Peanut Butter Cheesecake

When it comes to dessert this Peanut Butter Cheesecake definitely hits the spot. It’s also a nice way to mix things up from the same ol’, same ol’ chocolate desserts. What’s not to love about a rich and creamy cheesecake topped with your favourite chocolate and nuts? The main ingredients in this recipe include cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and flavoring. This is our variation of the cheesecake recipe, with a dash of peanut butter. One bite and you’ll be in dessert heaven.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

The chocolate and peanut butter combination always wins!

This creamy and decadent peanut butter cheesecake is not for the faint of heart. For starters, cocktail peanuts, along with brown sugar, are added to the Oreo crumb crust for a base that’s slightly salty and just a little bit crunchy. Smooth peanut butter offsets the tang from the four (!) blocks of cream cheese in the filling. And a semi-sweet ganache, adorned with chopped peanut butter cups and more peanuts, blankets the top. In the world of homemade cheesecakes, this one deserves a place in the Hall of Fame. 

Can I use natural peanut butter for cheesecake?

When it comes to making peanut butter cheesecake, skip the all-natural stuff that needs to be stirred. You want a jar that’s extra creamy—like Skippy or Jif—to ensure the smoothest texture (and most peanut butter cup-like flavor) of the filling. 

Do I need a water bath to make cheesecake?

The steam from a water bath helps to prevent cracking on the top of your cheesecake while it bakes. But if you don’t have a large roasting pan, don’t worry. Place a casserole dish on the bottom oven rack then fill it three-quarters of the way up the sides of the pan with boiling water. Place the springform pan on a large baking sheet and situate it on the rack above the boiling water and bake as directed. 

Can I make this cheesecake ahead of time?

You can bake peanut butter cheesecake cake up to 3 days in advance. Let it cool to room temperature before chilling in the refrigerator. Wait to top with ganache and garnishes until the day you plan to serve the cheesecake.

YIELDS:8 – 10 servings

PREP TIME:0 hours 35 mins

TOTAL TIME:10 hours 35 mins

Ingredients

FOR THE CRUST:

1/2 c. 

cocktail peanuts

30 

chocolate wafer cookies

2 tbsp. 

light brown sugar

4 tbsp. 

unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING:

4 

8 oz. blocks cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 c. 

sour cream, at room temperature

1 c. 

creamy peanut butter

1 c. 

granulated sugar

1/4 tsp. 

salt

4 

large eggs, at room temperature 

2/3 c. 

heavy whipping cream 

FOR THE CHOCOLATE TOPPING:

1/2 c. 

semi-sweet chocolate chips 

1/3 c. 

heavy whipping cream 

Cocktail peanuts, chopped peanut butter cups and flaked salt, to garnish (optional)

Directions

1. For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Tightly wrap the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan with foil. 
2. Place the peanuts in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped. Add the wafer cookies and light brown sugar. Pulse until very finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand.
3. Transfer the mixture to the springform pan. Using the bottom of a glass, press the crust into the bottom and about 1-inch up the side of the pan. Place the springform pan inside of a roasting pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool while making the filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
4. For the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sour cream on medium-low speed until totally smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the peanut butter, sugar, and salt. Beat on medium-low speed until completely combined. With the mixer running, add the eggs, one at a time until each is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl  in between eggs. Mix in the whipping cream until combined. Pour the batter into the crust. (The batter will almost fill the pan.) Gently tap or jiggle the pan to level the batter.
5. Boil 8 cups of water. Place the roasting pan with the cheese cake in the oven. Very carefully pour the water into the roasting pan until about 1 inch deep. 
6. Bake for 75 to 80 minutes or until the filling is puffed and the center slightly wobbles when the pan is gently shaken. Add more hot water to the pan during baking if needed. Turn off the oven, crack the door a few inches, and let cool in the oven for 1 hour. Remove and finish cooling to room temperature. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and remove the foil from the pan.
7. Chill the cooled cheesecake for at least 6 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, run a thin knife or offset spatula around the sides of the cheesecake to release it from the pan. Release and remove the side of the springform pan and transfer to a serving plate. 
8. For the topping: Place the chocolate chips in a small heat-proof bowl. Microwave the cream until very hot and just starting to bubble, about 1 minute. Pour cream over the chocolate and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir until the chocolate is fully melted.
9. Pour the ganache over the top of the chilled cheesecake and spread to the edges to let it drip down. Garnish with peanuts, salt, and peanut butter cups, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Chocolate peanut butter lovers, this cheesecake is for you. This is a rich and creamy peanut butter cheesecake with an Oreo crust and topped with lots of chocolate ganache for a decadent dessert and its always what we are craving. Go ahead and top with Reese’s to drive the theme home. Of all of our cheesecakes, this one is at the top of our list and we can never put our fork down. 

YIELDS:10 – 12

PREP TIME:0 HOURS 45 MINS

TOTAL TIME:7 HOURS 25 MINS

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CRUST

24 

Oreos 

3 tbsp. 

granulated sugar

1/8 tsp. 

kosher salt

5 tbsp. 

butter, melted

FOR THE CHEESECAKE

4 

(8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened

1 c. 

packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. 

kosher salt

1 tbsp. 

pure vanilla extract

4 

large eggs, room temperature

1 c. 

creamy peanut butter

3/4 c. 

heavy cream

1/2 c. 

sour cream

Chopped Reese’s, for garnish

FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE

6 oz. 

bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

3/4 c. 

heavy cream

1/8 tsp. 

kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

MAKE THE CRUST:

1. Butter the inside of a 9″ springform pan. Set rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°.
2. In a food processor or blender, pulse Oreos into fine crumbs. Add sugar and salt and pulse to combine. Transfer to a medium bowl, add butter, and use fork or fingers to blend mixture until crumbs are evenly moist. Press into bottom and about a third of the way up the sides of springform pan. 
3. Place pan on baking sheet and bake crust for 10 minutes. Set on rack to cool and reduce oven temperature to 325°.
4. Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan or tea kettle full of water to a boil. 

MAKE THE CHEESECAKE:

1. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer using the whisk attachment, beat cream cheese on medium, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until completely smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Add sugar and salt and beat, scraping down bowl as necessary, until smooth and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add vanilla and beat for 30 seconds. 
2. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition and occasionally scraping bottom and sides of bowl. Add peanut butter, heavy cream, and sour cream and beat on low until completely smooth and streak-free, about 1 minute. Pour cheesecake batter into cooled crust and smooth top. 
3. Wrap bottom of springform pan with a double layer of aluminum foil and place in a large roasting pan. Pour in enough boiling water to come up halfway up sides of springform pan. 
4. Bake cheesecake until top is just starting to brown and crack, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Turn off oven, prop door open with wooden spoon, and let cheesecake slowly cool in water bath for 1 hour.
5. Remove roasting pan from oven, then carefully lift springform pan out of water and remove foil. Set cheesecake on rack and let come to room temperature. Once completely cool, loosely cover cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate, 4 hours, or preferably overnight.

MAKE THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE AND DECORATE CHEESECAKE:

1. When ready to serve, carefully remove sides of springform pan. Place chocolate in a clean, dry medium bowl.
2. In a small saucepan over medium heat, warm cream until just barely simmering. Pour warm cream over chocolate and let sit 10 minutes, then add salt and stir until smooth. 
3. Pour ganache over cheesecake, spreading it evenly and allowing some to drip down sides of cake. Sprinkle with chopped Reese’s.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Peanut Butter Cheesecake is a smooth and creamy cheesecake made with peanut butter and a homemade peanut butter cookie crust.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

If you love peanut butter, you will love this cheesecake! It starts with a homemade cookie crust that is only three ingredients. Then, it’s topped with creamy, peanut butter cheesecake, a layer of sour cream, and more peanut butter that is melted and drizzled over the top. 

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Ingredients

This recipe has a few parts to it, but the creamy, peanut buttery flavor is worth every step! And, don’t wait until National Peanut Butter Day (January 24th) to make this cheesecake; you will crave it any day of the year after you try it!

Peanut Butter: For the cookie crust, you could use crunchy or creamy peanut butter. For the cheesecake and melted drizzle, I would recommend creamy peanut butter.

Sour Cream: If you look at the recipe, you will know that sour cream is both in the cheesecake filling and on top.  The amount of sour cream used in the filling is just enough to give the cheesecake a creamier texture, but not too much to be noticeable. The topping will add just a hint of tartness.

Heavy Cream: The cream is used to make whipping cream that you will add to the cheesecake filling. Just like the sour cream, this will also help the dessert have a more luxurious feel. If no additional dairy is used in a cheesecake, you will have a cheesecake that has the same texture as eating cream cheese right out of the wrapper. Look for a cream that contains 36% or more milk fat.

Peanut Butter Cookie Crust

The first thing you need to make for this cheesecake recipe is the cookie crust. This has to be baked and cooled before you fill it with the cheesecake. This really is one of the simplest recipes out there. Simply combine the peanut butter, granulated sugar, and the egg in a bowl, stirring until all the ingredients are incorporated.

Evenly spread out the cookie dough into, and halfway up the sides of, a 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350°F for 16-18 minutes, or until slightly crisp and no longer shiny. Let the crust cool completely before adding the cheesecake filling. This would be a great time to take out your cream cheese if you forgot to let it get to room temperature. Cut the cream cheese into chunks to quicken the softening process.

How to Make Peanut Butter Cheesecake

After the cookie crust has cooled, begin making the cheesecake filling. Use room temperature cream cheese for best results. To make the filling, mix the cream cheese and sugar. Be sure to frequently scrape down the sides of the bowl, making you are using every bit of cream cheese.

Next, add the peanut butter and vanilla, still scraping the sides of the bowl. Then, beat in the sour cream on low speed. You will be making the whipped cream that will be added to the filling, so get out a separate bowl to combine the heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar.

After the whipped cream has thickened and become stiff, gently fold that into the cheesecake mixture. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and spread a thin layer of the sour cream and confectioners’ sugar mixture on the top. Because we are using heavy whipping cream in this recipe it is essential that it chills in your fridge for at least 6 hours before serving. Serve with melted peanut butter drizzled on top.

How to Store Cheesecake

Cheesecakes are rich and filling, so even though you may want to eat the entire cheesecake in one sitting, it’s not always (if ever) possible. So, how do you store it to eat when you are craving a bite later? One easy way is to cover the cheesecake and store it in the refrigerator for a day or two. If you tightly wrap the cheesecake in plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container, it will last up to 3 days in the fridge.

To freeze a cheesecake:

1. Let the cheesecake cool completely.
2. Place the cheesecake (uncovered) in the freezer for about an hour. I suggest that if you are keeping the cheesecake pie in the springform pan, remove the sides of the pan.
3. After the hour in the freezer, take the cheesecake off the pan (you may have to pry it off with a knife), and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap.
4. Place the wrapped cheesecake into a zipped freezer bag or wrap it in aluminum foil. Be sure to label and date the cheesecake. It will last up to 2 months (at the most) in the freezer.