Peanut Brittle Cheesecake Desserts

By DOMESTICDIVA

Take a favorite holiday candy, combine it with sweetened cream cheese, roasted peanuts, shortbread and whipping cream, and you end up with this fun new holiday dessert. Make sure to bake it the day before you plan to serve it because it needs to refrigerate overnight before unmolding.

Ingredients

• CRUST
• 1 1/3 cup shortbread cookie crumbs*
• 3/4 cup chopped roasted salted peanuts
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• FILLING
• 8 oz. peanut brittle, divided
• 4 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 (8-oz.) container sour cream
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• TOPPING
• 2 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

Preparation

Step 1

1 Heat oven to 350ºF. Wrap outside of 10-inch springform pan with heavy-duty foil. Combine all crust ingredients except butter in small bowl; stir in butter with fork until blended. With lightly floured fingers, press into bottom of pan. Bake 15 minutes or until brown. Cool completely on wire rack.

2 Meanwhile, reserve about 1/2 cup (2 oz.) coarse pieces peanut brittle for garnish. Place remaining 6 oz. peanut brittle in heavy plastic bag; coarsely crush with flat side of meat mallet.

3 Beat 4 packages cream cheese and 1 1/4 cups sugar in large bowl at low speed 1 minute or until smooth. Beat in sour cream until combined. Beat in flour and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating just until blended. Stir in crushed peanut brittle; pour over crust.

4 Place springform pan in large shallow roasting or broiler pan. Add enough hot tap water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of springform pan.

5 Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until top is golden brown and dry to the touch and cracked. Center will ripple slightly when pan is tapped, but cheesecake will firm as it cools. (Topping will cover any cracks that form.) Remove pan from water bath; remove foil. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Refrigerate, uncovered, overnight.

6 Beat all topping ingredients except cream in medium bowl at low speed until blended. Increase speed to medium-low; slowly pour in cream. Increase speed to medium; beat until firm peaks form. Swirl topping over cheesecake; garnish with reserved 1/2 cup peanut brittle pieces. Store in refrigerator.

12 serving