food
Giant Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake
Make your sweet dreams a reality with a cake made with cream cheese peanut butter filling and topped with chocolate ganache.
Ingredients
- For the crust:
- 5 cups chocolate wafer cookies
- 1 cup peanuts, roasted and salted
- 1/2 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
- For the filling:
- 2 pounds cream cheese, softened
- 5 eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups smooth peanut butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 vanilla bean, scraped
- 12 peanut butter cups, chopped
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
- For the ganache topping:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 16 ounces chocolate, chopped
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup mini peanut butter cups
- 1/2 cup peanuts, roasted, salted and roughly chopped
Steps
- For the crust: Mix all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Press into a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish tart pan with removable bottom. Place in the refrigerator to chill.
- For the filling: Preheat oven to 275 degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the softened cream cheese until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, until well incorporated. Add sugars, peanut butter, cream and vanilla bean and mix well.
- Gently stir in the peanut butter cups and chocolate chips, then pour the filling into the prepared and chilled crust. Level the top gently. Place the tart pan on a large sheet of aluminum foil in a large baking pan. Pour water around the outside of the cheesecake, taking care not to allow the water to seep into the tart pan. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until just firm.
- Allow to cool for 20 minutes, then place the cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
- For the ganache: In a heavy bottomed saucepan, bring cream just to boiling. Place the chopped chocolate and salt into a heatproof bowl and pour the cream over. Allow to sit without mixing for about 5 minutes. Whisk until shiny and smooth then pour over chilled cheesecake. Garnish with mini peanut butter cups and chopped peanuts. Serve immediately.