These delicious mini cheesecakes combine chocolate and peanut butter.
Use plain or chocolate graham crackers for the crust, and make them in a
mini cheesecake pan with removable bottoms or lined muffin cups. I have
used both lined muffin tins and a mini cheesecake pan, and both worked
well.
Ingredients
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs, plain or chocolate
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into small pieces
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
Preparation
Heat oven to 375°. Lightly spray a mini cheesecake pan with baking
spray or line a standard muffin pan with foil liners or double paper
liners.
Combine graham crackers with brown sugar and melted
butter. Pat into the bottom of lined muffin cups or mini cheesecake
pans, about 1 1/2 tablespoons in each cup. A small glass bottom, a
pestle, or other tool will make tamping easier. Bake for 5 minutes; set
aside.
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy; beat in sugar and then the eggs and milk. Beat in vanilla just until blended.
Melt chocolate in a bowl or double boiler insert over simmering water.
Put
about 1/3 the cream cheese batter in a separate bowl; stir in peanut
butter until blended. To the other half of the cream cheese, add the
melted chocolate.
Spoon about 1 heaping tablespoon of the peanut
butter batter into each muffin or mini cheesecake cup. Spoon about 1 1/2
to 2 teaspoons of the chocolate batter over the peanut butter batter.
Gently swirl the chocolate batter into the peanut butter batter with a
toothpick or small spatula.
Bake for 20 to 24 minutes, or until set. Cool in pan on a rack then chill thoroughly before removing from cheesecake pan.
Makes about 24 mini cheesecakes.
By Diana Rattray
Southern Food Expert, about.com
