Cheesecake Bites

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Bites
(adapted from Mom on Timeout's Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Mini Cheesecakes)

Ingredients - Graham Cracker Crust

1.5 cups graham crackers, crushed
6 T sugar
6 T butter, melted
1 bag mini Peanut Butter Cups

Preparation - Graham Cracker Crust
1. Spray a mini cupcake or bar baking pan with butter flavored cooking spray. Use a paper towel to soak up excess spray and make sure bottom and sides of pan are covered. 
2. In a medium sized bowl, stir the melted butter and sugar together until well blended.
3. Add the graham cracker crumbs and stir until combined.
4. Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of the pan. Top mixture with 1 (for mini cupcake pan) or 2 (for bar pan) mini peanut butter cups. Mixture makes enough crust for about 40 rounds or 24 bars.

Graham Cracker Crust with Mini Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients - Cheesecake Filling
2 packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

Preparation - Cheesecake Filling
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a stand mixer, beat cream cheese on medium-high speed for approximately 5 minutes, or until fluffy.
3. Add sugar, flour, and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix well.
5. Fill cupcake or bar pan 3/4 of the way full.
6. Bake approximately 20 minutes for a bar pan, or 12 minutes for a mini cupcake pan, or until cheesecake is set. Allow to cool completely in pan.

Cheesecake Filling

Cheesecake Bars awaiting their topping

Ingredients - Toppings
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
2 T shortening, divided
Mini peanut butter cups, chopped (optional)

Preparation - Toppings
1. Place peanut butter chips and 1 T shortening in a ziplock baggie. Microwave for 30 seconds, then knead together. Repeat. Snip small corner off baggie and squeeze over cheesecake.
2. Repeat step one with milk chocolate chips.
3. If desired, press chopped peanut butter cups into topping.

          

 Milky Way Dark Cheesecake Bites

Milky Way Dark Cheesecake Bite

If peanut butter cups aren't your thing, Milky Way Dark Cheesecake Bites are a good alternative! Simply replace the graham cracker crumbs in the recipe above with chocolate graham cracker crumbs and omit the peanut butter cups. In the cheesecake filling, after Step 4, stir in 1.5 cups (about 4 candy bars) of Milky Way Dark candy bars.Instead of the peanut butter and milk chocolate topping, I like to melt 1 cup Jif Mocha Hazelnut spread in a ziplock baggie (no shortening needed) for about 20 seconds in the microwave.  Snip off a small corner of the baggie and drizzle over the cheesecake bites. Top with chopped Milky Way Dark candy.

Enjoy!