Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Reese's Cups

This very indulgent Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake starts with a buttery Oreo cookie crust and a peanut butter filling that is folded with chopped miniature Reese’s peanut butter cups. It’s an ideal dessert to share with anyone who loves cheesecake or a great chocolate and peanut butter combination!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s rich, creamy, and decadent, and a single slice will satisfy any sweet craving!
• A great dessert for anyone in your life who loves chocolate and peanut butter cheesecake.
• It has outstanding peanut butter flavor and is packed with mini Reese’s peanut butter cups!
• Finish it with a silky chocolate ganache and a few extra peanut butter cups for a top-tier dessert.
• The Reese’s cheesecake sits on a baked Oreo crust with roasted peanuts in every bite, and it is fantastic!

This Reese’s cheesecake is simple to make but takes patience. It bakes for 50-55 minutes, then cools in the oven for 45 minutes, rests at room temperature for 1-2 hours, and finally chills in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. It is worth the wait, I promise!

If you enjoy this cheesecake, take a look at my S’mores Cheesecake recipe!

What You’ll Need

Cookie Crust

This Oreo sandwich cookie crust is simple to put together and uses just five ingredients.

• Oreo Sandwich Cookies. You need about 28 cookies. Either the original size and flavor or the Oreo thin cookies will work. Chocolate wafer cookies (such as Nabisco’s) can stand in for them.
• Unsalted Butter. This binds all the other ingredients together. You can use salted butter instead, but leave out the added salt.
• Light Brown Sugar. It helps the mixture come together and adds a bit more flavor.
• Roasted Unsalted Peanuts. This ingredient is optional. It adds more peanut butter flavor and cuts back on the sweetness of the cookies. If you choose salted peanuts, skip the salt in the recipe.
• Salt. You only need a pinch, but it also helps offset the sweetness.

Cheesecake Batter

This Reese’s peanut butter cup cheesecake batter uses just seven ingredients and is baked in a 9-inch springform pan!

• Cream Cheese. You need four 8-ounce blocks. They must be softened and at room temperature for this Reese’s cheesecake.
• Light Brown Sugar. Using 1 1/2 cups of light brown sugar in place of granulated sugar adds a nice boost of flavor!
• Peanut Butter. Only a 1/2 cup is needed to give this cheesecake the perfect peanut buttery taste! Make sure to use regular, creamy peanut butter and not the natural style, as the oil can do some not-so-nice things to your cheesecake batter!
• Vanilla Extract. One teaspoon rounds out the flavors in this chocolate peanut butter cheesecake!
• Eggs. The eggs are what hold the cheesecake together! You need four large eggs at room temperature, lightly whisked before they go into the batter.
• Heavy Whipping Cream. Using heavy whipping cream instead of sour cream gives the cheesecake a much creamier texture!
• Miniature Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. You need one 10.5-ounce bag for the filling. Chop them into small pieces and fold them into the batter at the end. Buy an extra bag if you want more on top, either before or after baking.

How to Make the Recipe

Cookie Crust

I like this Oreo cookie crust because it takes very few ingredients, the peanuts make it a bit crunchier, and it goes beautifully with the Reese’s peanut butter cup batter!

Before you begin the crust, coat a 9-inch springform pan generously with a flour-based baking spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper. You can line the sides too if you like.

Step 1. Grind the Oreo cookies into crumbs. If the cookies are stacked too high in the food processor, break them apart so they fit better (Image 1).

Step 2. Add the roasted unsalted peanuts. Pulse until the peanuts are chopped into very small pieces (Image 2).

Step 3. Add the light brown sugar, salt, and melted unsalted butter. Pulse until the crust becomes a thicker mixture. It will clump a bit inside the food processor (Images 3 and 4).

Step 4. Move the cookie crust into the springform pan.

Step 5. Press the crust mixture firmly into the bottom of the springform pan. Pack it down as tightly as you can. The bottom of a measuring cup, a spatula, or a glass works well for this (Image 5).

Step 6. Bake the Oreo cookie crust. Place the oven rack in the middle position. Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes at 325ºF. Let it cool on a wire rack until it is cool to the touch. Lower the oven to 350ºF for the next part, the Reese’s peanut butter cup cheesecake batter (Image 6)!

Cheesecake Batter

Step 1. Beat the softened cream cheese. Use a hand mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. To avoid lumps in the peanut butter cheesecake batter, beat the cream cheese for a full 4-5 minutes, until it is lighter and fluffier (Image 1).

Step 2. Add the light brown sugar, peanut butter, and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until everything is blended (Image 2).

Step 3. Add the heavy cream and eggs. Whisk the eggs slightly before adding them to the batter. This keeps you from overmixing. The peanut butter cheesecake batter should be smooth and thick (Image 3).

Step 4. Fold in the mini peanut butter cups. Use a spatula so you don’t overmix the batter (Image 4).

Step 5. Wrap the pan in foil, boil the water, then bake. Before you add the batter, wrap 5-6 overlapping sheets of aluminum foil around the outside bottom of the springform pan. Pour in the batter, then set the pan inside a roasting pan (Image 5).

Next, boil some water in the microwave on high for 4-5 minutes. Slide the roasting pan with the cheesecake into the oven, and before you close the door, very carefully pour the boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes halfway up the sides.

Bake the peanut butter cheesecake for 50-55 minutes at 350ºF (Image 6). For reference, mine was perfect at 50 minutes. While it bakes, keep the oven door shut, since opening it lets the steam escape.

When it finishes baking, turn off the oven and let the cheesecake cool in the oven with the door closed for 45 minutes. Your Reese’s peanut butter cup cheesecake will be jiggly. That is fine. It keeps setting as it cools to room temperature and when it chills in the refrigerator.

Step 6. Let the cheesecake cool. Take the cheesecake out of the oven and roasting pan, then carefully peel off the foil. Let it cool to room temperature on a wire rack. This can take 1-2 hours.

Lightly cover the top with aluminum foil, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours. My preference, though, is overnight.

Chocolate Ganache Topping

To make this chocolate peanut butter cheesecake even more indulgent, pour a silky chocolate ganache over the top. You need only a small glass bowl, a whisk, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and heavy whipping cream.

Step 1. Put the semi-sweet chocolate chips in a small glass bowl. Warm the heavy whipping cream in the microwave, then pour it over the chips (Image 1).

Step 2. Cover the bowl with foil. Let it stand covered for 2 minutes (Image 2).

Step 3. Whisk until smooth. Whisk slowly until the chocolate melts and the ganache is smooth and glossy (Image 3). Pour it over your Reese’s peanut butter cup cheesecake, and if you like, add more mini peanut butter cups on top.

Helpful Tips

These are a few things I’ve picked up along the way that should take some of the worry out of making this Reese’s peanut butter cup cheesecake.

Get a springform pan. Cheesecakes do best in a springform pan because the sides come off easily once the cake has cooled. Trying to remove a cheesecake from a regular pan is far too difficult and will leave you frustrated.

Wrap it up. Cover the outside of your springform pan with 5-6 layers of aluminum foil. Along with a well-made springform pan, this extra layer helps keep the cheesecake from leaking. I haven’t had a leak yet, but this is a good tip for those “just in case” moments.

Don’t skip the water bath. A water bath is an important step that keeps your cheesecake from drying out, sinking, or cracking. It creates a steamy environment inside the oven, like a little sauna, and that moisture keeps the cheesecake soft and moist.

Keep the oven door closed. Do not open the oven door while the cheesecake bakes. Doing so lets out the steam your water bath created.

Essential Baking Tools

More Chocolate and Peanut Butter Desserts!

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