Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake makes you feel like a child again, eating your favorite candy bar – yes your candy bar. A chocolate and peanut butter lover’s delight!
Anything chocolate makes it on my list of dessert favorites, and this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake is one of those desserts. This cheesecake is absolutely wonderful. One bite and I think you will agree this cheesecake is pure bliss.
- 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature*
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 5 eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh-squeezed
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 cups (about 22 cookies) cream-filled chocolate cookie crumbs, including the filling**
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate, melted
- 3 tablespoons powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar)
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and position rack in center of oven (too high or too low of rack placement will cause baking problems). NOTE: Use a conventional (regular) oven rather than a convection oven in baking your cheesecake. The forced hot air from the convection oven causes too much browning and can often cause the center of the cheesecake to collapse.
-
Prepare Chocolate Crust.
-
In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and peanut butter. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. NOTE: Do not over beat the mixture. You want to avoid beating air into the mixture. Too much air will make the cheesecake fall.
-
Add sour cream and lemon juice. Add chocolate chips, mixing until blended into the mixture. Pour cheesecake mixture into prepared cookie crust, using the back of a spoon to spread evenly over the crust (this helps get rid of any extra air bubbles).
-
Place cheesecake in center of middle oven rack. Position a baking pan filled halfway with hot water on lower rack. Bake 15 minutes, then lower own temperature to 300 degrees and bake another 70 minutes or until edges are light brown and center is almost set. NOTE: There should be no wet spots or liquid areas in the center of the cheesecake. Remember that a cheesecake continues to cook when it is removed from the oven.
-
How to tell when cheesecake is done cooking: The cheesecake is done when center is almost set, but jiggles slightly when gently shaken. For a perfect cheesecake, use a cooking thermometer and take it out of the oven when the cheesecake reaches 150 degrees F. at the center to avoid over baking. Expect a slight shrinkage as it cools. If there is great shrinkage, you have baked it at too high a heat.
-
How to prevent cracks in your cheesecake: When the internal temperature of a cheesecake rises beyond 160 degrees F. while baking, it will always crack. To prevent this from happening, use an instant-read cooking thermometer to test its doneness. Take it out of the oven when the cheesecake reaches and internal temperature of 150 degrees F. at the center to avoid over baking.
-
Turn oven off. Let cake stand in oven, with door ajar, 30 minutes or until center is completely set. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack. NOTE: A wonderful looking baked cheesecake (with no cracks), can crack as it sits on the cooling rack because the cake shrank during cooling and clung to the sides of the springform pan. To avoid this from happening, cool the cheesecake for only a few minutes, and then, using a paring knife, free it from the sides of the pan before allowing it to cool completely.
-
Prepare Chocolate Topping. Spread Chocolate Topping over cooled cheesecake. Let Chocolate Topping cool and set.
-
Once the cheese cake is cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours before cutting (the cheesecake will solidify to a perfect consistency during this time).
-
To serve, slide a small knife around edge of cake to loosen it and remove sides of the springform pan; transfer onto a cake plate.
-
Makes 10 to 12 servings.
-
Lightly grease (butter) a 9-inch springform pan. In a food processor, whirl cookie crumbs to fine crumbs. Add butter; whirl 5 to 10 seconds more. Place crumb mixture onto bottom of prepared pan being careful not to get crumbs on sides of pan. Press crumb mixture firmly and evenly over the bottom. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool crust completely on a wire rack.
-
In a medium bowl combine sour cream, melted chocolate chips, and powdered sugar.
* To quickly bring cream cheese to room temperature, place unwrapped package(s) in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH for 30 to 45 seconds or until slightly softened. Do not let it melt or get warm - refrigerate if it does.
** I like to use Oreo cookies
I get many readers asking what cooking/meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking and baking. I, personally, use the Thermapen Thermometer. Originally designed for professional use, the Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer is used by chefs all over the world. I only endorse a few products, on my web site, that I like and use regularly.
You can learn more or buy yours at: Super-Fast Thermapen Thermometer.
Sponsored Content
Cheesecake Hints and Tips:
Baking Cheesecake Ahead Of Time
7 Responses to “Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Recipe”
Olivia Nelson
I never knew that when a cheesecake reaches 160 degrees F it will crack. I would imagine that keeping it exactly the right temperature so as to avoid an unappealing crack would probably be somewhat difficult. My husband loves cheesecake and his birthday is coming up but instead of risking it and trying to bake one maybe I should look for a bakery instead.
Nancy
Oliva, I say go for it! No matter what it will still taste good. You can cover the crack with fresh fruit or we have an icing topping that works wonders to cover the crack!
Paula
The instructions make is seem like you keep the cheesecake in the pan until you serve it, yet it looks like the topping is on the sides of the cake as well as the top. Do you loosen the sides and cover it while in the pan?
Linda Stradley
You have two choices – (1) You can either leave the cheesecake in the pan until ready to serve. Spread topping on the cheesecake just before serving. (2) Remove cheesecake from pan after cooling and then spread topping on the cheesecake.
Paula
Thanks, Linda. Another question…the recipe calls for chocolate chips, but doesn’t indicate whether they need to be melted. The pic doesn’t look like it has chocolate chips in it.
Linda Stradley
That is definitely the wrong photo for the cheesecake! Not sure how this happened, but I removed the photo until I can get a new one done.
No, you do not melt the chocolate chips, but just blend them into the batter.
TeePee
I keep coming back to this recipe time and time again, and everytime I make this cheesecake, my family and friends (and myself) drool when it’s served. Absolutely devine!