Cookbook Spotlight On Katie Lee Biegel's It's Not Complicated...Featuring: No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake #ABRAMSDinnerParty #katieleebiegel #cheesecake #dessert #peanutbutter #nobakedessert

It's time for another fun and delicious ABRAMS Dinner Party cookbook feature...and this one's definitely a keeper, folks! Katie Lee Biegel's -- who you likely recognize from her Food Network appearances -- latest cookbook It's Not Complicated features recipes that fit her new cooking motto: Things don’t need to be complicated to be good! This is definitely my type of cooking: recipes with simple ingredients and minimal kitchen time that yield flavorful dishes that appeal to a wide range of eaters. What can be better than that?!?!? I literally had a dozen recipes flagged to potentially feature for this post...including Brown Sugar and Sriracha Bacon, Lobster Cobb, and Sticky Soy-Ginger Garlic Chicken Thighs. I ultimately went with her No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake to serve for our Easter meal dessert. 

With just five ingredients you may already have in your kitchen, no oven required, and the ability to make ahead and chill overnight? This creamy cheesecake is a total kitchen win! We served slices of this dreamy cheesecake with a drizzle of chocolate syrup for a peanut butter cup flavor profile -- but this addition isn't part of Katie's original recipe. If you have peanut butter lovers in your family, this is a perfect dessert. It literally takes 15 minutes to assemble, then it chills in the fridge up to overnight. Then? Sit back and wait for the compliments to roll in!

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake

from It's Not Complicated

Ingredients (makes 8 servings):

• 1 cup (90 g) finely crushed peanut butter sandwich cookies (about 22 cookies), plus an additional 3 TBS. crushed cookies for garnish
• Two 8-ounce (226 g) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup (240 ml) creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup (65 g) confectioners' sugar
• 8-ounce (226 g) tub whipped topping
• Optional for drizzling on each slice before serving: chocolate syrup

Directions:

Step 1: Spray a 10-inch (25 cm) springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the crushed cookies into the bottom, using a metal measuring cup to firmly press the crumbs into an even layer. Freeze the crust for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and confectioners' sugar until fluffy -- about 5 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the whipped topping. Transfer the mixture to the springform pan. Use a spatula to smooth into an even layer.

Step 3: Top the cheesecake evenly with the remaining cookie crumbs. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 6 hours, until set -- overnight is perfectly fine too! To serve, remove the sides of the springform pan, cut into slices, and serve. If desired, drizzle chocolate sauce on slices before serving.

This cheesecake is a peanut butter lover's dream come true! It's super creamy and not overly sweet -- and the cookie base and crumble topping adds to the peanut butter flavor. The chocolate syrup is completely optional...but we really liked how it combined with the peanut butter. It's hard to believe that such big flavor can be achieved with just five ingredients, but tasting is believing!

This cheesecake is a perfect warm-weather dessert for warmer months...because who wants to turn the oven on when it's steaming hot outside? Not me! One small change I plan to make to this recipe going forward is to add 2-3 TBS. of melted butter to the cookie crumbs when making the crust to ensure it sets up nicely. Most of my crumb crust stayed in the springform pan instead of sticking to the cheesecake. No worries, though! I simply sprinkled the crumb crust as additional crumbs on top of each cheesecake slice before serving. 

Disclosure: I received a review copy of It's Not Complicated as part of the ABRAMS Dinner Party blogging group. All opinions stated in this article are solely  my own.