Decadent Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate Caramel Ripple Cheesecake
Why I Love This Recipe
Ingredients You'll Need
Crust:
2-3 c. chocolate wafer cookies, crushed finely (I like a lotta crust)
1/2 c. salted butter, melted + butter for greasing pan(s)
Cheesecake:
2 lbs. cream cheese, softened
1 1/3 c. white granulated sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 c. sour cream
1/3 c. whipping cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. peanut butter
10 mini Butterfinger bites, crushed in food processor
1/2 jar of store bought butterscotch-caramel ice cream topping
3.5 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, melted
Directions
Either crush the wafer cookies in a food processor or put the wafers in a large ziplock bag and beat the bejesus out of them with a heavy rolling pin, such as I did. =) Set aside.
Repeat process with the mini Butterfinger bars, crushing them as finely as you'd like - I went for a very fine texture.
Preheat the oven to 350º F. Place a rack in the middle of the oven. Grease 11" springform pan with butter. Double layer foil wrap the bottom of the pan.
Mix the crushed wafer cookies with the melted butter and press into the bottom and up the sides of your springform pan. Set aside.
Blend the cream cheese until it's creamy.
Gradually add the sugar.
Add eggs, one at a time, and only blend until each egg is incorporated.
Add the sour cream, whipping cream and vanilla.
Remove 1 1/2 c. of the cream cheese mixture and set aside in a bowl. Add the peanut butter to the original mixture and blend until incorporated. Add the crushed Butterfinger bites.
Blend the melted chocolate into the reserved 1 1/2 c. batter and then spread evenly over the cookie crust.
Pour the peanut butter batter over the chocolate layer and spread evenly.
Dollop the butterscotch-caramel sauce over the top and then using a toothpick or the tip of a thin knife, swirl the sauce into the batter.
Place the springform pan into roasting pan then fill the roasting pan with 1 1/2 - 2 inches of hot water.
Carefully place roasting pan onto middle rack and bake for 1 hour, 5 minutes or until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Be careful to not over bake.
Cool the cake at room temperature for about an hour, then using a very thin knife, run along the edges of cake to loosen it from the springform pan. Remove the ring of the springform and place cake on dish or serving platter and chill over night.
