Friday, April 25, 2008

Snickers bar Cheesecake

So, this is another of the cheesecakes from my birthday bash, but the recipe was requested by my mom for Gustavo's graduation party. It's a really rich cheesecake, and it's one of the few I've ever had where I only need one slice. I tried to add a topping to my recipe to mimic that of a snickers bar, but you can do what you like. I love using the GF Homemade Oreo recipe for this, they're excellent!
Snickers Cheesecake

Yield: 12 Servings

CRUST
1 1/2 c crushed Oreo cookies (my gluten-free version, recipe here)
5 Tbsp unsalted butter; melted
3/4 c peanuts; dry-roasted, ground

Spray 9” springform pan. Combine cookie crumbs and butter, press onto bottom and up sides of pan. Chill while preparing filling.

FILLING
32 oz cream cheese; softened (I use 1 pkg full fat, and 3 Neufatchel cheese)
3 eggs
1 c sugar
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 c peanut butter; softened
15-16 fun sized Snickers Bar; in small dice


Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 300 F.

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar in large bowl until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until combined after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Fold in Snickers bar chunks.

Transfer filling to prepared crust. Place springform pan in oven. To prevent cracking, put a small baking pan with water in the oven with the springform pan. Bake until cheesecake puffs and edges crack slightly, about 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer cake to rack. Run small knife around sides of cake to loosen.
Cool completely.

Topping:

1 handful Kraft caramels
1-2 Tbsp whipping cream
½ c chopped dry roasted peanuts
½ c milk chocolate chips, melted

Melt handful of caramels with a few Tablespoons cream, when smooth, spread over top of cake. Sprinkle immediately with chopped peanuts. Melt chocolate chips in a baggie in the microwave. Cut small hole in corner of baggie and drizzle chocolate over top of cake. Cover cake with plastic wrap and chill cake overnight.

(Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.)

2 comments:

erikaone said...

are you sure Oreo cookies are gluten free?

Megan, John and kids said...

Oreo's that you buy in the store are certainly not gluten free, however, I have a recipe on the blog for a good copy of the cookies that IS gluten free.