Peanut Butter Cheesecake

My mom is visiting us for the month of July.  There goes the diet!  Her peanut butter cheesecake is out of this world!  The saltiness of the pretzel crust and the creamy peanut butter is the perfect combo!

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups crushed pretzels
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

• FILLING:
• 5 packages (8 ounces 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

Preparation:

• In a small bowl, combine pretzels and butter. Press onto the bottom and 1 in. up the sides of a greased 10-in. springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
• 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 the crust. Return pan to baking sheet.
• Bake at 350° for 50-55 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from the oven; let stand for 15 minutes (leave oven on).
• For topping, in a small bowl, combine the sour cream, peanut butter and sugar; spread over filling. Sprinkle with nuts. Bake 5 minutes longer.
• 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. Yield: 12-14 servings.