An adventure in peanut butter…

crust-
10 peanut butter cookies
1/4 c. ground peanuts
1/4 c. unsalted butter

 preheat oven to 350.
Butter the bottom and sides of a spring form pan.
Crumble cookies, mix with ground peanuts.
melt butter and add to the gooey mess.
Press down, onto the bottom of the spring form pan.
Bake for 12 minutes.
It should look like a giant, golden, buttery cookie.
Let cool.

 Batter:
24 oz. room temperature cream cheese.
1 c. sugar
1 c. half and half
3 whole eggs (the picture of two is misleading. sorry)
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. vanilla
2/3 c. creamy peanut butter

with an electric mixer, mix the cream cheese until it’s smooth and well whipped.
Add sugar and beat until smooth, scraping the sides of bowl when needed.
Mix in half and half.
When well mixed, add the eggs- one at a time- beating for a full minute between.
Mix in lemon and vanilla and mix until smooth.
Add peanut butter and mix until well incorporated.
{Coolest thing about cheesecake. You can’t over aerate it.}

 Meanwhile, wrap your pan WELL in foil. You want it tight, with no possible water breaches from the water bath.
Fill your kettle and boil.
Get your deep roasting pan ready, you’re almost done!

 poor your heavenly, peanut butter batter onto your crust.

 Place it in the roaster and surround your pan with the boiling water.

 Place it in the center of your oven and bake for 60 minutes.
Then, turn your oven off and prop the door open with a wooden spoon for 90 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely. (important)
After that refrigerate overnight. (the longer the better, so I recommend about 8 hours at least.)

I simply sliced bananas on top and made a quick nutella sauce to drizzle. Very easy. topped with a few chopped up peanuts.
(And I am so sorry about the final photos being crummy iPhone shots. i forgot my camera on delivery)