Fruity Pebbles Cheesecake!

We have our annual summer company picnic this week at work, and I usually participate in the bake-off.  Last year I made my beer bread, which ended up tasty, but this year I wanted to make something more like a dessert.  I decided I would try something new and make a cheesecake for the first time ever... and I thought it would be a good idea to try making a Fruity Pebbles cheesecake!

It came out really nicely, especially for this being my first attempt at a cheesecake!  It may not look quite as pretty as what you would expect at Cheesecake Factory, but it really tastes wonderful and has a nice texture.  The recipe I came up with is below!  It is basically a classic New York cheesecake with my own modifications.  It is not too heavy or dense... the texture is actually relatively light and the fruity pebbles give it a nice brightness!

For the topping, I made the last-minute decision to prepare a glaze with the fruity pebbles... a touch of butter, some water, and confectioner's sugar, all reduced to a syrup in a small skillet, then I tossed some fruity pebbles into it.  It sort of made a brittle/crumble kind of topping.

Fruity Pebbles Cheesecake

Prep               30 m

Cook              <1 h
Ready In        overnight

Yield               2 pie pans +extra

 

Ingredients

½ cup graham cracker crumbs, x2
¾ cup crushed fruity pebbles, x2
4 tablespoons butter melted, x2
1 heaping cup additional fruity pebbles
30oz cream cheese
1 1/3 cups white sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

1.)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two 9 inch pie pans.

2.)  In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs and crushed fruity pebbles with melted butter. Press onto bottom of pie pans.

3.)  In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla, flour, and ½ cup fruity pebbles until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crusts.  With the leftover, I poured the rest into a muffin tin prepped with cooking spray, and it was just enough to fill each portion of the pan.

4.)  Bake in preheated oven for 35-40 min (take out muffin tin about 15 minutes early).  Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed overnight; this prevents cracking. Chill in refrigerator until serving.