Deliciously creamy peanut butter cheesecakes are baked on top of soft and chewy peanut butter cookie cups. Serve plain or topped with whipped cream, chocolate ganache, jelly, Reese's Cups, and tiny peanut butter cookies.
Place 20 cupcake liners in your cupcake pans and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Melt the butter in the microwave for 45-60 seconds on high power or on the stove over medium-low heat then pour it into a mixing bowl. Let it cool slightly.
Stir in the peanut butter, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth.
Pour in the eggs and vanilla and mix until well blended.
Let the cookie dough rest for 10 minutes.
Scoop out a little less than 2 tablespoons of dough and press it into a cupcake wrapper. Repeat, making a total of 20 peanut butter cookie cups.
Press the cookie dough down into the cupcake wrappers. They will fill about ⅓ of the cup.
Scoop out the remaining cookie dough into 20 very small (about 1 teaspoon) balls of dough. Set them on the parchment paper lined baking sheet and use a fork to flatten them in a cross-hatch pattern.
Bake the cookie cups for 10-12 minutes until the edges of the cookie cups turn golden brown.
Remove and let the cookies cool in the pan.
Bake the tiny peanut butter cookies for about 8 minutes until the edges look set.
Let the mini cookies cool completely.
Use a hand-held mixer, silicone spatula, or wooden spoon to beat the softened room-temperature cream cheese until smooth and creamy. If using a mixer, beat on low speed. You want to make sure there are no lumps remaining.
Add the peanut butter and beat (on low) until fluffy.
Sprinkle in the sugar and beat on low until smooth and creamy.
Pour in the lightly beaten eggs and vanilla and stir just until combined.
Finally, add the sour cream and stir just to incorporate.
Do not overmix or your cheesecakes will have lots of air bubbles.
Pour over the cooled peanut butter cookie cups.
Bake for 14-16 minutes until the edges of the cheesecakes look dry but the center still jiggles.
Remove and allow the cheesecakes to cool for 30 minutes in the pan. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, then remove them from the pan. This will make them a little more firm so they are easier to remove from the pan.
Before serving, add optional toppings like a swirl of whipped cream, a spoonful of chocolate ganache, jelly, or peanut butter, and chopped peanuts, Reese's Cups.
Add a tiny peanut butter cookie on top and serve.
Use room-temperature cream cheese, sour cream, and eggs. Set your cream cheese on the counter for at least 3 hours. Or, open the package and cut the cream cheese blocks into 8 slices. Separate them and allow them to sit at room temperature. They may be ready in an hour or so depending on the temperature in your kitchen.
Refrigerate your plain cheesecakes for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Add paper towels to the lid of your container to wick up moisture so your cheesecakes won't become wet and sticky.
The calorie count is approximate and it includes 20 cheesecakes and 20 tiny peanut butter cookies. Topping are not included.
Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes https://hungryhappenings.com/mini-peanut-butter-cheesecakes/