Peanut Butter Truffle Cheesecake

Peanut Butter Truffle Cheesecake
Slightly Adapted from “In Katrina’s Kitchen” 

(Printable Recipe Here)

What you need:

1 pack of Oreos
1/4 cup butter, melted
5 (8oz) sticks of cream cheese
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon milk
2 cups powdered sugar
1 large tub of Cool Whip
1/2 bag of Chopped Reese’s Cups
1 cup heavy whipping cream (for whipped cream)
1/4 cup of powdered sugar (for whipped cream)

 What to do:

Place the bag of Reese’s Cups in the freezer 🙂 This will come in handy later 🙂

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Take a spring form pan and remove the bottom from the outside ring. Wrap the bottom circle in aluminum foil . And then re-assemble your spring form pan.

Pour your Oreos into a gallon size Ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin or whatever you have on hand, smash the Oreos into crumbs.

In a large bowl, mix by hand the crushed Oreos and melted butter together. Press into the bottom of your pan and up the sides.

Bake in your 350F oven for 10 minutes. Once baked for 10 minutes, remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Once your Oreo Crust is cooled, begin making your cheesecake.

In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar and 4 stick of the cream cheese.  Cream together for a few minutes until smooth.

Add the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl in between each egg.

Add heavy cream and vanilla.

Mix Well. (should look very smooth)
Pour cheesecake batter into prepared Oreo crust.

Now here is where the “water bath” comes in

Wrap the side and bottom of the spring form pan in aluminum foil. I tried to make a covering around the pan so that water couldn’t seep into the pan from the bottom.

Place the spring form pan into a larger pan. (I used a roasting pan)

Pour boiling water into the larger pan around the spring form pan until halfway up the side of the spring form pan.

Bake for 1 hour until the edges appear to be set.

Shake the cheesecake just a little, you should see that the sides are set but that the center will still have some jiggle to it.

Close the oven door, turn the oven off, and let the cheesecake rest in the cooling oven for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place on a cooling rack to cool completely.

Once the cheesecake is completely cooled, chill for at least 5 hours (I chilled mine overnight)

The next day or after the cheesecake has chilled for about 5 hours, its time to make the Peanut Butter Mousse!!

In the bowl of your stand mixer combine 1 (8oz) stick of cream cheese, the peanut butter and milk until smooth.

Slowly beat in powdered sugar 1 cup.

Fold in the Cool Whip with a spatula.
Spoon the mousse over the cheesecake then chill at least 3 hours.

Remove your peanut butter cups from the freezer, unwrap and coarsely chop. Place into a bowl and back into the freezer.

To make the homemade whipped cream:

1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 Cup powdered Sugar

What to do:

Chill your bowl and whisk in the freezer for about 15 mins.

Pour the heavy whipping cream into your cold medium mixing bowl. Add the powdered Sugar and start to whisk. (If you have a metal handle on your whisk and its to cold for you after removing from the freezer, wrap the whisk handle in a paper towel.)

NOW… WHISK…. and WHISK….and WHISK

I hand whisk it between 5-6 minutes.

The Whipped Cream will start to thicken. Once it thickens to the point of being able to pull the whisk up with peeks of whipped cream forming on the end of the whisk you know you’re done 🙂

Once your Whipped Cream is made, spoon it into a piping back fitted with your favorite piping tip.

Remove your cheesecake from the pan, and place onto a serving plate or cake stand.

Pour your chopped peanut butter cups into the center of your cheesecake and decorate with your homemade whipped cream!