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Oh, if there were any two words sweeter than “Snickers Cheesecake,” I can’t think of them right now.  All I can say that, after making this only once, it became a favorite.  How can you really go wrong with cheesecake with a chocolate crust and chunks of Snickers floating in there!?

I have been having a lot of fun playing with my Instant Pot brand pressure cooker, in case you couldn’t tell.  And, I have to admit that it does make certain things way better and easier than the traditional way.  Converting a “conventional” recipe into a pressure cooker recipe isn’t always intuitive, but cheesecake is an exception.  Practically any cheesecake recipe can be turned into a pressure cooker cheesecake with the proper adjustments to scale and cook time.  True, making cheesecake in a pressure cooker means you have to make a smaller cheesecake, but it’s not a big deal for someone that lives by themselves or hosts small dinner parties.  And, when you have something as decadent as a SNICKERS cheesecake, it’s much safer not to keep large quantities of it lying around the house.

Get your ingredients together.  It’s always best to start by having everything you need ready and available.

Mix the Oreos and butter together and press into your greased cheesecake pan.  I like to pre-bake my crust for 6-7 minutes at 350° in the oven, but this is not necessary.

To make the batter, cream the cream cheese and brown sugar until combined.  Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the sour cream and vanilla.  Once your batter comes together, fold in your chopped Snickers pieces and pour into your prepared cheesecake pan.

The water in your pressure cooker should be simmering before you put the cheesecake in.  Then, cook for 20-25 minutes and then natural release for 10-15 minutes.  Let the cheesecake cool in the pan completely, then refrigerate at least several hours before you remove from your pan.

So, it has a small crack, but we’ll fix that.

Note that I made enough crust to go all the way up the side of the cheesecake.  This was a bad idea, as the condensation from the pot made the outer rim of the crust soggy.  The recipe is adjusted to account for crust on the bottom only.

Melt some caramels on the stove with a little bit of milk or half and half, then pour over the cake.  Sprinkle with some salted peanuts.  Both of these are optional, but when has extra caramel EVER been a bad idea?

I learned the hard way that caramel covered cheesecakes don’t travel well.  So, if you’re not eating it at home, use less liquid when melting your caramels, or don’t pour the sauce over the cheesecake until you are ready to serve.Check out all of that delicious Snickers goodness!  Cheesecake alone is great, but Snickers Cheesecake is like a glimpse of heaven in every bite.  Note that you can also make this in the oven by doubling the ingredients and baking in a 9in springform pan.  Set your pan in a water bath and bake at 350° for about an hour to an hour and a half.

If you have a family member with a peanut allergy, try making this with Almond Snickers!

Pressure Cooker Snickers Cheesecake

(adapted from this recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 cup crushed Oreos
• 1 1/2 tbsp butter, melted
• 2 8oz packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped Snickers Baking Bites (about 1/2 of a 10oz bag)
• 1/2 bag (7oz) caramels, unwrapped (optional)
• 1-2 tbsp milk or half-and-half (optional)
• Salted peanuts (optional)

Directions

In a bowl, combine melted butter and Oreo crumbs until moistened through.  Press Oreo crumbs firmly on the bottom of a greased 7in cheesecake pan.  If you’d like, bake at 350° for 6-7 minutes before preparing the batter.  Add 1 cup of water to the liner of your electric pressure cooker and set to Saute/Brown setting.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well with each addition.  Add the sour cream and vanilla extract, and beat until just combined.  Fold in the Snickers pieces.

Pour batter into prepared cheesecake pan, then set the pan in your pressure cooker on a trivet over the simmering water (add a little bit more water if too much has evaporated).  Hit cancel, then seal the pressure cooker and cook on Manual (High pressure) for 20-25 minutes.  Allow the pressure to release naturally, which should take 10-15 minutes.  Remove the cheesecake from the pressure cooker and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.   Refrigerate at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight, before removing from the pan.

To make the optional topping, melt the caramels with the milk in a small saucepan over low to medium-low heat, stirring frequently.  When the caramel is completely melted, pour over the cheesecake, then sprinkly with salted peanuts.

Makes 1 7in cheesecake