Oreo Mini Cheesecakes

These cheesecakes were DELICIOUS and very, very simple.  The cheesecake mixture kind of softens the Oreos in the base of the cakes and the chunks inside of them, making it like you've just dipped them in milk. These didn't get to their intended recipients (unfortunately) but I'm thinking I'll make them again, next time with a Halloween theme to keep it interesting. 

Makes 24

• 36 Oreo, cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies, 24 left whole and 12 coarsely chopped (this is pretty flexible, if you want chunkier cheesecakes, add more chopped cookies.  I think I added close to 20)
• 2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1 cup sour cream
• Pinch of salt

1. Preheat oven to 275° F.  Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.  Place 1 whole Oreo cookie in the bottom of each lined muffin cup.
2. In the bowl a hand mixer, beat cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth, scraping down sides of the bowl as needed.  Gradually add the sugar, and beat until combined.  Beat in the vanilla.
3. Drizzle in eggs, a little at a time, beating to combine and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add in sour cream and salt, beat to combine.  Mix in chopped cookies.
4. Divide batter evenly among the cookie-filled muffin cups, fill each cup almost to the top.  Bake, rotating muffin tins halfway through, until the filling is set, about 22 to 28 minutes.  Transfer the muffins tins to a wire rack to cool completely.  Refrigerate (in the muffin tins) at least 4 hours (or overnight). Remove from tins just before serving.

Adapted from:  Grace's Sweet Life

Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie

Slightly more complicated than what I normally make, this pie turned out AWESOME.  It's a thin brownie bottom covered in a peanut butter, cream cheese and whip cream mousse.  The cream cheese gave it a more Reeses pieces type vibe, rather than the Reese cups I thought it was going to taste like. Either way, delicious!

Killer Peanut Butter Chocolate Pie

For the Brownies:
4 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1 stick butter, cut in cubes
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 fingered pinch of salt
1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour

Mousse:
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, (do NOT use natural or crunchy!)
4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp milk
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2/3 cup heavy whipping cream, very cold

For the Ganache:
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
15 ish Reese Peanut Butter cups, chopped (easier if you freeze them first)

Make the Brownies:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and spray the bottom of a 9" pan with cooking spray.
Place chocolate and butter in a double boiler until melted..
Add the eggs to a mixing bowl. Whisk. Next add the vanilla, salt, sugar and brown sugar to the bowl. Whisk thoroughly. Add the chocolate butter mixture then whisk again. Mix until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Place into a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted 3" from the edge of pan comes out with only a few crumbs. Remove from oven and cool completely ( I put it in the fridge for about a half hour)

Make the Mousse:
While the brownies are baking/cooling prepare the mousse.
Place the peanut butter, cream cheese, vanilla and milk into a large mixing bowl. Beat by hand or w/ an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar. Beat until smooth. Set aside.
Place whipping cream into a separate mixing bowl. Beat until whipped cream holds stiff peaks. This works best of the cream is COLD before mixing.
Working in four batches, gently fold the whipped cream into the peanut butter mixture to form a light, airy mousse. Don't overmix, or else the whip cream will deflate. Scrap the mousse into a piping bag w/ a large round tip or into a gallon-sized sealable plastic bag. Place the mousse into the fridge to chill for at least 1 hour before piping.

Assemble the pie
Remove the mousse from the fridge. Cut about 1/4 inch of the bottom corner off of the sealable plastic bad if you don't have a piping bag. The plastic bag will act as your piping bag. Evenly pipe the mousse over the brownie. Use all of the mousse. With a rubber spatula, smooth out and the top surface of the mousse. Place the brownie and mousse into the refrigerator. Chill for at least 30 minutes before finishing.

Make the Ganache
While the layered brownie and mousse are chilling, make the ganache. Place 1/3 cup whipping cream into a small sauce pan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Let chocolate and cream sit for about 3 minutes. Whisk until smooth and shiny. Leave at room temperature until ready to finish pie.

Finish the pie:
Remove the pie from the fridge. Sprinkle the chopped Reese's cups evenly over the top of the pie. Drizzle with ganache. This pie must be served chilled or the mousse will deflate. Pie may be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. It freezes well and can also be eaten straight from the freezer. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from: What We're Eating