Triple Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cheesecake

My husband always says, "No good deed goes unpunished."  Punishment was not what I had in mind when I made this peanut butter and chocolate delight for a very helpful neighbor. However, the following day I was informed that after eating just one slice, he had to retreat for a nap!

Triple Peanut Butter & Chocolate Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients

Crust

1 cup chocolate cookies, crushed

3 tablespoons butter, unsalted, melted

1 tablespoons sugar

Filling

2 packages 8 ounce cream cheese, room temperature

2/3 cup peanut butter, natural with salt and peanuts only

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 each eggs

1/4 cup sour cream

Topping

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips

chocolate ganache (recipe follows)

Directions:

Crust

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Blend first three ingredients and press firmly into a 7-inch springform pan.

Cheesecake

Beat cream cheese and peanut butter for 3 minutes.  Add both sugars; beat 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla, then eggs, one at a time; then sour cream.  Pour into prepared pan. Bake 50 - 60 minutes or until barely firm - center should still be shaky.  Turn off oven; leaving door ajar, cool for 1 hour.  Remove from oven and cool completely in pan. Chill in fridge overnight or at least 8 hours.
Topping

Remove the side the of springform pan.  Halve the peanut butter cups and arrange over cheesecake, followed by peanut butter chips.  Drizzle with chocolate ganache (recipe follows).

Chocolate Ganache Recipe

8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon cognac or brandy (optional)

Place the chopped chocolate in a medium sized stainless steel bowl. Set aside. Heat the cream in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir with a whisk until smooth. If desired, add the liqueur.  Allow to cool until slightly thickened; then pour over prepared cheesecake.

                         

                                                                                                         

Double Chocolate Cupcakes

This is the time of year I really miss my hometown - Chicago.  I don’t know of any other city that celebrates St. Patrick’s Day the way Chicago does.  Heck, we even dye the Chicago River green to celebrate the occasion.   And if that isn’t cool enough, all of the local draft beer is served green on that day.  What a town!  Although I am seldom there anymore to join in the festivities,  every year I try to create a little bit of the ‘spirit’ for myself and nearby family and friends.  So what does chocolate have to do with St. Patrick’s Day, you ask?  Well, according to the Chocolate Manufacturers Association, Ireland has the third largest consumption rate of chocolate in the world.  Works for me.  So, to help set the mood this year I decided to make these Double Chocolate cupcakes.  

Happy St. Pat’s Day!


Double Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe
Ingredients:
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1-1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1-1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract


Chocolate Frosting:
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract


Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a small bowl stir until smooth the boiling hot water and the cocoa powder. Let cool to room temperature. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Then in the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat only until incorporated. Then add the cooled cocoa mixture and stir until smooth.

Fill each muffin cup about two-thirds full with batter and bake for about 16 - 20 minutes or until risen, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean. (Do not over bake or the cupcakes will be dry.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, frost with icing. You can either spread the frosting on the cupcakes with a small spatula or if piping, use a large Wilton 1M open star tip to make lovely swirls. These cupcakes are best the day they are made, but can be covered and stored for a few days.

Chocolate Frosting: 
Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy (about 1 minute). Add the sugar and beat until it is light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the chocolate and beat on low speed until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until frosting is smooth and glossy (about 2 -3 minutes).
Makes 24 cupcakes.