Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake with a Brownie Crust

This recipe for a Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake with a Brownie Crust is altered from hugs and cookies xoxo to make it vegan but NOT low fat or whole food, but it is delicious and decadent!!!

Ingredients:
Brownie crust
½ cup of applesauce 1-¼ cup Sugar 1 Tablespoon Vanilla ½ cup aquafaba, liquid from canned white 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons gluten free Flour ⅓ cup Unsweetened Cacao ½ teaspoons Baking Powder ½ teaspoons Salt 1 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips
1 cup Peanut Butter 6 Vegan peanut butter cups, quartered

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan (must be about 3" tall or overflow problems!), line with a parchment round and butter the parchment. *Note, some people had trouble with a 9inch pan so you may want to try a 10 inch but mine worked perfectly in the 9 inch and many commented it worked fine for them, too. Just a heads up! Stir together applesauce, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Add aquafaba Stir in flour, cacao, baking powder and salt. Spread in prepared pan. Bake about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle on choc chips, peanut butter and the peanut butter cups. Lower oven to 325!!!!! Pour the cheesecake batter right on top (directions below)
Cheesecake batter 2 pounds vegan Cream Cheese, Soft 1 ¼ cup aquafaba 1 ½ cups Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed 1 cup creamy Peanut Butter ½ cups almond milk 1 Tablespoon Vanilla

Directions: Beat cream cheese in bowl with mixer until smooth. Add aquafaba, ¼ cup at a time. Add brown sugar, peanut butter and almond milk. Mix until smooth. Add vanilla. Pour filling into pan. Make sure you lowered oven to 325 at this point Wrap foil around springform sides and set in large roasting pan. Add hot water to roasting pan so it comes up 1 inch the sides of the pan. (You are making a water bath) Place entire roasting pan in the oven. Bake at 325 for 90 minutes. Let cool 1 hour. Run knife around edge and chill at least 4 hours.
Topping
¼ cup almond milk 1 cup Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips 7 Vegan Peanut Butter Cups, Cut In Half

Directions:
Microwave cream till hot. Add chips and let sit a minute. Whisk chips until melted and smooth. Drizzle all over the top reserving some. Use the reserved chocolate to dip the peanut butter cup halves into and stick them on the cake. Keep chilled!