Reese Peanut Butter Cheesecake Recipe

If you're a Peanut Butter junkie, this cheesecake is perfect for you!

For the past month(s), I have been inactive for 3 reason: (1) because my cousin from Canada came to the Philippines to visit, (2) because I started driving lessons, and (3) because I started working in an office! I'd like to share more about #2 and #3 on a different post, so let me tell you more about my cousin: she stayed in my house for the whole month and we were busy catching up for the 7 years we were apart. I discovered something that we couldn't discuss over the phone -- that she loves peanut butter!

I was able to make a peanut butter chocolate cake for her, but there were some left over Reese peanut butter cups after she left. Also, some cream cheese because of the cream cheese frosting that I made for the that cake. Then I remembered how I made that Oreo Cheesecake and never actually got a chance to taste it myself... So why not make a Reese Peanut Butter Cheesecake for myself??

And when I said "for myself", I actually meant it! I have some 6-inch aluminum cheesecake pan with a removable bottom. I tried using it on sponge cakes before when I'm making a 3-tier cake, but other than that, I don't use this pan. So why not make the most out of it?

This size is just perfect for one person, or giving it as a gift. But being generous as I am, I still shared some to my family. ;) But let me tell you - it barely lasted 24 hours! Not just of the serving size, but because it actually tastes good!
Ingredients For Crust 80g (1 cup) Peanut Butter cookie sandwiches (If these aren't available in your area, use Oreos instead) 1 tbsp butter (melted) 1 tbsp sugar For Cheesecake 8oz (1 package) cream cheese 1/4 cup Sugar 1/2 tsp Vanilla 1pc egg 5pcs Reese Peanut Butter Cups For Peanut Butter Ganache and Garnishing* 1/3 cup Reese peanut butter chips 1/6 cup heavy whipping cream 1pc Reese Peanut Butter Cups (chopped)
Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 175C.

Making the Crust:

1. Place Peanut Butter flavored cookie sandwiches in a food processor. Pulse until the cookies are in fine crumbs. If you don't have a food processor, place the cookies in a resealable bag and use a rolling pin or glass bottle to crush the cookies into fine crumbs.
2. Mix melted butter into cookie crumbs. Once it's mixed thoroughly, pack the crumbs on the bottom of a 6" springform pan.  

Making the Cheesecake:

1. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in sugar and vanilla. When the mixture is well blended, beat in eggs one at a time.
2. Place Reese Peanut Butter Cups on top of the prepared crust. Line this the way you wish - you may create a circle inside the pan to make sure that it is distributed evenly on every slice, or stack it all in the center to put the "surprise" in the middle part of the cake.
3. Pour batter carefully into the crust, making sure not to move the previously arranged Peanut Butter cups.
4. Bake for 45 minutes. After baking, open the oven door by a little bit and let the cake cool inside for around 30 minutes. Afterwards, refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.

Garnishing the Cake:

1. Prepare the Peanut Butter Ganache (or whipped cream, if desired). To do so, heat heavy whipping cream. Add it to the peanut butter chips and mix thoroughly until no more lumps are present. Let it cool to room temperature.
2. Remove the cheesecake from the fridge and pour the peanut butter ganache on it.
3. Chop each remaining Reese Peanut Butter Cups into quarters. Sprinkle on top of the cheesecake.

Makes one 6" cheesecake.

Now I am proud of this recipe because it is the first time I played around and made my own! If there are any similarities to other recipes online, then it is just a coincidence. When I was making this, I was only using my Oreo Cheesecake recipe as basis.

*My brother commented that the peanut butter taste is a bit overwhelming. If you wish, you may opt to switch the peanut butter ganache to whipped cream instead.