Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Do you love peanut butter?

Do you love chocolate?

THIS… Peanut Butter Cheesecake… is for you!

Several years ago, my sister asked me to make a peanut butter cheesecake for my nephew’s birthday. I started the research into all the best peanut butter cheesecake recipes. In the end, I decided to experiment with my own favorite cheesecake recipe and substitute one of the 8-ounce packages of cream cheese for peanut butter. Delicious!

This peanut butter cheesecake has a subtle peanut butter flavor that perfectly pairs with a very chocolatey crust. The crust almost… almost steals the show. The crust is a chocolate cookie crust that crawls up the side of the spring-form pan. Then, you top the baked crust with dark chocolate ganache—plus some coarsely chopped peanut butter cups. Pour the cheesecake batter over all this yumminess and bake, without a water bath!

To finish the decadency, cover the top of the chilled peanut butter cheesecake with more dark chocolate ganache. Amp up the peanut butter flavor with a fluffy peanut butter frosting swirled on top and garnish with miniature peanut butter cups. One bite and you will want more… guaranteed!

Ingredients for Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Crust:

• Chocolate sandwich cookies: Just use regular sandwich cookies, not double-stuffed, since you keep the stuffing in the cookies when you crush the cookies into a fine texture.
• Unsalted butter: You will want to melt the butter before you add it to the crushed cookies. If you happen to use salted butter, do not add the pinch of salt to the recipe.

Ganache:

• Dark quality chocolate: The chocolate options are endless. Quality chocolate is easy to find, such as Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips or Kirkland semi-sweet chocolate chips. You could use fancier chocolate, and that is a fine choice. But avoid cheaper chocolate and milk chocolate.
• Heavy cream: Heavy cream has a high fat percentage.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Batter:

• Cream cheese: Use full-fat cream cheese. Make sure it is at room temperature before you start mixing the batter.
• Creamy peanut butter: Creamy would be the peanut butter of choice, instead of chunky. I particularly enjoy the smooth texture of this cheesecake.
• Granulated sugar: Simple, regular granulated sugar. I haven’t tried alternatives.
• All-purpose flour: Do not use cake flour or bread flour as alternatives.
• Vanilla: Vanilla compliments the peanut butter and allows the peanut butter flavor to stand out.
• Eggs: This is a room temperature ingredient.

PB Frosting:

• Unsalted butter: Softened butter works best for this frosting.
• Creamy peanut butter: For decorating purposes, use creamy instead of chunky. The chunky nuts would get stuck in the decorating tip.
• Powdered sugar: Measure and then sift for the smoothest decorating frosting.
• Milk: Heavy cream could also be used.

Peanut Butter Cups:

32 miniature peanut butter cup candies, unwrapped, will be needed for this recipe.

How to Make a Decadent Peanut Butter Cheesecake:

Cookie Crust:

• This cookie crust is easiest to make in a food processor. But crushing the cookies in a Ziploc bag and mixing it well in a bowl works too.
• Spray the 9” spring-form pan with non-stick cooking spray before you add the cookie crumb crust.
• Make sure the crust does not go higher than halfway up the sides of the 9” spring-form pan. The cheesecake batter must cover the top of the crust so the crust does not burn while cooking. But, the crust wall needs to be high enough to hold the ganache and the coarsely chopped peanut butter cups.
• Once all the ingredients are all mixed together, freeze the crust for at least 10 minutes. This step helps set the butter before baking. Don’t skip this step!
• Cook this crust for only 5 minutes. It’s just enough to set the crust, but not enough for the crust to be overcooked later with the cheesecake batter.

Dark Chocolate Ganache:

Here’s an effective order to making ganache: Heat the cream, then pour it over the chocolate. Stir the mixture. At first it will look like the chocolate and the cream will not blend together. And then suddenly, it becomes a creamy, luscious pudding of chocolate. If the chocolate pieces are not completely melted, heat the mixture for just another 20 seconds and stir again.

Both times you make this ganache (for the crust and for the top of the baked cheesecake), you follow the same order.

Leaving the ganache at room temperature will keep the ganache soft enough for pouring, but if it becomes too thick, just heat it for 10-15 seconds and stir.

Cheesecake Batter and Baking Tips:

• The goal in mixing the cheesecake batter is to add as little air as possible. Mix on medium-low speeds.
• A key for perfectly mixed cheesecake batter is room temperature ingredients. Room temperature cream cheese combines easier with the sugar and coats the sugar for baking. Also, room temperature ingredients allow all of the ingredients to combine completely, as well as wet ingredients to absorb into the dry ingredients.
• When mixing the room temperature cream cheese and sugar together, use the medium speed until completely mixed. This is the time to allow these two ingredients to mix well. Later, with the eggs, a low speed will be necessary.
• Scrape the sides of the bowl often. The cream cheese wants to stick to the bottom and the sides of the bowl as you add each ingredient. That would create chunks of cream cheese that are not completely incorporated. When baking, these chunks could affect the successful baking of your cheesecake. To remedy this problem, scrape the sides and bottom of your bowl each time you add a new ingredient, and especially before and while you add each egg.

• This cheesecake does not need a water bath while baking, but I do cover the bottom of spring-form pan with tin foil and place it on a baking sheet before pouring the batter over the crust-ganache-chopped peanut butter cups. This is just a precaution in case the oil from the ganache and from the chopped peanut butter cups seeps out of the spring-form pan. If it happens one time to you, you understand this precaution!
• The key to knowing if your cheesecake is finished baking: Bake until the center is not jelly-like but firm to light touch. If you are wondering, lightly touch the sides of the cheesecake at the 30-minute mark. Notice the spring. You are wanting some spring in the center as well. You may need to bake for another 3-5 minutes.
• Remove from oven, remove the tin foil, and cool at room temperature until spring form pan is cool to the touch. Cooling at room temperature is a step that helps the cheesecake set correctly.
• Place in refrigerator to chill, for at least 2 hours or overnight. This step is especially helpful for cutting a perfectly formed slice of cheesecake!

PB Frosting:

This frosting is easy and forgiving. I like to whip the butter and peanut butter together until they are fluffy, then add the powdered sugar, and milk. However, I have mixed all the ingredients together at the same time (with room temperature butter) and mixed them until the frosting is fluffy and light. Either technique works. Your goal is fluffy, smooth frosting that can be squeezed through a 1M decorating tip.

To decorate and garnish the Peanut Butter Cheesecake:

Top the chilled cheesecake with ganache. Push it to the edges of the cheesecake, but not touching the spring-form pan that is still in place. I have not removed the cheesecake from the spring-form pan yet since it still needs support until ready to serve. Chill the cheesecake for at least 30 minutes. You could freeze it with the ganache topping for 15 minutes to set the ganache faster. (Don’t freeze longer or the ganache can become weepy)

Before adding the swirled peanut butter frosting. Carefully remove the sides of the spring-form pan from the cheesecake. Decorate the top of the cheesecake with swirled tufts of peanut butter frosting, or a swirled circle of frosting, or a braided circle of frosting by using the 1M decorating tip. Embed miniature peanut butter cups in the frosting for the perfect garnish.

If chilling the cheesecake again before serving, you can carefully replace the sides of the spring-form pan to give added support. Then remove the sides again when you are ready to cut slices of peanut butter cheesecake.

I can’t wait to hear about the “swooning” in your kitchen when you taste this peanut butter cheesecake decadence!

–Kim

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

A decadent peanut butter cheesecake with a chocolate cookie crust layered with dark chocolate ganache and chopped peanut butter cups. Then this luxuriously creamy peanut butter cheesecake is topped with dark chocolate ganache, peanut butter frosting and peanut butter cups. Too much? Not one single bite!

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Cooling Time3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time4 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Keyword: cheesecake, chocolate, peanut butter

Servings: 1 9″ Cheesecake

Author: Kim Melanson

Equipment

• 9" Springform Pan

Ingredients

Crust:

• 32 chocolate sandwich cookies
• ⅓ Cup unsalted butter melted
• pinch salt

Ganache and PB Cups:

• 8 ounces dark quality chocolate or chocolate chips roughly chopped if needed
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 20 miniature peanut butter cup candies unwrapped and roughly chopped

PB Cheesecake Batter:

• 2 packages (8 oz) cream cheese room temperature
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• ¾ cup (157.5g) granulated sugar
• 3 Tablespoons (22.5g) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 large eggs room temperature

Ganache Topping:

• 8 ounces dark quality chocolate or chocolate chips roughly chopped if needed
• ½ cup heavy cream

PB Frosting:

• ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 5 Tablespoons milk

Garnish:

• 12 miniature peanut butter cup candies unwrapped

Instructions

Crust:

• Preheat oven to 325° F. Lightly spray a 9” springform pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
• With food processor, crush chocolate sandwich cookies to finely ground texture. Add melted butter and pinch of salt. Continue to process until fully incorporated. Alternatively, place cookies in Ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin. Add other ingredients in a bowl and mix until fully incorporated.
• Press crust mixture evenly into bottom and not more than halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Using a measuring cup or a glass to press the crumbs, which allows even distribution and also looks good in the end. (see note)
• Freeze crust for 10 minutes. Then bake at 325° F for 5 minutes. Allow to cool on a cooling rack.

Ganache and PB Cups:

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cream for 45 seconds and then pour it over the measured and chopped chocolate to melt.
• Stir until the mixture is smooth. If needed, heat the mixture for another 20-30 seconds and stir until the chips are melted.
• Pour ganache evenly over the base of the chocolate cookie crust. Spread with knife as necessary.
• Evenly distribute the chopped peanut butter cup candies on top of the ganache. Set aside.

Cheesecake Batter:

• Combine room temperature cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or electric mixer and bowl) on medium speed until completely mixed and fluffy. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl.
• Add flour and vanilla. Mix at medium speed until well blended. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl.
• Add eggs on low speed, one at a time, scraping sides and bottom of bowl after each egg.
• Cover bottom of cooled spring form pan with tin foil and place on a baking sheet. (This is just in case the oil from the peanut butter cups seeps out while baking.)
• Pour batter over crust-ganache-chopped peanut butter cups. Be sure batter covers the edges of the entire cookie crust, so the crust does not burn.
• Bake at 450° F (232° C) for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 250° F (121° C), continue baking for 30-36 minutes. Bake until the center is not jelly-like, but firm to light touch.
• Remove from oven, remove the foil, and cool at room temperature until spring form pan is cool to the touch.
• Place in refrigerator to chill, for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Ganache Topping:

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the cream for 45 seconds and then pour it over the measured and chopped chocolate to melt.
• Stir until the mixture is smooth. If needed, heat the mixture for another 20-30 seconds and stir until the chips are melted.
• Let cool for a few minutes, then pour over the top of the chilled cheesecake. Push to edges and smooth with knife or spatula.
• Return to the fridge until the ganache is set and hardened—about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

PB Frosting:

• With mixer, whip butter and peanut butter together until fluffy and lighter in color, about 2-3 minutes.
• Add powdered sugar with mixer on low speed. Continue to mix for about 1 minute until powdered sugar combines with the butter mixture. Scrape down edges and bottom of bowl.
• Add milk and continue to mix until incorporated. Scrape down edges and bottom of bowl. Then whip mixture for 3-5 minutes until fluffy and lighter in color.

Topping:

• With the peanut butter frosting and a 1M tip in a decorating bag, create a swirl design on top of ganache-topped peanut butter cheesecake.
• Embed mini peanut butter cups in the frosting.

Notes

Crust: Make sure the crust is only halfway up the sides or less so the cheesecake batter can slightly cover the crust so it doesn’t burn while baking.