Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Instructions

For the Oreo Crust

Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C).
Prepare your 9-inch springform pan for its later water bath by wrapping the bottom and sides with a decent amount of tinfoil. You want to make sure the tinfoil goes up about two inches on the sides of the pan so no water seeps into the pan as it bakes. I always use too much (around 8 layers) just so I know it’ll be okay.
(I have also tried a new method recently- If you have a 10-inch cake pan that your springform pan can fit inside of, you can use this instead of wrapping the bottom with tinfoil. The 10 inch pan will sit inside of the large roasting pan and the cheesecake pan will sit inside of the 10 inch pan. The hot water will go in the roasting pan around the 10 inch pan leaving the cheesecake pan untouched by water! I hope this makes sense, like a box within a box within a box LOL.)
Pulse the Oreos together in a food processor until they are finely ground.
32 Oreos
Then add in the melted butter and pulse until combined.
6 tbsp (84 g) unsalted butter, melted
Press the Oreo crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, about 1 inch. (A ¼ measuring cup really helps with this step).
Bake the crust for 10 minutes and then let it cool completely while working on the cheesecake batter.

For the Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 350° F (175° C) if not still preheated.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch together with a paddle attachment for two minutes on medium speed until everything is smooth and there are no lumps. (You can alternatively use a hand mixer). Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything has been mixed well.
32 oz (907 g) cream cheese, at room temperature, 1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar, 2 tbsp (16 g) corn starch
Add in the peanut butter, sour cream and vanilla. Mix for 1 minute on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl again.
1 cup (256 g) peanut butter, 1/3 cup (82 g) sour cream, at room temperature, 1 tbsp (15 ml) vanilla extract
At this point, stop and put a pot of water on the stove to start boiling. You will want enough water to go about 1 ½ inches up the sides of the springform pan.
Next add in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time to the cheesecake batter. Mix on low speed, ensuring that each is fully mixed in before adding the next. As soon as the last one is fully mixed in, turn off the mixer. Do not over mix the batter.
3 eggs, at room temperature, 3 egg yolks, at room temperature
Pour the batter into the prepared pan with the crust.
Place the cheesecake in a large roasting pan in the oven. Slowly pour the boiling water into the pan around the cheesecake being careful not to splash the cheesecake.
(If you're using the 10-inch pan method, place the cheesecake in the 10-inch pan, then place the 10-inch pan in the large roasting pan. Pour water around the 10-inch pan.)
Bake at 350° F (175° C) for 1 hour. When 1 hour is up, turn off the oven and crack the oven door open using a wooden utensil. Let the cheesecake stay in the oven for 1 more hour. The cheesecake will continue to bake as it is cooling.
Once the 2 hours are up, remove the cheesecake from the oven and go around the edges of the pan with a butter knife to loosen the crust from the sides of the pan. Let the cheesecake cool completely on the counter, and then refrigerate until completely cold, 8 hours or overnight.

For the Peanut Butter Ganache

Add the peanut butter chips to a medium bowl.
1 cup (200 g) Reese's peanut butter chips
Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan, on the stove over medium heat just until steaming. Pour the hot cream over the peanut butter chips. Stir to combine the melted peanut butter chips and cream together.
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (150 ml) heavy cream
Let the ganache cool to room temperature, stirring as it cools.
Once cooled, whip the ganache with an electric mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. Then transfer the peanut butter ganache to a piping bag fit with a decorative tip.

For the Chocolate Ganache

Add the semi-sweet chocolate chips to a medium bowl.
3 oz (85 g) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan, on the stove over medium heat just until steaming. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips. Stir to combine the melted chocolate and cream together.
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream
Let the ganache cool slightly until it's just warm, and still liquid.

Decorating the Cheesecake

When the cheesecake has chilled, remove the cheesecake from the springform pan and transfer it to a serving plate.
Pour the chocolate ganache on top of the cheesecake. Use a mini offset spatula to smooth out the ganache. Return the cheesecake to the fridge for about 10 minutes, or until the ganache is set.
Once the ganache is set, remove the cheesecake from the fridge and pipe the peanut butter ganache around the edges of the cheesecake. Top with peanuts and mini Reese's. Serve and enjoy! Store the left overs in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
mini Reese's peanut butter cups, for topping the cheesecake, peanuts, for topping the cheesecake

Ingredients

For the Oreo Crust

For the Peanut Butter Cheesecake

Peanut Butter Ganache

Chocolate Ganache

Instructions

For the Oreo Crust

For the Peanut Butter Cheesecake

For the Peanut Butter Ganache

For the Chocolate Ganache

Decorating the Cheesecake