Shelly's Recipe

PEANUT-BUTTERFINGER MINI CHEESECAKES

Category: Cheesecake

For the crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp butter, melted
Pinch of salt

For the filling:
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
6 tbsp creamy peanut butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg + 1 egg white
3 tbsp heavy cream
Pinch of salt
6 fun sized Butterfinger candy bars, chopped

For the topping:
1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tbsp heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350. Set a 24-well mini-muffin pan on a baking sheet. Line with paper liners. In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter and salt. Toss with a fork until the mixture is completely moistened. Press a small spoonful of the mixture firmly into the bottom of each well. Bake for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300. To make the filling, add the cream cheese to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until smooth. Add the peanut butter and beat again until well combined. Mix in the sugar, eggs, cream and salt. Fold in the crushed Butterfinger pieces with a spatula. Spoon evenly into the wells of the pan over the crust. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until the center is set. (The cakes may puff up a lot, but they will sink again while cooling.) Let cool for at least two hours before removing from the pan.

For the topping, heat the chocolate and the heavy cream in the top of a double boiler until the chocolate is melted. Stir just until smooth and glossy. Spoon over the tops of the cakes and sprinkle with the remaining crushed candy bar pieces. Chill until ready to serve.