Happy Wednesday Cupboard followers!

So here we are, in the middle month of fall and everything looks the way it should.  The foliage is flecked with variations of rust and gold, pumpkins flank the entrances to every door way, promotions of Fall Festivals at local schools leave us stammering to find the winning recipe for the bake sales…..and it’s 80 degrees outside!!!  I mean, really.  If it wasn’t for the aforementioned, you could have fooled me into believing we got a second chance at summer.

And as it is every year at this time, my calendar is flooded with birthdays of those closest to me.  Mom, Dad, boyfriend and cousins.  And if that’s not enough, I have the largest work event of my entire year right smack dab in the middle of it all.  It’s fine, I got this.  I may collapse at the end of this week, but not without baking a couple of birthday cakes to celebrate a few of my favorites.

First up, we have the boyfriend who loves cheesecake.  It’s not my first confection of choice, but when done correctly and with the right additives, it’s in the running for a close second. And with these rising temperatures outside, a cold and creamy cheesecake was fitting.  So, with flying back from my work adventures in Orlando only just Monday night, and needing to celebrate his birthday the very next day (because of course his true birthday was while I was away selling leafy greens) I knew I had to attempt the impossible.  Try to make a cheesecake with NO requirement of refrigerating over night, giving it the proper time to settle into the silky sweet treat that it is.  Oh how I do appreciate a challenge!

Thank goodness for Pinterest and a recipe I found months ago.  A recipe so easy, Carrie Bradshaw could have whipped it up herself, without having to remove any of her sweaters out of the oven.  Because you guessed it, this is a a No Bake Cheesecake!!! It only took 3 hours vs the normal 12 needed for your traditional New York style.  Add a little bit of peanut butter and A LOT of Ryan’s favorite Reese’s Pieces, and voila!  A cheesecake equal parts rich and creamy, salty and sweet, you’ll want to keep this one in the archives.  I know I will….

Happy Tastings,

Lauren

No Bake Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

Ingredients

For Peanut Butter Blondie Crust:

• 2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 2 eggs

For White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake:

• 12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 8 oz. container extra creamy whipped topping
• 2 – 4 oz. white chocolate baking bars, melted, cooled (I used Ghirardelli)
• 11 oz. bag miniature Reese’s peanut butter cups, unwrapped, whole

For Topping:

• 11 oz. bag miniature Reese’s peanut butter cups, unwrapped, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 oz. of a white chocolate baking bar, melted (I used Ghirardelli)
• 2 oz. of a milk or semisweet chocolate baking bar, melted (I used Ghirardelli here, too.)

Directions

Peanut Butter Blondie Crust:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, sugar, and eggs.
3. Spread evenly into the bottom of a very well-greased 8-inch spring form pan.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until edges are golden brown, and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
5. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.  Meanwhile, prepare cheesecake.

White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake:

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.
2. Add peanut butter, powdered sugar, and whipped topping, beating until smooth.
3. Beat in the 2 melted white chocolate bars in a slow stream.
4. With the cookie crust still in the pan, spread about a cup of the cheesecake mixture in a thin and even layer over the cooled peanut butter blondie crust.  This will act as the ‘glue’ for the Reese’s cups on this layer.
5. Arrange the one of the 11 oz. bags of whole Reese’s cups in a single layer, covering the entire surface of the crust.
6. Place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes so that the Reese’s cups firm and adhere to the crust. Also place the remaining cheesecake mixture in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. It will help to get it a little firmer, so that it will spread into a mound on the crust more easily.
7. Once chilled, remove both the crust and cheesecake mixture from the refrigerator.
8. Add remaining cheesecake mixture on top of the Reese’s cups layer in the springform pan.  Adding the layers while still in the pan will help to keep the layers even with each other.
9. Remove the spring form pan slowly.  Smooth around the edges of the cake with a butter knife or spatula, and make the cheesecake layer as even as possible.
10. Once the sides are even, wipe any excess cheesecake mixture off of the sides of the cookie layer with a damp paper towel.

For Topping:

1. Scatter the other 11 oz. chopped Reese’s cups on top of the cheesecake.
2. In a double broiler on a stove top, melt the last 2 oz. of white baking chocolate over medium heat, until thin and runny.  Drizzle it over the chopped Reese’s cups.
3. Repeat step 2 with the 2 oz. milk chocolate.
4. Return finished cake to the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours. Cut and serve!