I am *NOT* a cheesecake fan. This may well be the only one I ever post on this blog. LOL. However, this combo of peanut butter and chocolate is just sinful. Yum Scrum!
Brownie Crust:
3 – (1 oz) unsweetened chocolate baking squares
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 (1 oz) bittersweet baking chocolate, finely chopped
Cheesecake Filling and Topping:
1 1/2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/3 cups creamy peanut butter
Sour Cream Topping:
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp granulated sugar
Stir together in small bowl until smooth
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Prepare Brownie Crust:
1) Grease and flour a 9″ spring form pan.
2) Preheat oven to 350. Microwave (on medium power) first 2 ingredients in small bowl 1 1/2 minutes or until melted, stirring ever 25-30 seconds.
Stir together flour, salt, and baking powder in small bowl.
3) Beat the 2 eggs and 1 cup of brown sugar with a hand mixer on high 3-4 minutes. It should then be in ribbon stage, meaning the batter comes off the beater in 1/2 wide “ribbons” at the top. Not too foamy, not too runny. Add the vanilla, the bittersweet chocolate, and melted chocolate mixture, and beat until just blended. Stir in flour mixture until combined, do not over mix.
4) Spread 1 cup of the brownie mixture on the bottom of the greased/floured spring form pan. Bake at 350 on center oven rack 13 minutes or until set. Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes. Freeze for 15 minutes. Remove from freezer. Spread remaining brownie batter up the sides of the pan to 1/4″ from the top, which will seal the batter to the bottom crust.
Prepare Filling:
1) Beat cream cheese and 1 cup brown sugar at medium speed in heavy duty stand mixer until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating each just until the yellow disappears after each addition. Beat in sour cream just until blended. Beat in peanut butter just until blended.
2) Pour filling into prepared crust. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until center is almost set.
3) Remove from oven. Spread Sour Cream Mixture over the center of the cheesecake, leaving a 2″ border around the edge. Bake at 350 for one more minute. Remove from oven, run knife gently around the edge to loosen from the spring form pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.
4) Cover and chill 8-12 hours. Remove sides of pan. To make chocolate curls, buy a good quality bar of chocolate. Refrigerate. Hold with a tea towel and use a melon baller or potato peeler to make curls. Top the cheesecake with chocolate curls.
5) Fill a decorating gun with 1/2 – 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter. Pipe with a rosette tip around the edges.
6) ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!