Cheesecake Anyone?

I have tried and failed many a time making Cheesecake. I stumbled across a recipe from Paula Dean for Peanut Butter Cheesecake Minis from the Foodnetwork.com. Being a bit lazy and not having enough graham crackers... I improvised. I bought a Keebler Ready Crust Graham yesterday thinking I'd make an Ice Cream Pie or something. (I didn't) So I decided to make a Peanut Butter Cheesecake with it instead.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

One Graham Keebler Ready Crust
9 Reese's Peanut Butter cups
(2 of them cut into pie shaped thirds)
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 cup flour
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
Hershey's Syrup for decoration

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Take plastic cover/lid off crust. Place Peanut Butter cups upside down on crust. Six to go around and one in the middle. Use the thirds and wedge them between the six cups forming a circle around the inside of the pie crust. (Hopefully that makes sense.) Set Aside.

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add sugar, flour, cinnamon, and vanilla, mixing well after each addition. Add egg and mix until well incorporated.

Spoon cream cheese mixture over PB cups and make sure to cover exposed graham cracker crust. Bake until set approximately 20-25 minutes. Cool completely. When ready to serve cut pieces and drizzle Hershey's Syrup on top.

While at the market I saw the OREO Ready Crust on the top shelf of the Ready Crust section. Didn't buy one, but had fun trying to figure out what I could use it for. Below is a rich chocolaty fantasy come true!

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake

One OREO Ready Crust
7 Oreo cookies
1 (8 oz) package Cream Cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 cup flour
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 egg
2 OREO cookies (crumbled)
1 tub of Cool-whip

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove plastic cover/lid from crust. Set aside.

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add sugar, flour and almond extract, mixing well after each addition. Add egg and mix until well incorporated.

Spoon a third of the cream cheese mixture onto the bottom of OREO crust. Place six of the cookies around and place one in the center. Pour the remaining cream cheese mixture on top of the cookies.

Sprinkle OREO crumbles on top of cheesecake. Place cheesecake in the oven and bake until set, 20-25 minutes. Cool completely. Cut and serve with Cool-whip.

Possible Variations

Substitute Peanut Butter cups or cookies and use either crust mentioned above...

2 Butterfinger bars broken into chunks
2 Heath bars broken into bits
1 Snicker's Bar sliced into 1/4 inch pieces

While at the market I also noticed a Shortbread Ready crust... After deciding to use Ready Crusts for Cheesecake for an easy way, I thought about that one and decided it would be really yummy with a fruit topping so here goes!

Strawberry Topped Cheesecake

One Shortbread Ready Crust
1 (8 oz) package cream Cheese at room temp.
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 cup flour
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 egg

1 pound fresh Strawberries cleaned, quartered and sugared a bit (keep in 'fridge)

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Take plastic cover/lid off crust. Set aside.

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add sugar, flour, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Mix well after each addition. Add egg and mix until incorporated. Spoon cream cheese mixture over crust. Bake until set 20-25 minutes. Cool completely. Refrigerate. When ready to serve, cut and top cheesecake with fresh cut strawberries. Enjoy!

***Made and tried the Peanut Butter Cheesecake tonight. It was really good. My boyfriend and my Dad enjoyed it!