Peanut Butter Cheesecake

5 from 3 votes

Peanut Butter Cheesecake

This Peanut Butter Cheesecake is a peanut butter and chocolate lover's dream dessert! Rich, creamy peanut butter cheesecake is baked over a chocolate crust, topped with chocolate ganache, peanut butter whipped cream, and peanut butter cups. This is a restaurant-worthy dessert that's actually surprisingly easy to make at home!

Prep Time30

Cook Time1 25

Chilling Time6

Total Time7 55

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Dessert

Keyword: cheesecake

Servings: to 16 slices

Author: Stephanie Simmons

Ingredients

For the Crust:

35 whole oreo cookies
1/4 cup salted butter, melted 55 grams

For the Cheesecake:

32 ounces full fat cream cheese, at room temperature use the block style - 904 grams
1 and 3/4 cups peanut butter 438 grams
1 and 1/3 cups granulated sugar 280 grams
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup full fat sour cream, at room temperature 180 grams
1 and 1/2 tsp corn starch
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

For the Ganache:

5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
5 ounces heavy cream

For the Peanut Butter Whipped Cream:

1 tsp plain, powdered gelatin
4 tsp water
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 cup cold heavy cream

For Decorating:

mini peanut butter cups optional
chopped peanuts optional

Instructions

Make the Crust: Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray and make sure the bottom is securely fastened. Pulse oreos in a food processor until you have fine crumbs. Stir together crumbs and melted butter.
Press into prepared pan and up the sides a bit (see photos above). Bake this for 10 minutes. Set aside. Keep the oven on at 350. Fill a large pot with water and set it on your stove, and get out a large roasting pan – you'll need this for your water bath later.
1/4 cup salted butter, melted, 35 whole oreo cookies
Make the Cheesecake Filling: Remember that your cold ingredients need to come to room temp before you start or the filling won't turn out. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with electric mixer until creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Beat in the peanut butter, until completely combined and creamy.
Add the sugar & mix until well incorporated, about 1 minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as you go. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on medium speed after each until just incorporated - if you over-mix, the cheesecake can inflate and overflow in the oven. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl between each egg addition, as little lumps of cream cheese will hide down there. Add the vanilla, sour cream, corn starch, and salt and mix until just combined.
32 ounces full fat cream cheese, at room temperature , 1 and 1/3 cups granulated sugar , 4 large eggs, at room temperature , 3/4 cup full fat sour cream, at room temperature , 1 and 1/2 tsp corn starch, 2 tsp vanilla extract , 1/8 tsp salt, 1 and 3/4 cups peanut butter
Prepare the Water Bath: Bring the large pot of water to a boil. Set your springform pan on a rack positioned in the center of the oven, and place the roasting pan on the rack below, or wrap the base of the cheesecake pan in foil and place it inside a 10-inch cake pan inside the roasting dish. Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan. Both of these methods ensure no leaks.
Assemble & Bake Cheesecake: Pour the batter over your prepared curst.
Bake the cheesecake for 74 to 85 minutes. When done, the cheesecake will have only a slight wobble in the center, and a knife inserted into the center will have just a small bit of thick batter. An instant read thermometer inserted into the center should read about 156℉ to 160℉ (avoid poking the bottom of the pan as this will give you a false reading).
Turn off the oven and crack the oven door open. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour before removing it.
Cheesecake Cooling: Once the hour is up, remove the pan from the oven. It should be cool enough to handle. Remove the foil and set the springform pan on a wire rack. Let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour more, then cover with foil and refrigerate at least 6 hours or up to 1 day before removing from the pan and serving.
Make the Ganache: Add finely chopped chocolate to a small bowl. Heat heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium high heat until simmering. Pour over the chocolate, let sit for 4 minutes, then stir until completely smooth. Pour over the center of the cheesecake, spreading it to and over the edges with an offset spatula. Pop in the fridge for a few minutes to let the ganache set before adding whipped cream.
5 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped, 5 ounces heavy cream
Make the Peanut Butter Whipped Cream: Make the whipped cream just before you're ready to serve the cheesecake. If you plan to pipe on the whipped cream, I recommend stabilizing it. Add the water to a small bowl and sprinkle the powdered gelatin on top. Let stand for 3 minutes. Then, microwave for 4-5 seconds, just to re-liquify the mixture. Set aside while you begin the cream.
Add whipped cream ingredients to a medium bowl and beat on high speed until it begins to thicken. Stream in the liquid gelatin mixture while you mix on low in either method. Keep mixing/pulsing until cream is thick but still smooth. Add cream to a piping bag (I used a Wilton 4B tip) and pipe on the cheesecake as desired.
1 tsp plain, powdered gelatin, 4 tsp water, 1/4 cup powdered sugar , 2 tsp vanilla bean paste, 1 tbsp creamy peanut butter, 1 cup cold heavy cream
Serve + Store: Add mini peanut butter cups and chopped peanuts if desired. Once decorated, slice, and serve! Store leftovers, in an airtight container, in the fridge for 3-4 days.
mini peanut butter cups, chopped peanuts

Nutrition