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Slice of Reese's peanut butter cheesecake on a plate with whole cheesecake on stand.
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Chocolate peanut butter cheesecake

Ingredients

For the crust

  • 1 ½ cup graham crackers or vanilla wafers crumbs make in your food processor or buy graham crumbs
  • 5 tablespoons of butter melted

For the cheesecake

  • 2 packages 1 pound of cream cheese at room temperature
  • 2 cups of peanut butter I used half chunky and half smooth, use what you want but DO NOT use natural peanut butter
  • 2 ½ cups of powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 1 cup of cold heavy cream

For the ganache

  • ½ cup of heavy cream
  • 4 ounces of dark chocolate chopped or chocolate chips

For assembly

  • Reese's mini peanut butter cups chopped

Instructions

To make the crust

  • Heat the oven to 350
  • Stir together the cookie/graham crumbs and the melted butter. Press down and up the sides of a 8- or 9-inch springform pan. Bake in oven about 8 minutes or until you can smell it a bit and a peek at it shows a light golden color. Take it out and cool completely (I put it outside in winter to super cool quick - if it is dry out).

To make the filling

  • In the bowl of your stand mixer or a large bowl (to use a hand mixer), beat the heavy cream until it becomes whipped cream with stiff peaks. Use a spatula and move the whipped cream to another bowl and set aside. In the same mixing bowl of your stand mixer (or hand mixer), put in the cream cheese and peanut butter and mix until light and well blended. Add the confectioners sugar and on LOW, begin mixing it into the cream cheese and peanut butter. Gradually increase the speed (if you start off on medium or high you'll end up with a powdered sugar snowstorm in your kitchen, and you'll be pissed). Add vanilla and mix until totally incorporated. Add back in the whipped cream and mix until totally combined.
  • Pour the cheesecake into the prepared crust and put in fridge for at least three hours, but honestly I almost always do double that at a minimum.

To make the ganache

  • Put your chopped chocolate or chocolate chips in a bowl (I have has separation by skipping this and just putting chocolate directly into the suacepan f hot cream). Put your cream in a saucepan and heat n stove until just barely simmering. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let is sit fir a few minutes to melt the chocolate. Stir with a spatula to fully combine.
  • When cheesecake is properly cooled, and chocolate is still warm, pour over the cheesecake and spread smooth. Top with the chopped Reese's candies and chill until serving.