Tasty Tuesdays: Double Peanut Butter Cheesecake

As promised, today I'm posting the peanut butter cheesecake recipe that I whipped up last week. Please note, this is for peanut butter lovers only. It has a strong taste, but it's not overpowering. Consider this a warning though, you probably will want to eat more than one piece... Everyone I gave some to at work seemed to enjoy it & I got an "It's good" at home. Licking the bowl/spoon was a spiritual experience... Ha.

I used light cream cheese & light cool whip, because to me they taste the same. If you prefer the full-fat versions, I'm sure they would sub in fine. Or, feel free to sub in light peanut butter if you want an even lighter treat.

Here's what you need:

Most of the ingredients to make a little "piece of heaven" (get it?)

1     pre-made graham cracker crust (or make your own if you've got the time)
2 pkgs     light cream cheese

4-6 tbps     brown sugar
~1/4 c     peanut butter
1/2 c     Reese peanut butter Chipits
cool whip (as needed)

How to do it up:

1. If you want to pre-bake your crust follow the instructions on the lid. Otherwise, go to step 2.
2. Heat up both cream cheese packages by opening them and placing the blocks on a plate. Microwave for 30 seconds, check them and then heat again for 20-30 more seconds if needed.
3. Plop the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. Add brown sugar a couple tablespoons at a time, creaming the mixture together well. Add the peanut butter. (Have a taste to see if more sugar is needed. If so add one tbsp at a time.)

4. Add the peanut butter chips and mix to evenly distribute them.

5. Scoop the mixture into the center of the graham cracker crust and spread gently outward toward the edges. Don't worry if the crust breaks up a bit, the mixture should hold it together.

6. Refrigerate until set, if you can wait that long... If not, top with a dollop of whipped cream and indulge yourself!

And the result is a cheesecake that's creamy, nutty and decadent but light. FYI this recipe was inspired by many others I've seen linked to on Tastespotting but I came up with a modified recipe that was more simple and (a little) less sweet. Let me know if you give it a try!

*What's your favorite PB recipe? Tell me in the comments!


xo Janelle

2 ingredient "Cheesecake" in a pinch

Okay, well it's not really cheesecake, because there's no cheese in it. But it's got that similar sweet yet tangy taste to it and it definitely does the trick when you don't have the ingredients (or time!) to make cheesecake. I was craving something sweet last night. I didn't want fruit and I didn't have any chocolate, so this concoction came to be. I used to love putting fruit & granola on my yogurt, or even cereal but I got this idea from my habit of dipping graham crackers in applesauce or yogurt. Hope you like it!

All you need is Activia sweetened plain yogurt & graham crackers. You can't go wrong with only 2 ingredients! Pour the yogurt in a bowl & crumble some graham crackers on top. That's it. Eat up!

* I imagine this would also taste delicious with other types of yogurt too. If you want to add something to take it up a notch, try adding frozen blueberries or drained canned peaches.


xo Janelle