Reese’s Peanut Butter Mini Cheesecakes

I will never tire of peanut butter desserts. Last weekend I had some of my girlfriends over for dinner and decided to make these for dessert. I made them the night before and stored them in an air-tight container in the fridge, then when they were needed I let them warm to room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving. You can also place them in the microwave straight out of the fridge for 10 seconds. This was also my first attempt at baking cheesecake, so I’m glad it wasn’t a disaster! The little cheesecakes came out of their wrappers easily and the crust held together well. They really are delicious!

Reese’s Peanut Butter Mini Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Reese’s miniature peanut butter cups
16 oz (2 8 oz packages) cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup Reese’s peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips
2 tsp shortening, divided

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place cupcake liners in a muffin pan.

2. In a small bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until crumbly. Using approximately 1 heaped tablespoon, spoon crust mixture into each of the cupcake liners. Press down firmly with the back of a teaspoon or with your finger.

3. Unwrap 12 Reese’s miniature peanut butter cups and place one on top of the crust in each cup.

4. Beat the cream cheese until it’s light and fluffy. Add the sugar, flour and vanilla and mix well. Beat in the eggs one ata time, until well blended.

5. Spoon the mixture into the pan, filling each cup about 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheesecakes are set.

6. Allow cheesecakes to cool completely, then combine one half of the shortening with the Reese’s peanut butter chips and melt in the microwave and spread over the cheesecakes. Do the same with the chocolate chips. You can also drizzle the chocolate over if you prefer.

*Tip: to prevent the tops of the cheesecakes from cracking, place the muffin tin inside a baking dish filled half-way with water to create a water bath.

Miniature Peanut Butter Cups sitting on top of a graham cracker crust

Ready for the oven