Caramel Peanut Butter Cheesecake

For the crust: Put the cookies in a gallon zipper bag, seal the bag and smash the cookies with a rolling pin until they’re reduced to fine crumbs. Combine them in a medium bowl with the melted butter. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of an 8-inch spring-form cake pan (a 9-inch will also work). Refrigerate until ready to bake.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

For the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and sour cream. Add the eggs, one at a time until thoroughly combined. Add the flour, vanilla, sugar and peanut butter. Continue to mix until everything is well blended, stopping to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl once or twice.

Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust. Place the spring-form pan on a large rimmed cookie sheet (the butter tends to melt out while baking and that’s no fun to clean up).

Bake at 375°F for 35-45 minutes, until the edges are golden brown. The center will still be slightly jiggly when done. Remove pan from oven. Cool cake in the pan on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before transferring to the fridge to cool overnight, or for at least 4 hours.

For the caramel peanut butter sauce: Combine all sauce ingredients in a large saucepan. Melt over medium low heat, stirring often, until everything is smooth.

When the cake is completely cooled, lather on a generous layer of caramel sauce. Reserve any leftover sauce to serve on top of the slices once the cake is cut.