Married together in perfect harmony, peanut butter and cheesecake come together for rich, creamy, dense dessert perfection! The Ultimate Peanut Butter Cheesecake will delight and my easy to follow recipe will ensure success every time!
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Topped with chocolately ganache and a chocolate crumb crust, this peanut butter cheesecake checks all the boxes for a perfect dessert.
Cheesecake is a decadent dessert, it can be however a bit intimidating to bake. The perfect cheesecake comes from the texture. No bake cheesecakes can be yummy with their light and sweetness, but cannot compete with the richness that comes from traditional baked cheesecakes. Technique is key. I will give you the best tips to create delicious and beautiful desserts!
A well equipped kitchen…
Having the proper baking equipment makes baking so much easier. A good spring form pan and a quality stand mixer are really key when embarking on baking cheesecakes. A spring form pan creates that tall, straight cheesecake that makes a New York Style Cheesecake so famous. The quick release tab allows the pan to come free from the sides of the cake easily.
Perfect ingredients & technique!
The first step in cheesecake baking perfection is ingredients. Ensuring your ingredients are at room temperature, including the eggs, cheese, sour cream and peanut butter will allow for a smooth cheesecake. Grab them out of the fridge and allow to rest for about an hour or two prior to beginning the recipe.
When selecting peanut butter, choose a smooth, commercial peanut butter. Natural peanut butters can cause the oils to separate in your cheesecake.
Baking in a hot water bath is key to prevent cracking in the surface of the cake. Tightly wrapping your spring form pan in foil will prevent the disaster of water seeping into your cake and ruining the crust. Place the roasting pan in the oven, add the cheesecake into the center of the pan, and then pour in enough hot water to cover about halfway up the cake pan. Managing the hot water bath in this manner prevents splashing hot water on yourself!
After baking for one hour, turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to rest in the oven for another hour. Don’t open the door! This will create a perfectly creamy cheesecake, prevent it over-drying and becoming crumbly. This technique also helps to minimize cracking on the surface.
Allow your cheesecake to cool completely prior to placing in the refrigerator. If the cake is still slightly warm, this can cause sweating or possibly cracking. Cheesecake is always better the day after it is baked, so plan ahead!
Rich, heavenly Ganache!
While ganache sounds complicated, it is incredibly easy to make. For best results, use a solid chocolate bar or melting wafers as chocolate chips have stabilizers in them to help them hold their shape while baking. Chopped solid chocolate will melt more smoothly for perfect ganache.
Simply bring heavy cream (no half & half or milk!) to a boil and then pour over chopped chocolate. Stir and Voila!
I use chopped peanuts to garnish the cheesecake, but you can get creative and use chopped peanut butter cups or other peanut butter candies.
I do like the ganache as it allows you to cover up any imperfections on the surface of the cheesecake as well!
The Ultimate Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Ingredients
Chocolate Crust
- 2½ Cups Crushed Chocolate Wafer Cookies (I use Oreos)
- 4 TBSP Butter Melted
Cheesecake Filling
- 3 8 ounces Packages of Cream Cheese Room Temperature
- ¾ Cup Sugar
- ½ TSP Almond Extract
- 2 TSP Vanilla Extract
- ½ TSP Salt
- ¾ Cup Sour Cream Room Temperature
- 2 Cups Smooth Peanut Butter
- 4 Large Eggs Lightly Beaten
Chocolate Ganache
- 8 Ounces Semi-Sweet Chocolate Finely Chopped
- 8 Ounces Heavy Cream
- 2 TBSP Finely Chopped Honey Roasted Peanuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Prepare a 9 inch spring form pan by spraying with nonstick baking spray. Tightly wrap the outside of the pan with foil, ensuring no gaps.
- Finely grind the chocolate cookies in a food processor or grinder.
- Add melted butter and mix until well combined.
- Press the chocolate crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
Cheesecake Filling
- Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
- In a stand mixer, whip cream cheese until smooth.
- Add in the sugar, salt, vanilla and almond extract and mix on low speed until well combined. Scrape sides of bowl to ensure all ingredients are mixed well.
- Add in the sour cream and mix on low speed until well combined, scraping bowl to ensure well incorporated.
- Add peanut butter and mix on low speed until completely mixed into batter.
- Remove bowl from stand mixer and using a spoon or spatula, gently fold in the eggs one at a time, gently until just combined.
- Pour the batter over the prepared crust.
- Place the cheesecake in a large roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with hot water, using enough to reach about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan.
- Bake in the oven at 300°F for one hour. Edges should look set and the center is still jiggly.
- Leave the cheesecake in the water bath in the oven for one hour, with the oven door shut.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and loosen the cake from the pan by running a knife around the edges. Allow to cool completely.
- Remove the cheesecake from the pan and place on a serving platter and cover. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Chocolate Ganache
- In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil over medium heat.
- Place chocolate in a heat safe bowl and pour heated cream over chocolate.
- Stir until completely combined, smooth and creamy.
- Pour the ganache over the top of the cheesecake and smooth with an offset spatula.
- Sprinkle top of ganache with chopped peanuts with preferred design.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow ganache to set.
I am a peanut butter lover and the nutty flavors come through so well in this cheesecake. It is the ULTIMATE in cheesecakes!
Live fully, eat well, bake desserts!
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