Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

 Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

Makes 18 Servings

1 Slice: 380 Calories, 36g Fat, 5g Carbs, 10g Protein

For The Crust

1 ¼  cup almond flour

¼  cup cocoa powder

¼  cup Swerve Brown Sweetener or Erythritol

3 tbsp butter melted

For The Cheesecake

3 8-oz. Packages cream cheese, room temperature

1 Cup Brown Swerve or Erythritol

½  tsp. Salt

1 tbsp. Vanilla extract

4 large Eggs, room temperature

1 Cup Creamy peanut butter (NUTS and salt only)

¾  Cup Heavy cream

½  Cup Sour cream

For The Ganache

6 oz. Sugar Free Chocolate or Choczero chocolate squares

3/4 c. heavy cream

1/8 tsp. kosher salt

Directions

Crust:

1. 1.Preheat oven to 325F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, and sweetener. Stir in melted butter until well combined.
2. 2.Press mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, and then remove and allow to cool.

Cheesecake:

1. Make the Cheesecake: In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat cream cheese on medium, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until completely smooth, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Add sweetener and salt and beat, scraping down bowl as necessary, until smooth and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add vanilla and beat for 30 seconds. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition and occasionally scraping bottom and sides of bowl.
4. Add peanut butter, heavy cream, and sour cream and beat on low until completely smooth and streak-free, about 1 minute.
5. Pour cheesecake batter into cooled crust and smooth top.
6. Place cheesecake in deep roasting pan and set on middle rack of oven. Carefully pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come about halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake cheesecake until top is just starting to brown and crack, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Turn off oven, open the oven door, and let cheesecake slowly cool in water bath for 1 hour.
7. Remove roasting pan from oven, then carefully lift springform pan out of water. Set cheesecake on rack and let come to room temperature. Once completely cool, loosely cover cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate, 6 hours, or preferably overnight.

Chocolate Ganache:

1. Carefully remove sides of springform pan. Place chocolate in a clean, dry medium bowl. In a small saucepan, warm cream until just barely simmering. Pour cream over chocolate and let sit 10 minutes, then add salt and stir until smooth. Pour ganache over cheesecake, spreading it evenly and allowing some to drip down sides of cake. Put in the fridge or freezer to cool for 30-45 minutes until chilled and hardened.

**I made some homemade peanut buttercups for garnish but that is optional! See my Peanut butter cup recipe.**