Surprise Cheesecake Filled Peanut Butter Cookies

These yummy cookies came about because I had some leftover cheesecake batter from making mini cheesecakes and I didn't have enough crust! So, since I am not a big fan of cheesecake and my boyfriend is, I decided to combine two of his favorites, peanut butter and cheesecake, into one simple and delicious cookie.  All you have to do is use this Magical Peanut Butter Cookie recipe, which only has 4 ingredients in it! And then, you form 2 tablespoons of cookie dough into a ball and make a little well in the center with your fingers, next you spoon about a 1/2 tablespoon of the leftover cheesecake in the middle, then bake for about 10-12 minutes and let cool completely. If desired, place 3 reesee's pieces in the center and drizzle with melted milk chocolate. These would be perfect to munch on at a Halloween party!

Peanut Butter-Fudge Cheesecake

I just finished taking my accounting test that I was talking about yesterday and unfortunately, I don't feel too good about it. It was super, super hard, extremely difficult, I will find out the results on thursday : / I'm scared, I don't really want to know what I got. But, on a positive note, there is one thing that I do feel good about, well actually, wwwwwaaaaayyyyyy better then good, and that is this Peanut Butter-Fudge Cheesecake from Brown Eyed Baker (check out her blog, it is seriously awesome!) that I made for my sister's husband's birthday this past weekend. I think that this cheesecake is by far the most decadant and rich dessert that I have ever made, yeah it is. It is full of layers upon layers of chocolate and peanut butter and more chocolate and peanut butter. What's not to love? You start with an Oreo cookie crust, then top it with a chocolate fudge, then top that with chopped peanut butter cups. Next comes the creamy peanut butter cheesecake, and then as if all of that isn't enough......it gets topped with a smooth chocolate ganache and an amazing peanut butter frosting and some more peanut butter cups if your little baking heart desires, and mine did! There are so many layers and levels of textures in this dessert; crunchy, smooth, creamy, cool and soft. This is a dessert for pure indulgence, pure decadance, it is amazing, heaven. Enjoy!

Peanut Butter-Fudge Cheesecake: (From Brown Eyed Baker)

For the Crust:

-32 Oreo cookies, finely crushed or ground in a food processor

-5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

-Pinch of salt

For the Fudge:

-8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

-1/2 cup heavy cream

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-20 miniature peanut butter cup candies, unwrapped and roughly chopped

For the Cheesecake:

-24 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

-1 cup creamy peanut butter

-1 cup granulated sugar

-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

-4 eggs

For the Ganache Topping:

-4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

-1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and set aside.

2. To make the crust, stir the Oreo crumbs, melted butter and salt in a small bowl with a fork until the crumbs are moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan. Freeze the crust for 10 minutes.

3. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a rack and let cool.

4. To make the fudge, put the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream to a simmer over medium heat. Immediately pour the simmering cream over the chopped chocolate. Let stand for 1-2 minutes, then add the vanilla and stir with a whisk until smooth and combined. Pour the fudge into the cooled crust and spread evenly over the bottom. Place in freezer for 10 minutes. Remove from freezer and sprinkle surface with the chopped peanut butter cups. Return to freezer for 10 more minutes.

5. Meanwhile, prepare the cheesecake filling. Beat the cream cheese and peanut butter together on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and continue to beat on medium speed until thoroughly 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 20 seconds.

6. Remove the pan from the freezer and pour the cheesecake filling over the fudge and peanut butter cups. Bake until the sides of the cheesecake are set and the middle just slightly jiggles, about 1 hour (mine took closer to 1 hour and 30 minutes, and I covered it with foil to prevent browning). Transfer to a wire cooling rack and cool to room temperature (at least 1 hour). Refrigerate the cheesecake at least 4 hours or overnight until thoroughly chilled. Carefully remove the sides from the springform pan.

7. Before serving, prepare the ganache topping. Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a simmer over medium heat. Immediately pour the simmering cream over the chopped chocolate. Let sit for 1-2 minutes and then stir with a whisk until smooth. Pour the ganache on the top of the cheesecake and, using an offset spatula, spread evenly over top of the cheesecake. Return to the refrigerator to set the ganache, about 20 minutes. Garnish as desired (I used a basic buttercream frosting and added peanut butter to it to pipe around the edges and added a peanut butter cup to the middle, just as Brown Eyed Baker did).

Raspberry Marble Cheesecakes

How adorable are these? I love anything mini and these little cheesecakes are just the perfect mini dessert! A sweet and buttery graham cracker crust gets topped with a tangy, smooth and creamy cheesecake that gets swirled with a fresh and vibrant ruby red raspberry swirl. Aren't they so pretty?

First, you have the graham cracker crust, then the cheesecake, next comes the little dollops of raspberry puree and finally the cheesecake batter and raspberry puree get marbleized together!

Here is a close-up before being baked!

The outcome: simply tasty and beautiful, cute and perfect, little hand-held/bite-sized desserts that are great for any occasion! Everyone gets his or her own, no sharing is necessary (which I love when it comes to dessert)! I also love how the marbleing effect makes each mini cheesecake slightly different from one another. They all have a little swirl of their own!

Raspberry Marble Cheesecakes: (Martha Stewart's Cupcakes)

Makes 32

-1 1/2 cups finely ground graham crackers (about 12 sheets; use a mini chopper or food processor)

-3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

-1 1/2 cups plus 5 tablespoons sugar

-1 container (6 ounces) fresh raspberries

-2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature

-pinch of salt

-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

-4 large eggs, room temperature

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Stir together ground graham crackers, butter, and 3 tablespoons sugar. Press 1 tablespoon crust mixture firmly into bottom of each lined cup. Bake until set, about 5 minutes. Transfer tins to a wire rack to cool.

2. Process raspberries in a food processor until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pass puree through a sieve into a small bowl, pressing with a flexible spatula to remove as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Whisk in 2 tablespoons sugar.

3. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat cream cheese until fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. With mixer on low speed, add remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar in a steady stream. Add salt and vanilla; mix until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined after each.

4. Spoon 3 tablespoons filling over crust in each cup. Dollop 1/2 teaspoon raspberry puree in a few dots over each. With a wooden toothpick, swirl sauce into filling. Place each tin in a roasting pan (bake in batches if necessary); pour enough hot water into pan to come three-quarters of the way up sides of cups.

5. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Carefully remove tins from water bath and transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Refrigerate (in tins) at least 4 hours (or out of tins up to 5 days in airtight containers). Remove from tins just before serving.

Mini Brownie Mosaic Cheesecakes

I found this recipe a while back here at Brown Eyed Baker's blog and I definitely reccomend checking out her blog, she has tons of awesome recipes. Although, I am not usually a cheesecake fan, this caught my eye because of my love affair with brownies and chocolate. I don't think I need to tell you anymore how much I absolutely adore brownies.....by themselves, frosted, warm and topped with ice cream, or in cheesecake! This recipe also caught my eye because cheesecake is my boyfriend's favorite dessert and when I saw this recipe I thought how perfect....both of our favorite desserts combined in one decadant masterpiece!  

 

The first time I made this cheesecake I made it exactly as the recipe said and without any modifications. I made it for a New Year's Eve party and I cut them into bite-sized pieces and it was a big hit and even better than I expected it to be since I am not a huge cheesecake fan! Everyone enjoyed it and raved about how good it was. This time I decided to experiment a bit with the recipe and I made them mini using cupcake pans and once again they turned out great! 

This cheesecake combines a crunchy double chocolate oreo cookie crust with a smooth and creamy cheesecake filling that is filled with chunks of fudgey brownies........All I can say is MMMMM!

Mini Brownie Mosaic Cheesecakes: (Brown Eyed Baker, adapted by me)

Makes 24

For the Brownies:

-4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

-2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

-2 cups sugar

-3 eggs

-1 tsp. vanilla

-1 cup sifted flour

OR:

-1 boxed brownie mix, plus ingredients called for on the box

(I have done it both ways and both of them turned out great.)

For the Crust:

-1 1/2 cups finely ground double chocolate oreos

-5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

-1/3 cup sugar

-1/8 tsp. salt

For the Cheesecake:

-3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

-4 large eggs

-1 tsp.vanilla

-1 cup sugar

To make the brownies, in a small saucepan, melt chocolate and 1 stick of butter over low heat, stirring until mixture is smooth. Let mixture cool completely. In a a large bowl, cream together the remaining one stick butter and the sugar, beating until mixture is light and fluffy.

Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each one. Stir in vanilla and the chocolate mixture. Add the flour and a pinch of salt. Stir until the mixture is well-blended. Pour into a greased 13x9-inch pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-40 minutes or until it pulls away slightly from sides and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with fudgey crumbs (do not overbake). Cool pan on wire rack. After the brownies have cooled completely, cut them into 3/4-1" squares for use in the cheesecake. Set aside 2 cups for the recipe, and will have many extra brownies left over.

For the Cheesecake:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 standard cupcake tins with paper liners (you will need 24). Stir together all the crust ingredients until well combined. Press 1 tablespoon crust mixture firmly into bottom of each lined cup. Bake until set, about 5 minutes. Transfer tins to a wire rack to cool.

2. For the cheesecake, beat the cream cheese in an electric mixture until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating on low speed, scraping down the bowl between additions. Add vanilla and sugar until well combined. Gently fold in the reserved 2 cups of brownie chunks.

3. Spoon 3 tablespoons filling over crust in each cup.

4. Bake, rotating pans halfway through until filling is set, about 22 minutes. Cool on wire racks completely. Refrigerate (in tins) at least 4 hours (or out of tins up to 5 days in airtight containers). Remove from tins just before serving.