Mini Butterfinger Cheesecakes ~ Small in size, big in flavor, this no-bake cheesecake is flecked with gold and is likely to produce to euphoric food high. Okay, I lie. It’s flecked with a sweet and salty combination of crushed Butterfingers and pretzels throughout the peanut butter cheesecake portion and is bottomed-out with a crust made of the same crushed combo.

Remember when I was on a run of these no-bake cheesecakes a year ago? I didn’t but I was reminded of that when one of my friends asked me to make these for her party. Then I remembered, “Oh, yeah, that was when I actually had a few minutes to spare.” Nowadays I’m stealing time from one task to use on an even more past due task . Needless to say, things in my personal life aren’t always met with the same timeliness as my professional life.

So while these may not produce a euphoric high, they will tempt your taste buds towards having seconds.

Anyhow, this request brought me back to my love for all things mini and decorated.

A few notes:

To make this recipe as mini cheesecakes I used this pan by Chicago Metallic. If you don’t have one, you can use a regular 8 inch cheesecake pan or use cupcake liners to keep with individual servings.

This can be fully assembled 1 day in advance. Keep covered for freshness.

Make sure to chill and set the cheesecake before pouring the warm chocolate glaze on top.

Butterfinger No-bake Cheesecake

Makes 10 two inch cheesecakes or one 8 inch cheesecake.

Ingredients:

Crust:

9 oz mini size butterfingers (about 24 mini size Butterfingers)

3 oz pretzels

Cheesecake:

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon powdered gelatin

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

8oz cream cheese, softened

¼ cup creamy peanut butter

1/3 cup sugar

Pinch of salt

½ cup Buttercup and Pretzel mixture

Chocolate Pouring Glaze:

2/3 cups dark chocolate

2 tablespoons heavy cream

4 tablespoons powdered sugar, sifted

4-5 tablespoons water, warm

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:

¼ cup cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons peanut butter

5 tablespoons powdered sugar

2-3 tablespoons whole milk

Instructions:

Crust:

1. Combine Butterfingers and pretzels in a food processor bowl or blender and process until finely ground. Measure out ½ cup Butterfinger and Pretzel mixture and set aside.

2. Press remaining mixture into pan and bake at 350 degrees F for about 7 minutes. Set aside to cool. (No need for butter the chocolate will melt and bind the crust together.)

Cheesecake:

Pour ¼ cup of cold water into a shallow, heat-proof bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over water and set aside for five minute until gelatin blooms. Place bowl of bloomed gelatin in microwave at 50% power and heat for 10 seconds. Mixture should be hot, but not steaming. Make sure mixture is liquidified and no lumps are visible. Set aside. Place heavy cream into a stand mixer bowl fitted with a whisk attachment and beat on high until medium peaks form. Set aside. Add cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, salt, Butterfinger and Pretzel mixture, in a bowl and beat until smooth. Add one tablespoon of gelatin into cream cheese mixture at a time and gently fold to combine. Add heavy cream mixture and fold to combine. Transfer mixture to a pastry bag and pipe into wells. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours to set or overnight for best result. For smooth and even sides, use an offset spatula and run it along the edge of the removable bottom, using that as a guide, continue all the way around the mini cake until you end up where you started.

Chocolate Pouring Glaze:

1. Place chocolate and heavy cream in a bowl over simmering water. Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes to melt without stirring. Then slowly stir mixture to combine. Add powdered sugar and mix to combine. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition until pouring consistency is reached. Set aside and let sauce cool to warm.

Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting:

1. Combine all ingredients and beat to combine.

TO ASSEMBLE:

1. Pour warm glaze on top of cheesecake and pipe a dollop of peanut butter cream cheese frosting on top. Return to fridge for an hour or until 20 minutes before serving.