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, room temperature
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 pan; lightly cover outside of pan with a double thickness of foil. Combine crumbs and butter in a bowl until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press into bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of prepared pan and bake 10 minutes; let cool on a wire rack.

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

Spoon remaining batter over crust in pan. Top with peanut butter cups; gently pressing pieces into batter. Alternately drop reserved chocolate batter and reserved peanut butter batter on top of peanut butter cups to cover; swirl batters together to marbleize.

Place cheesecake in a larger baking pan and place on oven rack. Carefully pour enough hot water into larger pan to reach 1 inch up sides of springform pan. Bake 1 hour, or until cake barely jiggles in center.

Remove cheesecake from water bath; remove foil. Using a thin knife, carefully cut around edge of cake to help release from pan. Let cool completely on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 6 hours or overnight. To serve, run a sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen and remove side of pan.