Peanut Butter Brownie Cheesecake

My husband is obsessed with ice cream cake, and if ever asked about what kind of cake he would like, he will respond with ice cream.  Because ice cream cake is a very, very involved process I am reluctant to indulge him, even on his birthday.  Maybe he doesn't realize that ice cream cakes involves, well...making ice cream (multiple kinds), crusts and toppings.  We're talking days of work here.  I've done it once, and don't ever plan to do it again.  Instead I make him the next best thing, cheesecake!

Shane loves cheesecake!  Because it was his birthday at the end of February I had an excuse to make a peanut butter brownie cheesecake, which went over like peanut butter on a dog's nose, with a lot of slobbering and drooling, very exciting!  I think the best thing about cheesecakes is that they are made in advance, thus making day-of-party cooking much less stressful.  This cheesecake was divine.  The chocolate and peanut butter as always were a match made in baking heaven!  The recipe was easier than pie, whipped together without complication.  The brownie layer was rich and sweet, with enough contrast to be a crust.  The peanut butter cheesecake layer was creamy, smooth, and super peanut-y!  It was like a tangier, richer, more luscious peanut butter cup!  How can that be wrong?!

Baking notes:
-Be sure to use creamy peanut butter, the kind with all the salt, sugar and chemicals added to it, the results are so much better!
-I found the brownie layer to be a bit dry.  Next time I would bake it for about 12-14 minutes, so it was a little fudgier.
-The sour cream topping was weird, I don't think it added very much.  But since you'll have leftover sour cream anyways I would go ahead and do it.  Maybe it is there to keep the top of the cheesecake from getting a hard crusty layer overnight?

You can find the recipe for Peanut Butter Brownie Cheesecake on google.

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