Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Brittle

Peanut butter is best known as a spread, but savvy chefs know it's a far more capable and versatile ingredient in both sweet and savoury dishes. Popular among diners of all ages, it can be used on menus for lunch, dinner, dessert and snacks, as well as breakfast.

Ingredients

No of servings

175g granita biscuits

80g Dairy Farmers Unsalted Butter, melted

¾ cup Bega Crunchy Peanut Butter

500g Dairy Farmers Cream Cheese, at room temperature

2/3 cup caster sugar

3 tablespoons gelatin dissolved in ¼ cup boiling water

300ml Dairy Farmers Thickened Cream, whipped to soft peaks

1 tsp vanilla extract

Caramel Brittle

1½ cups roasted, unsalted peanuts

1½ cups caster sugar

50g Dairy Farmers Unsalted Butter, chopped

½ tsp salt flakes

100g caramel popcorn

Caramel Sauce

75g Dairy Farmers butter

¼ cup brown sugar

2 tbsp milk

Methods

Step 01.

Crush biscuits in a food processor to a fine crumb. Transfer to a medium sized bowl and mix in the butter. Press evenly into a 20cm springform cake tin and refrigerate for 30- 45 minutes until set firm.

Step 02.

Warm the peanut butter slightly in a microwave (or over a double boiler) until just softened.
Beat cream cheese and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in gelatin mixture, vanilla extract and peanut butter until combined. Fold in thickened cream.

Step 03.

Spoon over the chilled biscuit base, and using a spatula, smooth down the top evenly. Refrigerate for 4 ½ hours or overnight.

Step 04.

To make the brittle, spread the peanuts out on one layer on a flat baking tray lined with baking paper and set aside. Heat the sugar with ½ cup water in a medium saucepan over high heat. Stir with a metal spoon until sugar has dissolved then stop stirring and cook for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Remove from heat and stir the butter through until well combined.

Step 05.

Pour hot caramel over the peanuts, sprinkle with sea salt and allow to cool on a cold surface for 15 minutes until set hard. Break into chards.

Step 06.

To make the caramel sauce, melt the butter over low heat in a pan. Add the brown sugar and mix until dissolved. Add the milk and stir until smooth. If the caramel is too thick, add a teaspoon more milk. Allow to cool.