No Bake Candy Monster Cheesecake

We celebrated 3/4 of our family birthdays the week of Christmas. Since the girls have gotten older, they are over the pre-made bakery cakes with the cutesy characters decorated on them. Because we are a huge cheesecake loving family, they now request that I make cheesecake for every birthday.

I made a Dulce de Leche Cheesecake for Cinco de Mayo last year that caused a huge fight between the girls. I hardly ever see Mariah mad, but the girl was fuming when she came home from school and realized that Allison ate the last slice. Here's how it went down:

Mariah: What happened to the cheesecake?
Allison: I ate it.
Mariah: I've been wanting that all day. I was going to come home and split it with you!
Allison: I'm so sorry! How about I make you a smoothie? What kind would you like?
Mariah: Cheesecake.

Almost 8 months later, Mariah still hasn't gotten over the incident, so I told Allison to pick a cheesecake recipe from the same cookbook for her birthday this year and make sure that her sister got her fair share of the pie. After much debate, she settled for a Candy Filled Monster Cheesecake.

This cheesecake is a sweet tooth's dream. It has a peanut butter oatmeal crust, a chocolate chip cheese cake center, and topped off with candy coated chocolates. Totally drool worthy!

Mariah is still being stubborn, insisting that the Dulce de Leche cake was better, but she sure didn't hold back when it came to serving sizes. I'm pretty sure she made up for the lost cheesecake slice by dipping into this cake every day until it was gone.

Author: Theresa M

 

No Bake Candy Monster Cheesecake

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

 For the Crust: 

• 8 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups old-fashioned quick oats
• 3/4 cup candy coated chocolates (such as M&M's)
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips  

 For the Filling

      •  1½ cups + 2tbsp heavy whipping cream, divided

      •  3/4 cup powdered sugar

      •  12 ounces cream cheese, softened

      •  1/4 cup granulated sugar

      •  1 tsp vanilla extract

      •  1 cup mini chocolate chips

 
For The Topping

• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tbsp melted semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup candy coated chocolates (such as M&M's)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. For the crust, line the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease the edges of the spring form pan with cooking spray, wiping excess off with a paper towel. 
2. Soften the butter in the microwave for 10 seconds. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the softened butter, sugar and brown sugar. Beat at medium speed until well combined. Add the peanut butter and mix until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Once combined, add the vanilla extract, mixing until the flour is just incorporated. Slowly add the oats, one cup at a time. The dough will thicken, but continue to mix until combined. Fold in the candy coated chocolates and mini chocolate chips with your hands or spatula so you do not crush the candies. Press the cookie dough mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan to form the crust.
3. For the cheesecake: Place a mixing bowl and the whip attachment in the freezer for 10 minutes to chill. Pour 1 and 1/2 cup of the heavy whipping cream into the chilled bowl and beat with the chilled whisk on medium-high speed until the cream starts to turn bubbly. Slowly add in the powder sugar and continue beating on high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside. 
4. Beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes until it is light and fluffy. Slowly add the sugar into the cream cheese while beating the mixture. Add the remaining 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract. Beat until the filling is smooth and creamy, scraping sides of bowls as needed. Fold the mini chocolate chips into the mixture. Slowly add the prepared whip cream to the mixture, folding over and over with a spatula until well combined. Pour the filling into the prepared crust, smoothing the top with a spatula. Run a flat edge knife around the cheesecake to loosen it from the side of the pan before placing into the refrigerator to. Cover with foil and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours. 
5. For the topping, combine whipping cream and powder sugar as you did before to form a second batch of whipped cream. Remove the cheesecake from the spring form pan and using a star tip, pipe on decorative swirls to the top of the cake. Microwave the semi-sweet chocolate in 30 second increments until melted. Drizzle over the top of the cake and swirls. Finish the cake off by pouring the candy coated chocolate over the top of the cheesecake. 
6. Serve. Store any unused cheesecake in the refrigerator. 

Original Recipe adapted from No-Bake Treats by Julianne Bayer

http://www.theresasmixednuts.com/2018/01/no-bake-candy-monster-cheesecake.html

This monster candy cheesecake will be a hit at any birthday party.  It's colorful, fun, and best of all, delicious!

What's your favorite kind of cake to have on your birthday?