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.
Carli says
I made this the other day for a family party and it was a HIT!! Everyone loved it! Only thing I changed was I put crushed Reese’s on top. It tasted wonderful!!
Deborah says
Yay! I’m so glad you all loved it!
marilyn says
I just had a piece of this monster – I made it for my husband’s birthday. Very good, all you need is a very thin slice ! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Deborah says
Yes – it is rich! So glad you liked it, and happy birthday to your husband!!
Gabriela says
I want to make this one for this sunday for my bf’s birthday. Which type of cream cheese can I use? I actually don’t know. Which one have you use o which types of cream cheese would you recommend?
Thank you! I really want to make it.
Deborah says
I just used the regular cream cheese that comes in 8 oz blocks. I can’t remember if I used the Philadelphia brand or just the store brand, but either would work.
scott konkel says
Just finished baking, but when I pulled it out of the oven there was a dark layer on top of the cake. I cut it off and now its fine. Also, the top of the cake puffed up a bit during cooking, is that normal?
Deborah says
Mine did not have a layer on it at all. I’m glad you were able to cut it off. Sometimes if the batter is beat too much, that will cause the cheesecake to puff up. You want to make sure everything is mixed, but you have to be careful to not overbeat the batter.
scott konkel says
Also, is the water in the pan thing necessary? Not sure I have a pan large enough for that XD
Deborah says
I haven’t tried this cheesecake without the water bath. It does help it to cook evenly and helps to prevent cracks in the cheesecake.
kris says
when i do my cheese cakes i put a good size baking sheet underneath with water in it so the oven doesnt dry out the top of my cheese cake but i dont actually put my cheese cake in the pan with the water
Arlene says
The water is to keep the cheesecake moist enough so it doesn’t crack. An alternate route is to fill a Pan with water and set it on the rack below the cheesecake, it works just as well with less hassle.
Deborah says
I have had several people suggest this method and I definitely need to try it! Thanks, so much!!
Christina says
I usually buy one of the oval turkey roaster pans for this purpose. I like to bake a lot of different cheesecakes so I will get one of the turkey roaster pans and keep it until I can’t use it anymore and then throw it away. My 9 inch spring form pan even surrounded by foil fits inside of it perfectly and my tea kettle of hot water fills it to 1 inch no problem.
Deborah says
Such a great idea!!
Nicole says
Great idea to impress the boyfriends” family this Christmas!
tiffiney says
where can i buy this dont have the time to make it HELP SOMEBODY
Nutmeg Nanny says
you had me drooling at “reeses” this cheesecake looks insane, I love it!
Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures says
This is ridiculous! I’m sure I could eat the entire cheesecake!
meghann says
what cream do I use???
Deborah says
Meghann – it’s heavy cream.
Sharon says
I would love to add this to my desserts for Christmas. Will this freeze well? I’d like to do most of my baking the week before.
Thanks
Kim - Liv Life says
Your photo popped off of the foodgawker page and has me craving this cheesecake!! Some 30 years ago (sounds funny to say that…) I lived in San Francisco and would travel with a friend to Tiburon on the weekends. We always stopped at Sam’s, by the bay, and would share a slice of Peanut Butter Pie. Since then I’ve been searching for the ultimate PB dessert, and I think I may have just found it!! Love, love LOVE this cheesecake!
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
OMG wow!!! Just saw it on FG and it’s a showstopper! Pinned! And pinned your cookies, too. You are rocking out some great recipes, Deborah!
Deborah says
Thanks so much, Averie!! xoxo
scott konkel says
I don’t have a food processor, if I crush the cookies by hand could I melt the butter then mix it in?
Deborah says
You’ll want the cookies to become fine crumbs, so you can crush them by hand – it just may take a little bit of work! 🙂
David Irvan says
No food processor? Just do like I do and put the cookies in a plastic food storage bag and go over them with a rolling pin, it works just as well.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Absolutely stunning!
Becky says
this looks fabulous – as usual!!! Can’t wait to spend the weekend with you!!