Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Like a gigantic tangy amazing peanut butter cup. Just incredible.
Texture: The crust is buttery yet crunchy while the filling is lusciously smooth with bites of mini Reese’s cups. The chocolate ganache and pile of mini Reese’s on top takes this cheesecake to a ridiculously awesome level.
Ease: There are three elements to this cheesecake, each of which will dirty a few dishes. SO worth it, promise!
Pros: My new favorite cheesecake ever.
Cons: Not an everyday treat.
Would I make this again? Absolutely yes for special occasions!
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This Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake is the most perfectly over-the-top dessert of all time.
There’s nothing I love more than the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, so this cheesecake is pure bliss for me.
A dream come true for any chocolate + peanut butter lover like me, this cheesecake is sure to be the hit of any party or gathering.
This cheesecake is super simple to make – you don’t even need to bake it in a water bath, because any imperfections will be covered up with a beautiful layer of ganache and a delightfully heaping pile of mini peanut butter cups.
Check out my tips + tricks below, so you can make the perfect centerpiece for your next party. No one will be able to stop raving about it!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake
How to Make Creamy, Smooth Cheesecake:
- Be sure to use high-quality full-fat bricks of cream cheese.
- Do not use cream cheese that’s meant for spreading on a bagel.
- The cream cheese needs to be completely softened to room temperature. If it’s too cold, it won’t mix thoroughly and you’ll end up with little bits and pockets of unblended cream cheese throughout your Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake.
- Make sure your eggs are at room temperature too.
- Beat the cream cheese well before adding any other ingredients.
- Be sure to frequently scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl, even if you’re using a paddle attachment that scrapes as it blends.
What Type of Peanut Butter is Best for Cheesecake?
Make sure to use conventional creamy peanut butter for this recipe. Conventional PB typically has an added oil in the ingredients list, which helps peanut butter emulsify. The natural stuff can separate, so I don’t recommend that here.
How to Tell When Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake is Done Baking
You want to stop baking once the Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake looks dry on top but is still gently wobbly in the very center. It will finish setting up as it cools at room temperature and then as it chills in the fridge.
How Long Does Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Last?
This cheesecake will keep for 2 days loosely covered in the fridge. Note that the longer it’s stored, the more the crust will soften. If you need to store your cheesecake for longer, check out the freezing instructions just below.
Can You Freeze Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake?
Yes! Cheesecake freezes beautifully. Here’s how to freeze Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake:
- Place the whole or sliced cheesecake on a baking sheet inside the freezer until firm.
- Once firm, wrap the cheesecake or each individual slice in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.
- Freeze for up to 2 months.
- To serve, defrost a whole cheesecake in the fridge overnight. You can also defrost individual slices in the fridge overnight, or at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
- For best results, add the ganache and mini peanut butter cups after freezing and thawing.
More Recipes You’ll Love:
- Ultimate Peanut Butter Cheesecake
- Peanut Butter Stuffed Brownies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Loaded Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
- Peanut Butter Pie
Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake
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Ingredients
For the crust:
- 30 (1-15.35 ounce package) Oreo cookies
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, melted
For the cheesecake filling:
- 32 ounces (907 grams) cream cheese, completely softened to room temperature
- 5 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (300 grams) lightly-packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup (270 grams) creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup (119 grams) heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 8 ounces Reese’s mini peanut butter cups
For the topping:
- 1 cup (170 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup (119 grams) heavy cream
- 8 ounces Reese’s mini peanut butter cups
Instructions
For the crust:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. In the bowl of a food processor, process the cookies until they are finely ground crumbs. Add the butter and pulse until moistened. Press into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool.
For the filling:
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Add in the sugar, peanut butter, cream, and vanilla, and beat until combined. Be careful not to overmix. Stir in the mini peanut butter cups.
- Pour the batter into the cooled crust. Bake for about 1 hour, or until set and the top looks slightly dry. If the middle is slightly wobbly, that’s fine. Cool the cheesecake completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours. Release the cheesecake from the pan onto a cake stand or serving plate.
For the topping:
- Place the chocolate chips in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the cream just until simmering. Pour over the chocolate chips. Let sit for 3 minutes before stirring until the mixture is melted and smooth. Pour over the cheesecake, allowing to drip down the sides. Sprinkle the remaining mini peanut butter cups over the cheesecake. Serve or cover and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Recipe Notes
This post was originally published in 2014 and has been updated with additional baking tips.
This has become our family favorite! I make it for the holidays and there is enough to send some home with our kids! And put individually sliced pieces in the freezer for a quick treat on a busy night! It’s become my son’s favorite birthday cake! Very Rich and delicious. My dentists office?want me to teach them how to bake it!! Lol Thanks for a fantastic recipe Tessa!!
I’ve made this recipe many times over the years, as well as other types of cheesecakes. I have always mixed the fats and sugars first with eggs going in last and never had lumpy batter. I’ve looked at other peanutbutter cup cheesecake recipes online and they all seemed to call for mixing the eggs in first. So I thought would try it. BIG mistake. The batter was full of small lumps of cream cheese. And I always warm my cream cheese first to prevent lumps. Always mix the sugars with the fats first when making cheesecake. I’ve been making cheesecake for about 30 years. I don’t believe I’ve had lumpy batter.
You are correct. That is the one fault with this recipe. Eggs are always last to prevent souffléing thus creating cracks in the cheesecake. Beat cream cheese and peanut butter until super fluffy…add sugar and vanilla and salt. super creamy and fluffy again. eggs one at a time at low speed, scraping several times along the way.
Hey! Quick question for you. I absolutely loved all of your recipes, they are amazing! I’m super excited to try this one. We had a peanut butter cup blind tasting at work because we all love them so this is going to be great to bring in. I usually make the cake the day before eating it though so that the crust is nice and crisp. This week I might not be able to do that, do you think it will still be nice and crispy if I make it 2 days in advance? Thanks!!
Hi Kayla! Yes, that should be just fine. By the second day, the crust will soften slightly, but it will still be delicious. Let us know how it goes 🙂
I knew by the picture that this was the recipe I wanted to use and fingers crossed it was going to turn out as pictured and sure enough the instructions were written well, the amounts of every ingredient was spot on.
Served it to a party of eight, everyone loved it, and sent dessert home with guests and still had leftovers for the freezer for us. I changed the heavy cream to sour cream, and chose not to bake the crust, and for the reeses cups on top, I had only 4-ounces of miniature dark chocolate Reese’s that I cut them in half and it was just enough for me. This is a very rich cheesecake, and a keeper!
what if you used M&M’s peanut butter instead of Reeses would it be ok?
Hi Ed! The M&Ms might be best just on top for decoration, as the slow, long bake of a cheesecake might cause any M&Ms inside to leak their color and discolor the cheesecake strangely around each M&M. If you don’t mind that splotchy discoloration in your cheesecake slices, and just prefer the flavor of M&Ms over Reese’s, then go for it! Let us know what you think once you’ve given this a try! Happy baking 🙂
Bake for an hour at what temp?
I make a lot of cheesecakes that use Oreo cookies for the crust. I learned early on that baking the crust only and then baking the cheesecake makes the crust so hard it’s difficult to cut with a fork. I always bake my graham cracker crusts for 8-10 minutes at 350, but for my Oreo cookie crusts, I freeze them for 25-30 minutes. I add the batter to the frozen crust right out of the freezer, and immediately into the oven. Just a suggestion that has worked for me.
I made this recipe last month and followed the directions. However, the cheesecake consistency was off. It was almost like pudding. Should i bake for a longer time next time i make it? Not sure what I’m doing wrong. On another note the flavors were delicious!
For the filling, do you leave the Reese’s cups whole or cut in half?
Hi Tessa, I have cooked this recipe multiple times — it is now officially award-winning! Last week, I baked it and my daughter decorated it. My wife then brought it to her office and entered it in a very competitive holiday cooking competition at her workplace. And it won! Thank you for this fantastic cake!
The version I make is really a combination of this and your ultimate cheesecake — I cook it in a water bath, with sour cream instead of heavy cream, and for the crust chocolate graham crackers instead of Oreos.