Rich and decadent, this Reese’s Peanut Butter Cheesecake Recipe starts with a cookie crust, is filled with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, then topped with a chocolate ganache and even more peanut butter cups.
Sometimes, I just can’t get cheesecake off the brain. I adore cheesecake, but I don’t often have an excuse to make a whole cheesecake. But sometimes you just have to make an excuse, right?? Well, when I decided to make a peanut butter cheesecake, I knew I wanted to go all out. I didn’t want a 1-inch cheesecake. I wanted this baby tall and rich and creamy and packed with so much peanut butter and chocolate that it would cure any peanut butter craving. And that is exactly what I ended up with! This peanut butter cheesecake is rich and decadent and totally celebration worthy. It really might be my favorite cheesecake!
A few hints – make sure you wrap the springform pan tightly with foil so that the water doesn’t leak in. (More on this below!) I used to never have problems with water leaking, but I’ve ruined a couple cheesecakes lately because of leaks. And believe me – this is one cheesecake you don’t want to ruin!!
Leaving the cheesecake in the oven to gradually cool it down helps to reduce the risk of the cheesecake cracking. But since this cheesecake is covered with a ganache, if your cheesecake does crack, it’s no big deal. You’ll be the only one that will know!!
And because this is such a tall cheesecake, it does take some time to bake through. I always worry about overbaking, but could have left mine in a few minutes longer. But I do love how creamy it turned out!!
This will be the perfect dessert to take to your next holiday get together!!
Tips for making this Reese’s Peanut Butter Cheesecake Recipe
Here are a few tips to ensure that your cheesecake comes out perfectly:
- Make sure all of your ingredients are room temperature – not just the cream cheese. Set them all out about 30 minutes before you are going to start the recipe.
- Don’t overmix. Overmixing will add too much air to the batter, which means your cheesecake will fall and you’ll be left with a big crack in the top of your cheesecake.
- A water bath makes a big difference! Read more about this below.
- Make sure to chill the cheesecake thoroughly.
How to Bake a Cheesecake in a Water Bath
A water bath can be a little controversial. Many cheesecakes have been ruined by leaking pans. So here are a few tips to make sure that pan is wrapped well so that you won’t end up with leaks.
- Wrap the pan in a double layer of aluminum foil. Make sure to go high up enough on the sides so that the water can’t sneak in through the top.
- Make sure the foil is wrapped tightly to the pan on the bottom.
- I like to place the filled springform pan into the larger pan, and then place those in the oven before adding the hot water. That way water won’t splash up while you are transferring the pan to the oven.
- If water leaking into your pan is a common occurrence, it may be your springform pan. Make sure it is tight fitting, and if all else fails, buy a new pan.
- I have heard of many people having luck skipping the water bath and just adding a pan of water to the rack in the oven below the cheesecake. I have tried this, and while it does help some, I don’t think it has quite the same effect that the actual water bath does. Besides preventing cracks, the water bath also helps the cheesecake to cook more even, and I think that the pan below doesn’t really help with this. But if not worrying about the water leaking is your biggest concern, this is definitely an option!
More Cheesecake Recipes
Lemon Cheesecake
Mini Cheesecakes
Dulce de Leche cheesecake
Sour Cream Cheesecake
No-Bake Nutella Cheesecake
Snickers Cheesecake
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Reese’s Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust:
- 30 chocolate sandwich cookies
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
- Dash of salt
Cheesecake:
- 32 oz cream cheese softened
- 5 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 12 oz Reese’s Peanut Butter miniature cups unwrapped and roughly chopped
Topping:
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 8 oz package Reese’s Minis
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
- Put the chocolate sandwich cookies in a food processor and process until they form fine crumbs. Add in the butter and salt and process to combine. Press the mixture into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then set aside to cool. Wrap aluminum foil around the sides and the bottom of the springform pan.
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl in between each addition. Add in the brown sugar, peanut butter, cream and vanilla; beat until combined. Gently fold in the chopped up Reese’s Miniatures. Pour the mixture into the cooled crust.
- Place the pan inside a larger pan and carefully add about 1 inch of hot water in the larger pan. Bake the cheesecake until it is just set, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the temperature to come down gently for about an hour. Remove from the oven, cool completely, then refrigerate until completely cool.
- To make the chocolate topping, heat the cream until simmering, just before boiling. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate chips. Allow the mixture to sit for a couple minutes, then stir until smooth. Pour over the top of the cheesecake, allowing it to drip down the sides. Sprinkle the Reese’s minis over the top of the cheesecake.
Justin Dowdy says
I used peanut butter Oreos for the crust. This was a great cheesecake. The peanut butter flavor really comes through. My family absolutely loved it!
Deborah says
Thanks for the review, Justin – I’m so glad you loved it! And I love the idea of using peanut butter Oreos for the crust!
Maurina Nolan says
I’m going to make this for Christmas dinner, but I’m going to use 1/2 cup roasted peanuts with the Oreos. And also use 1/4 peanut butter and 1/8 cup butter for my crust. So it has a little crunch and more taste of peanut butter and a little less fat from butter. Can’t wait for your coming with it though. I’ll let you know how it turns out! Thank you
Deborah says
Ooooh, that sounds amazing! I hope it turned out amazing!
Allie says
This is the cake I make for my boyfriend’s birthday every single year! It’s sooooo perfect! I do use extra Reese’s minis than the recipe says though!
Deborah says
I love this!!
Babs says
This is the best recipe for any peanut butter lover. I’ve made this at least a dozen time. It turns out perfectly every time
Judy Benic says
Loved this!!
Mike Badalament says
Is the oven temp the same for both the crust and cake? Middle rack? And do you remove the filling from the Oreos first?
Deborah says
Yes, the oven temperature is the same. And no need to remove the filling!
Mike Badalament says
Thank you, making it today will post my completed work..😎
Mike Badalament says
Made it….awesome and was delicious, sorry I can’t attach the pics I took, I tried tho..
Ella says
I have been making cheesecakes for decades – 2 tips. I hear my mother’s words every time, you can beat the cream cheese as much as you want with the peanut butter or other ingredients UNTIL you add the eggs, then just mix to combine or you introduce too much air and the cake will crack. Second tip – use a crock pot liner around the springform pan and you don’t need foil – no water gets in from the water bath. I hold it in place with either kitchen twine or a large silicone band. The parchment on bottom (not under the spring part) helps make the cake slide onto a serving plate or cake display.
Josephine says
i made this for a family supper, all you could hear was the moans lol of how good it tastes it was to die for!!!
Alexa W says
This recipe is my favorite desert recipe! Second year in a row that my husband has made it for me in place of a birthday cake, and I love it! It is pretty tall and super rich, so we usually cut the second half into pretty thin slices and freeze them.
Kelly says
Easy to follow recipe and incredibly delicious
Abigail Ruiz says
This was an amazing recipe! First time making cheesecake and my family loved it! I loved how the chocolate topping made it all come together. A simple recipe with a gourmet look!
Kim says
Do you remove the center from the oreo cookies?
Deborah says
Nope – no need to remove the center!
S. Livingston says
Love this recipe, so delicious!The water bath is a definite must , I wrap my spring form pans in a Reynolds oven bag , then use heavy duty foil over that , and so far no leaks .