'Phantom Menace' Peanut Butter Cheesecake

I've told you many times that I'm a geek. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I love all things geeky. So it stands to reason that I will be handing over more money to George Lucas when the 3-D version of 'The Phantom Menace' hits the big screen.

Next year when Episode ll: Attack of the Clones comes out, I will be secretly hoping that peering through the special glasses will change the fact that Padmé Amidala was in love with the whiny Anakin Skywalker. Why she doesn't want to jump into bed with the young, handsome Obi-Wan Kenobi played by Ewan McGregor is beyond me?

The pairing of sweet and salty, and cream and crunchy, plus peanut butter and chocolate is incredible. I added the additional topping of warm chocolate ganache.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups crushed pretzels
1/3 cup butter, melted Filling:
5 packages (8 ounce each) cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Topping:
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped unsalted peanuts

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine pretzels and butter. Press onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a greased 10 inch springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add peanut butter and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs; beat on low just until combined. Stir in chips. Pour over crust. Return pan to baking sheet.

3. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from the oven; let stand for 15 minutes (leave oven on).

4. For topping, in a small bowl, combine the sour cream, peanut butter and sugar; spread over the filling. sprinkle with nuts. Bake 5 minutes longer.

5. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan. Refrigerate leftovers. Serves: 12-14

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