Shelly's Recipe

PEANUT BUTTER CUP CHEESECAKE

Category: Cheesecake

Crust:
1 pkg 11 oz chocolate wafer cookies, crushed
1/3 cup peanut butter
5 tbsp butter, melted
4 tbsp packed brown sugar
6 pkgs. 1.8 oz Peanut Butter Cups (= 12 peanut cups) cut in half, then 4th's
Vegetable spray

With a large serving fork mix crumbs and brown sugar together; add melted butter and peanut butter and mix well. Spray pan with vegetable spray and press mixture into bottom and 2/3 up sides of 9 inch springform pan using your large serving spoon to press the mixture firmly; sprinkle Peanut Butter Cup pieces over the chocolate crust. Put in freezer while doing filling.

Filling:
4 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature
3 tbsp flour
1/3 cup milk at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
4 pkgs of Peanut Butter Cups (= 8 peanut cups), or more, cut as above to be used as garnish for top of cheesecake; put in small bowl and refrigerate.

Optional:
1 C heavy cream, whipped stiff with 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp vanilla for garnishment on each slice.

Preheat oven to 425. Put water bath on bottom rack of oven (its an 8x14x3 pan filled 2-3 inch with water); put other rack in the middle of the oven for the cheesecake. It should not crack.

In a large bowl beat together cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in flour, milk and vanilla. Beat until well blended. Take crust out of freezer and carefully pour batter over all; spread evenly. Bake 15 minutes on 425 oven; reduce oven temperature to 250* and bake 40-50 minutes longer, or until edges are set and cake jiggles only slightly in center. Cool cheesecake for 10 minutes, then put pieces of Peanut Butter Cups on top, wait a minute to melt, then use knife to squish it. Let cheesecake cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled. To slice cheesecake easier, put cake slicer in a tall glass filled with hot water, the heat and water makes it slice like butter.

When serving, put a dollop of whip cream on cheesecake slice.