Every year I tell myself that I need to get better about buying candy for Halloween. The ratio to kids to candy leftover is always off. We didn't take Elena trick or treating but passed out candies instead. We had about 4 or 5 groups of kids visit us on Halloween and we were left with half a bucket of candy. Secretly, I had purposely bought a large bag of Reese's Peanut Cups because I wanted to eat a one or few. Not a problem right?
Luckily, I also wanted something extra sweet and something to use up the leftover candy before I ate them all to myself. This decadent and candy-licious cheesecake came together as a matter of chance because I had Oreo cookies leftover from my batch of Slutty Brownies. You can easily use graham crackers for the crust, but where's the chocolate fun in that? This dessert would be ideal for all you peanut butter and chocolate fans and an extra bonus to those cheesecake lovers...it's one spectacular dessert that is absolutely amazing.
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups + Cheesecake = AWESOMEness.
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven
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{Printable Recipe}
Ingredients:
For the Crust:
1 cup Oreo Cookies, middle removed
2 tablespoon butter, melted
For the Peanut Butter Cheesecake:
16 ounces (2 bars) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping & Filling:
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, crumbled
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a small food processor, process the Oreo cookies until crumbled. Add the melted butter and mix until combined. Press the mixture into cheesecake pans (or other baking pan) in your desired thickness. Use a small tamper, press until flat. Bake for 5 minutes and remove.
In the bowl of the stand mixer, mix the cream cheese and peanut butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and mix until incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, and mix until combined. Add the milk and vanilla and scrape down the sides as needed.
Layer crumbled Reese's Peanut Butter cups on top of the Oreo cookie crust. Fill the cheesecake pan with the filling to the brim, making sure to even the tops with a spatula.
Bake cheesecakes for 20 minutes, or until the cheesecakes are set and no longer move when you jiggle the pan.
Remove and let set until they reach room temperature, then place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours prior to serving. Top with crumbled Reese's.
Yield: 1 (8-inch) cheesecake or 2 (4-inch) cheesecakes
