Ingredients
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CRUST: 1 pkg. 11 oz. Nilla Chocolate wafer cookies, pound to little bits in a Baggie, then crush fine in a blender. 1/3 cup peanut butter 5 Tbsp butter, melted 4 Tbsp brown sugar 6 pkgs. 1.8 oz. Peanut Butter Cups (= 12 peanut cups) cut in half, then 4th's Vegetable spray FILLING: 4 8 oz. pkgs cream cheese, room temperature 1 cup white sugar 4 large eggs at room temperature 3 Tbsp flour 1/3 cup milk at room temperature 1 1/2 tsp vanilla 4 pkgs of Peanut Butter Cups (= 8 peanut cups), or more, cut as above to be used as garnish for top of cheesecake; put in small bowl and refrigerate. Optional: 1 cup heavy cream, whipped stiff with 1 Tbsp sugar and 1 Tbsp vanilla for garnishment on each slice.
Procedure
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For Crust: With a large serving fork mix crumbs and brown sugar together; add melted
butter and peanut butter and mix well. Spray pan with vegetable spray and
press mixture into bottom and 2/3 up sides of 9" springform pan using your
large serving spoon to press the mixture firmly; sprinkle Peanut Butter Cup
pieces over the chocolate crust. Put in freezer while doing filling.
Preheat oven to 425F. Put water bath on bottom rack of oven (its an 8x14x3
pan filled 2-3" with water); put other rack in the middle of the oven for the
cheesecake. It should not crack.
In a large bowl beat together cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on
medium speed until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time,
beating well after each addition. Beat in flour, milk and vanilla. Beat until
well blended. Take crust out of freezer and carefully pour batter over all;
spread evenly. Bake 15 minutes on 425* oven; reduce oven temperature to 250*
and bake 40-50 minutes longer, or until edges are set and cake jiggles only
slightly in center. Cool cheesecake for 10 minutes, then put pieces of Peanut
Butter Cups on top, wait a minute to melt, then use knife to squish it. Let
cheesecake cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled. To slice
cheesecake easier, put cake slicer in a tall glass filled with hot water, the
heat and water makes it slice like butter.
