Anyone else think the chocolate/pb combo is pretty much the best thing ever? My daughter and I love anything pb/choc and she recently asked for a peanut butter chocolate cheesecake so I made this one.
There are a few important tips to getting great, smooth cheesecake. First is to make sure all your ingredients are room temp which mixing the cheesecake batter. Particularly the cream cheese. Having all room temp ingredients really helps everything blend together fully. I also put my batter through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl, and then transfer to the crust, so that any small lumps are removed.
It is also important to bake the cheesecake in a water bath. That helps regulate the temperature and allow it to bake up even and smooth. An instant read thermometer is also a huge help. When the center of the cheesecake is 150 degrees, you know you can count on a smooth, not grainy filling. Allowing the cheesecake to sit in the warm oven (turned off) with the door cracked open (removed from the hot water bath) for about 30-45 minutes after baking, also helps prevent cracking on the top.
I topped this cheesecake with simple chocolate ganache and chopped up Reese’s cups. It was delicious!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2 cups oreo crumbs
- 4 tbsp melted unsalted butter
For the cheesecake:
- 32 oz cream cheese room temp
- 4 large eggs room temp
- 1 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter (not natural kind)
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1/3 cup heavy cream room temp
For the ganache:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips
For topping:
- Chopped Reese's PB cups
Instructions
For the crust:
- Heat oven to 325. Combine the crumbs and butter until well mixed and press into a 9 inch spring form pan, covering the bottom and going slightly up the side.
- Bake in the oven for 8 minutes then set aside to cool while you make the filling.
For the cheesecake:
- Add the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla to a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and whip on medium until it is completely smooth. Add in the peanut butter and heavy cream and mix again until smooth.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing and scraping down the bowl in between. Press the filling through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl.
- Place a double layer of foil under the springform pan and mold it up the sides. Then place that foil covered pan into a baking dish. This is to allow you to create a water bath and not have water get into the crust.
- Carefully pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top. Place the pan in the 325 degree oven and carefully pour hot water into the baking dish, being very careful not to get any water into the cheesecake.
- Bake for 45-65 minutes (you need to go based on the temp/appearance here, not the time as it varies widely depending on your ingredient temps, oven, kitchen temp, etc). The cheesecake is done when the edges are set but the center still jiggles some when you move the pan. It should register 150 on an instant read thermometer when ready.
- Carefully remove the foil lined pan from the water bath and turn off the oven. Remove the water bath and place the cheesecake pan back into the oven right away and leave the door cracked open. Let it sit in the cooling oven for 30 minutes, then move to a cooling rack on the counter to cool to room temp.
For the ganache and topping:
- Heat the cream to steaming and pour over the chocolate. Mix well until smooth and allow to cool down for 20 minutes. Pour over the cheesecake and smooth. Top with chopped Reese's and place into the fridge. After an hour, cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit in the fridge at least 6 hours or overnight to achieve the best texture.