Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Description
Your family and guests will thank you endlessly for making this decadent dessert. It's the ultimate cheesecake for chocolate and peanut butter lovers.
Ingredients
Crust:
15 chocolate graham crackers
3 T. sugar
1/8 t. kosher salt
4 T. butter, melted
Cheesecake:
4 - 8 oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 c. packed light brown sugar
1/2 t. kosher salt
1 T. pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 c. creamy peanut butter
3/4 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. sour cream
chopped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, for garnish
Chocolate Ganache:
6 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
3/4 c. heavy cream
1/8 t. kosher salt
Directions
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Crust:
Butter a 9 inch springform pan; wrap bottom and sides of pan in a double layer of aluminum foil. Place oven rack in middle of oven. Preheat to 350 degrees.
In a food processor or blender, grind chocolate graham crackers into fine crumbs; add sugar and salt; pulse to combine. Transfer to a medium bowl; add butter; use fork or fingers to blend mixture until crumbs are evenly moist. Press into the bottom and about a third of the way up the sides of springform pan. Freeze 10 minutes.
Place pan on a baking sheet; bake crust for 10 minutes. Place on a rack to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Bring a medium saucepan or tea kettle full of water to a boil.
Cheesecake:
In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat cream cheese on medium, scraping down the bowl as necessary, until completely smooth, 3 - 4 minutes. Add sugar and salt; beat, scraping down bowl as necessary, until smooth and fluffy, 3 - 4 minutes. Add vanilla; beat for 30 seconds. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition, occasionally scraping bottom and sides of bowl. Add peanut butter, heavy cream and sour cream; beat on low until completely smooth and streak-free, about 1 minute.
Pour cheesecake batter into cooled crust; smooth the top. Place cheesecake in a deep roasting pan; set on middle rack of oven. Carefully pour enough boiling water into roasting pan to come about halfway up sides of springform pan.
Bake cheesecake until top is just starting to brown and crack, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Turn off oven; prop door open with a wooden spoon; let cheesecake slowly cool in water bath for 1 hour.
Remove roasting pan from oven; carefully lift springform pan out of water; remove foil; set cheesecake on rack; let come to room temperature. Once completely cool, loosely cover cheesecake with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or preferably overnight.
Chocolate Ganache:
When ready to serve, carefully remove sides of springform pan. Place chocolate in a clean, dry medium bowl.
In a small saucepan, warm cream until just barely simmering. Pour cream over chocolate; let sit 10 minutes; add salt; stir until smooth. Pour ganache over cheesecake, spreading evenly and allowing some to drip down sides of cake. Sprinkle with chopped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
10-12 servings.