beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar until smooth. Reduce spead and Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in sour cream and vanilla extract. Remove 1 1/2 cups of batter to a medium bowl. Stir in melted chocolate. Add peanut butter to cream cheese mixture and beat until smooth. Remove 1 3/4 cup of peanut butter batter to a medium bowl and reserve.

Spoon remaining peanut butter batter over crust in pan. Top evenly with peanut butter cups, gently pressing pieces into batter. Alternatue drop reserved chocolate batter and reserved peanut butter batter on top of candy to cover; swirl batters together with a knife to marbleize. Place cheesecake in a large baking pan and place on oven rack. Carefully pour enough hot water into larger pan to reach 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. Bake 1 hour, or until coake barely jiggles in the center.

Remove cheesecake from water bath; remove foil. Using a knife, carefully cut around top edge of cake where it meets the pan to release. Let cool completely on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate until cold, 6 hours or overnight.

To serve, run a sharp knife around edge of pan to loowen and remove side of pan.