Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

A rich and decadent dessert, this Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake recipe will have your guests going for seconds and, most likely, thirds! A cookie crust is packed with a creamy, luscious peanut butter and chocolate cheesecake filling. Then a layer of whipped chocolate ganache tops off the ultimate peanut-butter lover’s dessert.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Whipped Chocolate Ganache Recipe 

INGREDIENTS

For the Biscoff crust:

11 oz Biscoff cookies
1 stick butter

For the filling:

1 lb 4 oz cream cheese
½ cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
5 oz sour cream
6 oz peanut butter
3 oz Ghirardelli chocolate, chopped

For whipped chocolate ganache:

8 oz Ghirardelli chocolate
8 oz heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS

For the Biscoff crust:

1. Grind up Biscoff cookies in a food processor or crush in a Ziploc bag with a rolling pin until fine.
2. Melt butter in the microwave for 1 minute and 20 seconds.
3. Combine butter and cookie crumbs until they hold shape when you squeeze it.
4. Press the crust into your favorite cheesecake pan, preferably a springform pan, or a tart pan with a bottom that pops out.
5. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes. Once the crust is done turn down the oven to 300 degrees.
6. Let the crust cool, then wrap your pan, bottom, and sides in foil.

For the filling:

1. With a mixer, combine the cream cheese, sugar, and salt. Mix on low speed with a paddle attachment until very smooth, about 20 minutes. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to incorporate all cream cheese. You do not want to turn the mixer up to stir or low because you do not want to incorporate extra air; make sure there are no clumps.
2. Once the cream cheese is mixed, add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the sour cream all at once and mix until fully incorporated.
4. Separately, melt peanut butter and chocolate in the microwave in 30-second intervals, mixing in between each interval.
5. Divide the cheesecake batter in half into separate bowls.
6. Mix the peanut butter in one half and the chocolate in the other half.
7. In the prepared crust, alternate pouring the chocolate and peanut butter cheesecake batters into the pan. Place your pan in a slightly deeper pan, whether it’s a Pyrex or a foil pan, and fill halfway up with water.
8. Bake the cheesecake at 300 degrees, starting at 45 minutes. To check if the cheesecake is done, slightly jiggle the pan: it should move just slightly but not be liquid. Try to avoid the cheesecake from cracking; if it cracks, then your cheesecake is slightly overbaked.
9. Add 15 minutes at a time as needed to finish.
10. Carefully remove cheesecake from oven and then let cool in the water bath out of the oven. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and then let cool fully in the fridge.

For the whipped chocolate ganache:

1. Chop chocolate and then bring heavy cream to a boil. Pour heavy cream over the chocolate and let sit for 1 minute.
2. Stir with a spatula from the center to the outside until combined. Place in the fridge for 1 hour.
3. Once chilled, place the ganache on the mixer, fit with the whisk attachment, and whip until fluffy. Pipe onto the top of the cheesecake and then top with any extra Biscoff cookies.

Story by Lindsay Anne Herring / Recipe by Selina Progar / Styling by Anna Calabrese / Photography by Dave Bryce / Chocolate courtesy of Mon Aimee Chocolat

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