When I first moved to the US 5 years ago, I remember on one of my lunch breaks, I saw a girl eating an apple with Peanut Butter, I was so intrigued and excited to taste it since it looked so good! After work I told my husband and we went right to the grocery store to get some creamy peanut butter, once home I tasted it…and totally hated it to my big disappointment! Three years have passed and I haven’t touched another dessert or jar of Peanut Butter, but one day I woke up and to my surprise I was craving Reese’s, I didn’t even know how they tasted since I have never had one until that day, but all I could think about were REESE’S! On my way to work I stopped by at CVS and purchased my first Reese’s cup! It was love at first bite, it tasted like heaven, on that day I have joined the PB lovers and never looked back! Now, I keep a jar of PB at home all the time, I love the PB & banana sandwiches, and I have Reese’s cups almost on a daily basis!!

       I have a few coworkers that share the same insane love for Peanut Butter, and when one of them celebrated his birthday last week I decided to bake him The Ultimate Peanut Butter Cheesecake! This cheesecake is nothing you have tasted before! The first layer is made of gooey chocolate fudge brownies, topped with an entire layer of Peanut Butter Eggs, finally a thick, dense and creamy layer Peanut Butter Cheesecake all covered in Chocolate Ganache, Peanut M&M’s and mini peanut butter cups! This cake is a peanut butter lover dream! It is also really easy to make; I was short on time since I was baking on a Monday at 9PM, so for the brownies I used a box mix to save some time and effort! The cheesecake filling comes together in a few minutes, and what I loved most is that it didn’t crack in the oven!

Ingredients:

For the brownies:

• 1 package of Duncan Hines Decadent Brownie Mix
• 15 peanut butter eggs or cups

 For the Cheesecake:

• 16oz cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup of sugar
• 2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

 For the Chocolate Ganache:

• 1 Bakers Semi Sweet Chocolate Bar
• ½ cup of heavy cream

Toppings:

• 2 small packages of peanut M&Ms
• 1 small package of mini peanut butter cups

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F , butter a 9″ springform pan and set aside.

2. To make the brownies follow the instructions on the box, once the batter is prepared pour it into the pan and cover with a layer of peanut butter cups (I used peanut butter eggs).

3. To make the cheesecake beat the cream cheese and peanut butter together on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar, vanilla extract and continue to beat on medium speed until well combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs one at a time, beating until combined after each addition. Scrape the bowl and mix on low for another 30 seconds. Pour the cheesecake filling on top of the brownies & PB cups.

4. Bake for 45 minutes or until the sides of the cheesecake are set and the middle just slightly jiggles. Turn of the oven, open the door slightly and let the cheesecake cool inside for one hour. Transfer the cake to a wire cooling rack and cool at room temperature for 1 hour.

5. To make the ganache add the chocolate and heavy cream to a sauce pan on medium heat, stir well until the chocolate is melted and well combined with the heavy cream. Pour the mixture on top of the cheesecake, using a spatula distribute it evenly. Decorate with mini peanut butter cups and peanut M&M’s. Refrigerate the cheesecake before serving for at least 4 hours or overnight, until thoroughly chilled.

      The brownies and the cheesecake taste amazing together, so rich, chewy and creamy at the same time, chocolate & PB were meant to be served together! Also, every bite has a peanut butter cup to make it even better! I hope you enjoy this dessert as much as we did!

Enjoy,

Catalina