Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: Like a richer, tangier, more delicious peanut butter cup. Texture: The textures of this dessert are sublime. Fudgy, chewy, creamy, luscious. Ease: I actually thought this was pretty easy. The peanut butter in the cheesecake seems to prevent cracking. Just make sure you butter and flour your springform pan for easy release. Appearance: That thick brownie crust is enough to make your mouth water. Pros: Oh so wonderful. Cons: Has to chill overnight (delayed gratification). Very indulgent. Would I make this again? Mhmmm.This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Peanut Butter-Brownie Cheesecake is fudgy, chewy, luscious, rich, and creamy. Yum, yum, yum!
This cheesecake combines two of my most beloved foods – brownies and peanut butter. I eat peanut butter daily. Not exaggerating. If I don’t find a way to incorporate it into my breakfast (slathered on top of waffles, in a smoothie) then I definitely have it in my lunch. It’s actually strange that I haven’t grown tired of it since I’ve eaten it daily for most of my life. I don’t know what I’d do if I developed a peanut allergy. I’d probably shed a tear. Now, if I developed an allergy for chocolate (is that even possible?), I’d probably sob, weep, bawl, blubber, wail.
Let’s just hope that never happens. To any of us. Because I want you to enjoy this cheesecake because it is simply splendid. When I saw the recipe in Bon Appetit Desserts it jumped out of the page at me. It screamed, make me! Now! Creamy and chewy, rich and tangy and nutty. I kind of want to swap out a brownie crust for every recipe I’ve ever made that has a crust. There’s really nothing that beats that thick, fudgy, chewy, rich texture.
Peanut Butter-Brownie Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, diced
- 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the filling:
- 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 1/3 cups creamy peanut butter
Instructions
For the crust:
- Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Dust pan lightly with flour, tap out excess.
- In a microwave-safe bowl combine chocolate and butter and heat in microwave until melted and smooth. Cool. Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs and brown sugar in a medium bowl until very thick, about 4 minutes. Scrap down the sides of the bowl. Beat in melted chocolate mixture and vanilla. Add flour mixture and beat until just blended.
- Spread 1 cup brownie batter over bottom of prepared pan, reserving remaining batter. Bake until firm, 15-17 minutes. Cool bottom crust in pan in freezer for 15 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.
For the filling:
- Blend cream cheese and brown sugar in the bowl of a food processor until smooth. Add eggs and sour cream and pulse until mixture is smooth, scraping down the sides of bowl as necessary. Add peanut butter and pulse until combined.
- Using a small offset spatula or knife, spread remaining brownie batter evenly around sides of pan, sealing batter to bottom crust. Pour in filling (filling will not be as high as brownie batter).
- Bake until center of cheesecake is set and brownie sides have fallen to form 1-inch-wide ring around filling, about 30 minutes. Set cake on rack to cool completely before covering pan with foil and chilling in the fridge overnight.
This looks too good to be true! lol My hubby adored peanut butter and chocolate so I was looking for a recipe to make for him since his birthday is next week. He does like cheesecake so I think this is the recipe I am going to make for him. I bet he'll love it – something unique he can always expect from me!! 🙂
OMG! This looked so good I just had to make it the very week I found it WOW! First, it was not too difficult to make but the whole time I was making it I kept thinking about having a slice of it when it was done!! lol It was worth the wait and it did not last long in my house – my family devoured it.
This recipe sounds very good and i think it is delicious and it fits perfect with my taste. My opinion is that this isn`t a very hard recipe so i will try it very soon, thanks a lot for sharing.
A brownie crust? Now that is ingenious! I wish I'd thought of it 🙂
My cousin is allergic to chocolate, so it CAN happen! Woe to those who suffer from such a cruel affliction…
I have a friend who recently developed a chocolate allergy. It is a very sad thing indeed. We continue to mourn the loss.
I am with you- peanut butter anything + brownie = heaven! This looks amazing.
What an awesome dessert! I too would be upset if I developed a peanut allergy, but I would be more upset about than than chocolate.
This looks divine!! Can't go wrong with brownies, cheesecake, and peanut butter (which I also eat daily!).