Author: Sweet and Savoury Pursuits, except for the recipe for the chocolate ganache which comes from Death by Chocolate: The Last word on a Consuming Passion by Marcel Desaulniers
This Peanut Butter and Chocolate Cheesecake combines two favourite flavours to create one incredibly delicious cheesecake recipe.
For the ganache topping (recipe from Death by Chocolate):
½cupheavy cream
1tbsp.unsalted butter
1tbsp.granulated sugar
6ouncesgood quality chopped semi-sweet chocolate170 g.
For the garnish:
20mini Reese’s peanut butter cupscoarsely chopped
Instructions
For the crust:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse peanuts until finely ground.
Add the cookie crumbs, melted butter and sugar. Pulse just until ingredients are combined and mixture clumps together.
Transfer crumbs into a 9-inch springform pan and using your fingers, press crumbs evenly onto the bottom and up (about 2 inches) on the sides of the pan.
Bake the crust for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set on a rack to cool.
For the cheesecake:
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F.
Put the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand up mixer and beat (using the paddle attachment) on a medium high setting until the cream cheese is smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl and beat for another minute.
Add the sweetened condensed milk and beat for 1 more minute.
Add the peanut butter and beat until the peanut butter is evenly incorporated into the batter, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
Add the sugar, salt and vanilla. Beat until there are no lumps remaining in the batter.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating until just incorporated. Do not over mix the batter once you have added the eggs or the cheesecake will puff and crack during baking.
Pour the batter onto the cooled cookie crust and smooth the top of the cheesecake with a rubber spatula. Gently tap the cheesecake pan on the counter a couple of times so that the batter settles.
On the bottom rack of your oven place a pan filled with boiled water.
Take the cheesecake pan and place it on the centre rack of the oven and bake until the center hardly jiggles when the pan is nudged, 50 to 55 minutes. Set the cheesecake on a rack and let it cool completely. Cover and refrigerate the cheesecake for at least 6 hours (preferably overnight).
For the ganache:
Place the chocolate in a medium bowl.
Heat the cream, butter and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and let the mixture stand for a few minutes before stirring until smooth.
Pour the ganache over the cooled cake and then top with the chopped peanut butter cups