This cheesecake is a Peanut Butter Lover’s dream. If you love chocolate and peanut butter layered on top of a buttery Oreo cookie crust, then you will be on Cloud 9 with this cheesecake!! And if you like peanut butter cups, there’s pretty much no greater indulgence. It is so heavenly creamy, rich, and full of peanut butter flavor. The chocolate Ganache topping creates an explosive feeling in your mouth along with the mini Reese’s peanut butter cups that adorn the edge of the cheesecake and give it a Holy Momma Mia factor. This surely is guaranteed to please any Peanut Butter Lover!!
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 pkg Oreo cookies (crumbled)
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
Cheesecake Filling
- 4 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1½ cups light brown sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 5 lg eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 12 mini peanut butter cups
- 4 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
How to Make It
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut parchment paper to fit onto bottom of 9” spring form pan (or use pre-cut 9” round parchment paper). Spread Crisco on bottom and sides of spring form pan. Then wrap 2 layers of aluminum foil bottom and outside of spring form pan; set aside. To make Crust
- In a food processor. pulse Oreo cookies till finely crumbly. Add melted butter and pulse till moist. Pour and press onto bottom of spring form pan; set aside. To make Cheesecake Filling
- In a mixing bowl with mixer on med-high speed, beat cream cheese and brown sugar till smooth. Add peanut butter, heavy cream, and vanilla extract, and beat well till smooth. Add eggs (one at a time) and beat well after each addition. Pour and spread onto crust and then arrange spring form pan in a large roasting pan. Pour hot water in pan halfway up the sides of spring form pan.
- Bake in oven for about 1 hour and 10 minutes or till center is almost set. Turn off oven and let cheesecake sit in oven (door closed) for 1 hour. With a Viennese spatula or plastic knife, scrape around edge of spring form pan to loosen cheesecake (this will keep it from sticking to sides). Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. To make Topping
- In a double boiler over medium heat, add heavy cream and chocolate chips; stir till melted and smooth. Pour and spread evenly on top of cheesecake. Refrigerate for 2 hours to chill.
- When chocolate is hard, remove from refrigerator. Then in a mixing bowl with mixer on med-high speed, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and brown sugar till smooth. Put cream cheese mixture in a pastry bag and then pipe 12 dollops around outer edge of cheesecake. Arrange mini peanut butter cups on top. Refrigerate for 2 hours to chill.
