Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Mini Cheesecake Cupcakes with Oreo cookie crust. Peanut butter mini cheesecake with chocolate ganache and Reese’s cups topping.
Peanut butter turns into something special when you bake it in desserts. It’s great in sandwiches, such as the classic PB&J or peanut butter, banana and honey. However, bake it into bars or as a cheesecake and something divine happens.
These Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Mini Cheesecake Cupcakes have a rich, nutty, sweet and savory tone, all at the same time. Cocoa powder in this crust creates a stronger chocolate taste and helps complement the sweetness of the cheesecake filling and ganache topping. Within this post you’ll learn a trick to make crusts out of pretty much anything. Plus tips on melting chocolate.
This type of recipe is featured in different cookbooks and websites. I just had to try it out and can honestly say the hype is well worth it. It’s based on a couple of recipes and modified slightly. Make these Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Mini Cheesecake Cupcakes for a get-together or small party, or just say whatever and treat yourself.
This recipe can be baked as a tradition 8-inch cheesecake, but is so much more cute as little mini cupcakes. Plus you can call these ‘mini cheesecake cupcakes’ when you present them to others (if you dare to share).
Food Science and Cooking Tips
- You can usually replace the crumb base in any recipe with the ingredient of your choice (read above for options). The ratio should be about 1 ½ cup of crumbs to 3–5 tablespoons melted butter.
- You can make your own double boiler by placing a metal bowl on top of a small saucepan filled with water. Water should not touch bottom of bowl, heat on medium-high to simmer water below bowl.
More recipes with peanut butter you may like
- Peanut Butter + White Chocolate + Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- Maple and Peanut Butter Oatmeal Waffles
- Udon Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce
- Barbecue Chicken Kebabs with Peanut Lime Dipping Sauce
- Fudgy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Leave a comment below and star rating if you made this recipe or want to share your thoughts.
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Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Mini Cheesecake Cupcakes
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs, I used Oreo’s with filling removed
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- Cooking spray
Filling
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter
- ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Chocolate Topping
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, chopped (about 12 mini)
Instructions
To make mini crusts
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
- In medium bowl, mix chocolate cookie crumbs, melted butter and cocoa powder until combined (to create crumbs pulse cookies in food processor or pound in sealed bag with heavy object).
- Place 12 cupcake liners in cupcake pan and lightly spray with cooking oil. Fill each with roughly 1 tablespoon crust mixture and firmly press into bottom to form crust. Bake for 5 minutes and remove from oven.
To make peanut butter cheesecake filling
- In large bowl, beat softened cream cheese and peanut butter with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add brown sugar and blend till combined. Blend in eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and heavy cream until just combined. Scrape sides with spatula and mix completely.
- Spoon batter into prepared cups, filling to the very top. Bake 12-15 minutes at 350º until cheesecakes are set and no longer jiggle in center. Take out and cool to room temperature. Then cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Chocolate and Reese’s topping
- Place chocolate chips and 3 tablespoons heavy cream in double boiler or microwave safe bowl. Stir and heat until melted (If microwaving, heat in 20 second intervals, stirring between). Add 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar to melted chocolate and combine.
- Spoon desired amount over each cooled cheesecake. Then top with chopped Reese’s Cups for garnish.
Recipe adapted from http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/reeses-peanut-butter-chocolate-mini-cheesecakes and http://insidebrucrewlife.com/2013/04/chocolate-reeses-cheesecake/
I’ll take two please. No wait… Three!
Haha Brandon! Why not eat them all? I had half the batch myself, not in one sitting at least.
This combination is heaven to me! My stepkids once got me a Reese’s T-shirt because I’m such a Reese-aholoic. Pinning this one, too!
That’s Carol! That’s cute and I would probably wear one too
Can’t go wrong with Reeses!
I agree Fabiola!
Chocolate and peanut butter are a match made in heaven!
They truly are Cynthia! It’s one of my favorites!
The topping on those cheesecakes looks incredible! Since they are mini, it means going back for seconds. Yes? 🙂
Of course you can Susan 😉 Olia and I finished the entire recipe ourselves within a week because they were so good
I love Reese’s and I love cheesecake…something tells me I’ll love this recipe!
Me too and I’m pretty sure you will Megan!
I very much wish I wasn’t trying to lose weight right now. These look like heaven to me! Pinned the recipe so I don’t lose it!
These look insanely good!! Great post 🙂 Nothing better than peanut butter and chocolate together!!
Thanks Cheryl at Moms & Munchkins for featuring my recipe! View it and other pics here http://www.momsandmunchkins.ca/2014/08/16/mini-cheesecakes/
OMG I’m so happy I stumbled upon your blog!
Thanks Pepe! I’m so happy you stumbled upon it too. Hope you find some recipes to enjoy and keep coming back for more.
they look very tempting!
Thanks Dina. These are very tempting! I couldn’t limit myself to one a day.
I love baking with peanut butter! I agree it has such a great flavour! These look delicious 🙂
Thanks Lilli! I agree, after starting this food blog I realized I’m obsessed with peanut butter. There are a few other recipes with peanut butter that will be up soon enough.