Pies and cakes

Last night was a housewarming and birthday gather, for which I prepared a peanut butter chocolate ship cheesecake and some mini key lime pies. The key lime pie recipe I used was from the bottle of Nellie and Joe's Famous Key West Lime Juice. I had been trying to determine how to make the mini key lime pies w/ a dark chocolate crust, similar to something like a Reese's peanut butter cup. However, since I could not determine how to do that, I decided to use a graham cracker crumb crust and simply dip some of the mini key lime pies in dark chocolate.



Having not made a cheesecake before, I was quite nervous to bring my first attempt to a party w/out having tried it. After searching online for a tastey cheesecake recipe, I decided to attempt a peanut butter chocolate chip cheesecake. During the creation, I had some suspicion that it may have been a failed attempt, but after further inspection the following morning, the cheesecake looked intact and edible. I decided to add a dark chocolate topping w/ some sprinkled peanuts, which gave the cake a more finished looked.



Most importantly it was well received at the party. Always the conscious baker, I was pumping people for their comments and suggestions for the cheesecake. The hint of cinnamon in the crust was mentioned to add a nice flavor to the ensemble and the cake was commented as a little rich, but nor too 'cheesecakey'. There didn't seem to be any negative comments, which is always a good sign.