Growing up peanut butter wasn’t something I ate at all. It was never in the cupboards at home (we were definitely more jam people!) and the first time I tried it was at a sleepover and I thought it was RANK. I did however, love peanuts. So though I didn’t think about it at the time, it was definitely more a textural dislike than the flavour. Cut to now, and I can’t get enough of peanut butter! I still don’t like it on its own, so I would never eat it traditionally on toast, BUT I cannot stop putting it in my bakes. Hence, the peanut butter cheesecake!
I love that it brings a slight savoury element to a bake, as I’ve definitely noticed in recent years I’m liking my bakes to be less and less sweet. I put peanut butter in my banana bread, in my oatmeal raisin cookies and energy balls! I also love that you can make a bake slightly healthier by choosing a peanut butter that doesn’t have any artificial ingredients added – especially helpful when making the energy balls.
Tell me more about the cheesecake!
So back to the cheesecake; this recipe is superrrr simple. Its a no-bake cheesecake, so there’s no faffing around with water baths or waiting for the perfect jiggle. A baked cheesecake is delicious and so creamy, but I have a lot of time for a no-bake. They’re quick and easy to prepare, and always a crowd pleaser! Perfect to take round for a dinner party dessert. But as always, I have some tips for success:
- Though you can create this cheesecake by hand, I would really recommend using an electric hand-whisk. You’ll get a much smoother cheesecake in a fraction of the time!
- When making the salted caramel sauce, make sure you have all your ingredients weighed out and ready before you start. Once the caramel has begun you need to be watching it, as it can easily burn.
- Being the baking blogger I am, I obviously wanted to take pretty pictures of the cheesecake. I don’t have an 8″ springform tin, just a regular loose bottom. So to ensure the cheesecake didn’t smear as I pushed it out, I lined the tin with clingfilm – underneath the loose bottom – so that when it came to taking the cheesecake out it was protected. One for the perfectionists out there!
The cheesecake is quite tall, so you could definitely make it in a 9″ tin instead if you wanted to stretch it for more slices! But I actually really like how tall it is. The biscuit base is thick and holds up well against the super creamy cheesecake filling. And then the salted caramel sauce adds just enough sweetness, while the chocolate covered peanuts add a nice textural crunch.
I really hope you like this cheesecake as much as I do!
On with the recipe!
No-Bake Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Ingredients
Base
- 300 g digestive biscuits (or graham crackers)
- 100 g unsalted butter melted
Cheesecake
- 560 g full-fat cream cheese
- 100 g icing sugar
- 150 g smooth peanut butter
- 450 ml double cream
Salted Caramel Sauce
- 150 g caster sugar
- 30 ml golden syrup
- 30 ml water
- 115 ml double cream
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- good pinch of flaked sea salt
Decoration
- chocolate covered peanuts
Instructions
- For the base: Line the base of an 8″ high sided, loose-bottomed or spring form tin with baking paper. Blitz the digestives in a food processor until fine crumbs. Then add the melted butter and blitz again until it starts to hold together. Tip this into your lined tin, and using a spoon (or your hands), compact the base down. Then chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- For the cheesecake: Using an electric hand-whisk beat the cream cheese and icing sugar together in a large bowl. Then mix in the peanut butter and beat again till combined. Finally, beat in the double cream until the mixture thickens. Pour this on top of the chilled base and level out. Then cover and leave in the fridge overnight or for at least 4 hours.
- For the salted caramel sauce: Place the sugar, golden syrup and water in a heavy-bottomed pan and stir to combine. Place over a high heat, occasionally swirling the pan (try not to stir), until it turns a medium gold amber colour – this will take about 10 minutes. Then remove the pan from the heat and slowly and carefully whisk in the cream, the mixture will bubble up so be careful and keep stirring. Next add the butter, whilst continuing to stir until melted. Then add the salt and vanilla to combine, Pour into a heat-safe container (a pyrex bowl, jug or a jam jar will do) and set aside to cool and thicken (will take about 11/2 hours).
- To decorate: Once the cheesecake has set and the caramel has thickened, place the caramel into a piping bag. Pipe lines across the cheesecake, then scatter the chocolate covered peanuts around the edge.
