I've been wanting to make a cheesecake version of the peanut butter pretzel balls for a long time. I volunteered to make a dessert for a family party a few weeks ago, and the guest of honor happens to love peanut butter and chocolate, so I decided it was time to attempt the cheesecake. (Dun, dun, DUN.)
I knew I wanted a pretzel crust. I envisioned a peanut butter cheesecake with chocolate on top, and maybe mini chips mixed in. I'm not an expert at cheesecake composition, so I consulted the internet recipe treasure trove for a peanut butter cheesecake recipe. The winner was this Ruggles Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake recipe from Peggy Lynn on Food.com.
I altered the recipe by using pretzels instead of Oreos for the crust, subtracting one egg (from prior experience, I've found that one egg per 8oz package of cream cheese is sufficient), letting it cook for closer to two hours, and replacing the sour cream topping with chocolate ganache. (I did not bake the ganache—I poured it on after the cheesecake had cooled a bit.) I topped it with extra chopped peanut butter cups.
Um, yeah. It was amazing.
It smelled amazing while it was baking, and it tasted just as good. I could have easily eaten the whole thing by myself, though it was rich, so it would have taken me a few days. But I'd commit to it—I'd eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. These sacrifices make me a better person.
What's your favorite cheesecake?
