Chocolate Drizzled Peanut Butter Cheesecake

This Chocolate Drizzled Peanut Butter Cheesecake recipe may look fancy, but it's strikingly simple to make. The classic cheesecake base of tangy cream cheese with a graham cracker crust gets an exciting new twist with the addition of REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips and HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Mildly Sweet Chocolate Chips. Both kinds of chips get melted down and incorporated into the cake to create that chocolate peanut butter flavor combination that's tough to beat.

Ingredients

3 packages

cream cheese (8 oz each), softened

3/4 cup

sugar

1 - 2/3 cups

REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips (10 oz pkg.)

1/4 cup

milk

4

eggs

1 tsp

vanilla extract

Graham Cracker Crust:

1 cup

graham cracker crumbs

3 Tbsps

sugar

3 Tbsps

butter or margarine, melted

Chocolate Drizzle:

1/4 cup

HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK Mildly Sweet Chocolate Chips or HERSHEY’S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1 - 1/2 tsps

shortening (do NOT use butter, margarine, spread or oil)

Directions

Prepare Graham Cracker Crust. Heat oven to 450°F.2

Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl on medium speed of mixer until smooth. Place peanut butter chips and milk in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at Medium (50%) 1 minute; stir. If necessary, microwave at Medium an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating, just until chips are melted when stirred.3

Add peanut butter chip mixture to cream cheese mixture, beating just until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over prepared Graham Cracker Crust. Bake 10 minutes.4

Reduce oven temperature to 250°F.; continue baking 40 minutes or until set. (Center will be soft but will set upon cooling). Remove from oven to wire rack. With knife, loosen cake from side of pan. Cool completely; remove side of pan. Prepare Chocolate Drizzle; drizzle over cheesecake. Refrigerate before serving. Cover; refrigerate leftover cheesecake.