If there’s nothing you love more in the world than the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, you should try this recipe for chocolate and peanut butter cheesecake. Oreo Crust, creamy peanut butter cheesecake filled with chocolate chips, milk chocolate ganache and a stack of chopped Reese’s cups on top, equals pure happiness!
Ingredients
For Oreo bark:
2 cups of Oreo crumbs
4 tablespoons unsalted melted butter
Peanut butter cheesecake filling:
32 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 and 1/3 cup of sugar
4 large eggs
1 cup of soft peanut butter
2 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 ¼ miniature chocolate chip cups
For the milk chocolate ganache:
½ cup of heavy cream
1 ½ cups milk chocolate chips or 9.5 ounces of finely chopped milk chocolate
For the garnish:
Chopped Reese’s Cups
Crushed roasted peanuts
Instructions
First, cover the 9-inch pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Wrap the pan with two layers of aluminum foil and pull the foil up the sides of the pan and make sure it is tight and secure so that no water enters during cooking in the water bath!!!!
To make the crust:
In a food processor, finely grind the whole Oreo cookies with the filling to obtain fine crumbs. Combine the crumbs with the melted butter and stir until evenly moistened.
Press the mixture into the bottom of the springform tray and place in the refrigerator to make it firm while making the filling.
To make the filling for the cheesecake:
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Beat the cream cheese softened with sugar until it is soft.
Mix with peanut butter, heavy cream and vanilla.
Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition just to combine, do not over-mix.
Add the chocolate chips and spread the mixture over the cooled crust. Smooth the top and place the spring mold on a roasting pan. Pour hot water into a roasting pan (about a quarter of the way up).
Bake for 55-70 minutes, until the cheesecake is placed around the edges and slightly loose in the center. Cover the top of the pan with aluminum foil if it starts to brown too quickly.
Remove cheesecake from water bath and place on cooling rack to cool. Remove foil and refrigerate (at least 5 hours or overnight).
Ganache:
When the cake has cooled completely, run a thin knife around the edge and loosen the spring shaped tray ring, then transfer the cake to a serving plate.
At medium heat, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Place half of the milk chocolate chips (or chopped chocolate) in a heatproof container and pour the cream over the chocolate, stirring until the chocolate is completely melted. Add the remaining chocolate and stir until it melts and is smooth. Set aside to cool. The ganache should be pourable but not too thin.
Spread the ganache over the edges and let it drip down the sides. I suggest you do it in two layers to prevent the ganache from going too low and covering all the edges of the cake. Also if the ganache does not drip enough, you can slightly reheat the second batch and spray it with the spoon. Let the ganache settle slightly and then sprinkle with chopped peanuts and pile with coarsely chopped Reese.
Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.