Chocolate peanut butter cheesecake is everything you would hope and dream for in a cheesecake. Luscious chocolate, creamy peanut butter all swirled together for a healthy cheesecake.
For the past four years, Burken and I have thrown a Halloween party. This is about the only party that Burken likes to decorate for and make super festive. And he does an amazing job each year too.
His specialty though is making cobwebs over the windows and mirrors in the bathrooms. I’m not afraid to admit that I royally suck at trying to make these cobwebs. So each year this task is left to him, while I prep the kitchen and treats.
While I may not be able to make a perfect cobweb over the windows, I can make a pretty mean cobweb/spiderweb on a luscious chocolate peanut butter cheesecake.
This is definitely my wheelhouse. This spiderweb is much easier to create than one might think, but is super impressive for a Halloween party.
If you have a party of your own to go to, this is a must make!
The musts for chocolate peanut butter cheesecake
There are a few things that need to happen before you even start out making this dense, peanut butter filled cheesecake.
Like any good cheesecake we start with cream cheese. The must here is that the cream cheese is room temperature, or you’ve softened it {but not to the point that it’s melted}.
Room temp cream cheese is going to create an extremely creamy cheesecake. If it’s not, you’re likely going to end up with clumps, and no one wants a clumpy cheesecake.
The other must is to chill your crust once it’s baked in the oven. Chilling the crust will ensure the pan is cool and won’t shock the cheesecake mixture when it goes into the pan.
Essentially, having room temperature ingredients and a cool pan are going to ensure a no-crack cheesecake.
Creating a spiderweb on chocolate peanut butter cheesecake
Here’s the fun part!
Before you mix in the peanut butter and chocolate, you’ll remove about 1/2 cup of the batter and pour it into a piping bag. Mix the remainder of the ingredients for the cheesecake and spoon into your chilled pan. The batter is going to be super thick, so smooth it out in a nice circular motion.
Now, cut a small amount of the tip off of the piping bag {you can also use a Ziploc for this}. Start in the center and squeeze the piping bag evenly and you create a circle from the inside out.
I love that it takes so much less time than creating cobwebs for windows, yet looks just as stunning!
To actually create the spiderweb, take a toothpick and draw it from the inside out, continuing until you’ve created an amazing looking spiderweb.
Baking and chilling chocolate peanut butter cheesecake
Thankfully this spiderweb chocolate peanut butter cheesecake doesn’t require a waterbath. They can be messy and a nuisance sometimes, so we’re just avoiding them all-together.
However, the must here {that could have gone up top, but seemed out of order} is to 1. turn the heat down after you’ve baked the crust. And 2. turn the oven off, but leave the cheesecake in the warm oven after it’s finished baking.
This is to ensure you, once again, don’t shock the cheesecake, which typically leads to cracks. We can’t have this stunning chocolate peanut butter cheesecake crack when we’ve worked oh so hard on creating that perfect spiderweb.
So while it may seem ridiculous to be leaving a cheesecake in the oven for so long, bask in the ridiculous-ness. It is Halloween after all.
All that’s left is to let the cheesecake chill completely before covering and placing in the refrigerator. This way you have no extra moisture on top of the chocolate peanut butter cheesecake.
Finishing touches on chocolate peanut butter cheesecake
Now’s the time to go all out with your spiderweb cheesecake. Use some leftover cobweb material and lay that under the cheesecake.
Top the cheesecake with one or two spiders and have a few in the cobweb. Your spooky, but beyond delicious chocolate-y, peanut buttery spiderweb cheesecake is going to be the talk of the party for sure!
Looking for more fun Halloween treats? Check these out:
Healthy Chocolate Eyeball Cupcakes
Chocolate peanut butter cheesecake is everything you would hope and dream for in a cheesecake. Luscious chocolate, creamy peanut butter all swirled together for a healthy cheesecake.
- 10 chocolate graham cracker sheets
- 6 Tbsp. melted coconut oil
- 3 {8 oz} packages light cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup raw cane sugar
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup natural peanut butter*
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
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Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 8" springform pan with baking spray.
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In the bowl of a food process, add the chocolate graham crackers, breaking them up slightly before putting in the food processor.
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Pulse until graham crackers are broken up. With the food processor running, pour in the melted coconut oil, until the crumbs are saturated.
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Pour into the prepared pan and press into an even layer, and slightly up the sides.
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Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and chill in the fridge or freezer to cool the pan. Turn the heat down to 300°F.
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Meanwhile, cream the cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the ricotta and mix until combined.
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Add the syrup and cane sugar and beat until smooth. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. Remove a half cup of the batter and set aside.
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Mix in the peanut butter to the remaining batter until smooth. Finally mix in the cocoa powder.
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The batter will be very thick, so spread in an even layer into the chilled pan.
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With the 1/2 cup of batter that was set aside, pour into a piping bag or Ziploc bag. Cut a very small tip off of the bag.
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Starting in the center of the cheesecake, start making a circle with the white cheesecake batter until you reach the outside.**
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With a toothpick, start in the center and draw out towards the edges to create a spiderweb pattern.***
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Bake for 45 minutes {at 300°F}. When done baking, keep the door to the oven closed and leave the cheesecake in the warm oven for 20 minutes.
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Open the door of the oven slightly, leaving the cheesecake for another 15 minutes. Remove and let cool completely.
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Cover the cheesecake and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, if not overnight.
*Note: make sure your natural peanut butter is on the runny side
**Note: you will likely have some additional batter leftover.
***Note: see images in post for a "how-to".
