Twix Cheesecake Pie {& Brandon LaFell's Chocolate Explosion Popcorn for Charity}

Love Twix candy bars?  Then you'll love them even more when they're surrounded by creamy cheesecake in this scrumptious Twix Cheesecake Pie.

Can you guess what my favorite candy bar is?  I'll give you a little hint ... it's mixed in with totally yummy cheesecake to make this totally scrumptious pie!  {Okay, so that may have been a big hint.}  Yes, my absolute favorite candy bar is Twix!  Love them.  Give me a choice from a selection of candy bars, and I'll take a Twix every time.

So, just how can you make a Twix bar even better?
Bake it into a Twix Cheesecake Pie, of course!

In this pie, chopped Twix are surrounded by a creamy cheesecake filling, topped with more chopped Twix ...

... and then drizzled with ooey-gooey caramel.  You know, 'cause you can never have enough caramel.

Are you drooling yet?  {It's okay.  I won't tell.}

And when it comes to loving Twix, I'm in great company.  'Cause you know who else loves Twix candy bars?  Brandon LaFell of the Carolina Panthers football team!

Brandon loves Twix so much, he partnered with my friends at Tastebuds Popcorn to have their made-with-real-Twix popcorn flavor named after him.  See?

Yes, LaFell's Chocolate Explosion is made with real Twix.  Oh my!  Couldn't you just dive into a big ol' scoop full?

While being made with real Twix is totally cool, it's not the coolest thing about this popcorn.  Nope.  The coolest thing about this popcorn is that Tastebuds will donate a percentage of the sales from LaFell's Chocolate Explosion to Brandon LaFell's charity to help inner city children.  {Read about it here.}

Visit Tastebuds Popcorn today to choose from over 200 scrumptious flavors!

Just like LaFell's Chocolate Explosion, each of Tastebuds' 200+ unique flavors has been tested and perfected in their popcorn kitchen, and is produced in micro batches to deliver the freshest, highest quality product.  'Pop' on over to visit them and order Tastebuds' popcorn online to give your taste buds a real treat!

Hmmmmm, I wonder if Brandon LaFell would like this Twix Cheesecake Pie.  I sure bet he would!

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Twix Cheesecake Pie

Source:  Adapted from realsimple.com

(Printable recipe)

Ingredients

• 2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 c. granulated sugar
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 c. chopped Twix candy bars {16 fun-size bars}
• 1 8-inch chocolate cookie pie crust
• 1/4 c. caramel ice cream topping {optional}

Directions

1. With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs on medium speed until smooth.
2. Stir in 1 and 1/2 cups of the chopped Twix {reserving the remaining 1/2 cup for the top}.
3. Pour mixture into the pie crust. Bake at 325 degrees until set, 45 - 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
4. Sprinkle the top with remaining 1/2 cup chopped Twix bars. Chill until firm, about 8 to 10 hours or overnight. Drizzle with caramel ice cream topping.

Enjoy!

Please enjoy these other Tastebuds Popcorn-inspired recipes from The Kitchen is My Playground ...

Dill Pickle Bites

{Inspired by Tastebuds' Dill Pickle popcorn}

Chocolate Covered Cherry Martinis

{Inspired by Tastebuds' Cherry Cordial popcorn}

Addictively Delicious Cajun Pretzels

{Inspired by Tastebuds' Cajun popcorn}