Shelly's Recipe

PEANUT BUTTER CUP CHEESECAKE

Category: Cheesecake

Crust
4 1/2 cups crushed Oreo cookies
1 cup chopped roasted peanuts
1/2 cup butter, melted

Filling
2 lbs cream cheese, softened
5 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup smooth peanut butter (not natural-style)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 Peanut Butter cups, broken into small pieces

Topping
3 ounces sour cream
1/2 cup sugar

Crust:. Combine crushed Oreo cookies and peanuts that have been ground in a food processor with the melted butter. Pat the crust mixture onto bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan.

Filling:. Beat cream cheese in bowl of electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sugar, peanut butter and cream; mix until smooth. Stir in vanilla, then fold in peanut butter cup pieces with a rubber spatula. Pour filling into prepared crust.

Bake the cheesecake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Then, decrease the temperature to 200 degrees and bake for 2 hours. Next, run a thin, narrow spatula around the sides of the cake and returned it to the oven, turning the oven off. After two more hours, refrigerate overnight.

Topping: Combine the sour cream and sugar and spread on the cheesecake. Return the cake to the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for one hour. You may run a knife along the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan somewhat. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

NOTE: I added a chocolate topping as the last layer. In a saucepan over low heat, melt 5 ounces of milk chocolate chips with 1/4 cup of sour cream, stirring constantly. Spread it over the cheesecake and return it to the refrigerator to set up.