Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Mini Cheesecakes

My hubby arrived home from work last night with 4 boxes of Girl Scout cookies.  Talk about testing my willpower and strength!  I have a serious weakness for chocolate and peanut butter, but decided to turn that weakness into creativity.

I had already planned to make my girls some chocolate cheesecake bars this weekend.  I knew I could do better, so I came up with these little cheesecakes.  I decided to add some peanut butter into the equation, and make them individual servings that can be eaten without a fork.  The bottom crust is a Girl Scout Peanut Butter Patty.

Rich chocolate cheesecake filling is on top of the cookie crust, and creamy peanut butter is swirled on top.  Then they are baked and cooled.  To make them look pretty and taste even more decadent, they are drizzled with melted chocolate and garnished with another piece of Peanut Butter Patty.

These little cheesecakes are a force to be reckoned with.  I did cheat just a little on my diet...I had to taste the other half of the one pictured so you could see the inside.  I also had to make sure it tasted good before posting the recipe.  My girls thought these were the best!  You might want to double the recipe as this only makes 10 muffin size cheesecakes, and they could be extremely addictive.  I'm still dreaming of eating my other half...

Ingredients:

10 Peanut Butter Patties, whole

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature ( I used 1/3 less fat)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

3 oz semi-sweet chocolate baking squares (3 squares), melted and cooled

1 egg

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (I used Jif reduced fat)

Garnish:

Melted semi-sweet chocolate

4 Peanut Butter Patties, quartered (you will have 2 quarters left over to snack on!)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Line a regular size cupcake/muffin tin with paper liners.  Place a Peanut Butter Patty in the bottom of each liner. 

In a large stand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract until sugar is smooth.  Melt the chocolate and let cool for a few minutes.  Turn the mixer on low and slowly add in the melted chocolate.  Add the egg and mix just until blended.  Use an ice cream scoop to fill each cookie coated liner 2/3 full.  

Microwave the peanut butter for 20 seconds and stir.  Place about a teaspoon of peanut butter in the middle of each chocolate cheesecake and use a toothpick to swirl.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, or just until set around the edges.  Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan to room temperature.  Refrigerate for 4 hours.  

When ready to eat, drizzle some melted chocolate over top and garnish with a quartered Peanut Butter Patty cookie.  Enjoy! 

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