Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Reeses Cheesecakes

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One of my goals of 2015 was to expand my cheesecake repertoire. Another one of my 2015 resolutions was to practice portion control with my food. Here’s a simple mathematical equation to sum up what the end result of my 2015 looked like:

Cheesecake + Portion Control = Mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Reese’s Cheesecakes

The math totally checks out, right? (If it doesn’t, please don’t tell me. After all, ignorance is bliss, they say.)

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I’m not quite sure what 2016 will have in store for me, but I’m thinking that it will have a lot of mini desserts. In fact, I have my next mini dessert baking in the oven right now. Maybe 2017 will be the year that I stop pretending mini desserts are healthy. I really can’t look that far ahead.

What is so great about these fun-sized cheesecakes? Maybe it’s the Oreo cookie crust. It could be the creamy peanut butter cheesecake filling. Possibly, it’s the chocolate ganache. And it definitely has something to do with the Reese’s cup topping.

Layer these ingredients together, bake them at 325 degrees F, and you get the perfect, fun-sized dessert.

Are you looking to diversify your cheesecake skills while pretending to be health-conscious? Here’s how you do it:

Recipe

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 cup of Oreo cookies, crushed
  • 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

Cheesecake Filling

  • 2 bars of Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup of peanut butter
  • 2/3 cup of powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla
  • 2 eggs

Ganache Topping

  • 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 4 Reese’s peanut butter cups, chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners.

In a bowl, mix together the Oreo crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Divide the mixture into the cupcake liners and press onto the bottom. Bake for 10 minutes, and set aside.

In a large stand mixer or mixing bowl, mix together cream cheese, peanut butter, powdered sugar and vanilla on medium speed until well-combined. Beat in the 2 eggs, one-by-one, until combined. Do not over mix- this results in cracks in the cheesecake. Spoon the cheesecake filling evenly over the cooled crusts. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out nearly clean.

In a small sauce pan, heat the chocolate over medium heat, until melted. Stir in the heavy cream, whisking as you pour. Spoon the ganache over the tops of the cheesecakes. Sprinkle to chopped Reese’s cups over the top of the ganache. Store the cheesecakes in the refrigerator, cooling for one hour before serving.

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Enjoy!

 

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