Skip to main content

Gluten Free Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake


Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake adapted to be gluten free and a reduced the sugar (there is still plenty, don’t worry) from the SmittenKitchen. Check out her post for detailed pictures. She obviously didn't bake this over 2 days with a baby in one arm like I did. Although it was totally worth it! I made this for BJ’s Birthday which happened to fall in our 30 days of Gluten Free. BJ says its like a giant Peanut Butter Cup and he liked it so well he didn't share with anyone but me.

Chocolate Crust
2 Boxes (14.5 oz total) of Pamela’s GF Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies
(or any Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and still hot

Fudge Layer
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
13 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped or chips
(Be careful that the chocolate you choose is Gluten Free like Enjoy Life, also the mini chips melt very easily.)


Cheesecake Layer
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups smooth natural peanut butter (no sugar added)
1 cup evaporated cane sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
3 large eggs

Ganache Topping
1/3 cup heavy or whipping cream (NOT the stuff you spray out of the can or that comes in the tub!)
4 1/2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped or chips


Make chocolate crust:  In a food processor, blend cookies. Drizzle in melted butter and process until crumbs begin to stick together, scraping down the bowl if needed. Transfer crumbs to prepared pan. Press crumb mixture up sides to within 1/2 inch of top, then evenly over bottom of pan. Chill crust until next step.

Make fudge layer: Bring cream to simmer in large saucepan. Remove from heat; whisk in chocolate until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Pour into bottom of chilled crust and spread in an even layer. Freeze until ganache layer is firm, about 30 minutes or overnight.
Heat oven: To 325°F.
Make cheesecake layer: Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, peanut butter, and sugar in large bowl until well-blended and fluffy. Beat in sour cream, then eggs, one at a time. Mix until smooth. Pour over fudge layer that has set in the freezer.

To Bake: Place springform on middle baking rack. Bake cake until slightly firm to the touch and the top appears dry, about 1 hour to 90 minutes. I find cheesecake baking times to be the hardest to pin down; it is safest to use this visual guide: The center two inches should only move slightly when pan is gently shaken. Transfer cheesecake to rack in the fridge until fully cool, at least three hours. Waiting is the hardest part but crucial.

Make ganache topping: Heat cream in a small saucepan until simmering. Off the heat, whisk in chocolate, if using. Pour onto chilled cheesecake and spread to the edges. Return cheesecake to the fridge until the ganache sets, about 30 minutes.

To serve: Gently cut around between edge of cheesecake crust and springform pan to make sure it isn't sticking. Unhinge the sides. Serve in very skinny wedges, that way you can go back for seconds. Cake keeps in fridge for up to a week, and longer in the freezer.

* If you don't want to make this gluten free just use any chocolate chip cookies for the crust. Our devilishly good chocolate cookies would make a tasty crust. You would need roughly 18 cookies. 

(Originally Published on Healthy Gourmet on the Go Blog)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Grandma's Harvey Wallbanger Cake Makeover

My grandmother made Harvey Wallbanger cake at every family function for as long as I can remember. Birthdays, holiday parties, anytime we'd all get together this cake would be at the center of the table, but after grandma passed away and I became more conscientious of the ingredients that we were eating I stopped making the cake. It her version was made with yellow cake mix vanilla pudding mix which both contained artificial colors and flavors and oftentimes palm oil which I'm allergic to. For a few years I've been trying to find a recipe that matched what I remembered from Grandma's Harvey Wallbanger cake but was unable to find it from scratch recipe that really seemed to hit the mark. Finally I've come up with a recipe that matches the taste and texture of my grandma's Harvey Wallbanger recipe but without any of the artificial ingredients that they put in cake mixes and putting mixes now. I hope you enjoy it! Ingredients:  1 3/4 C Sugar 3/4 tsp Sal...

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Pumpkin and Snickerdoodles, a match made in heaven. I've seen different versions of this cookie on various blogs, but the reviews were mixed. Some said they were too dry, others said not enough spice. I thought they didn't use enough pumpkin! So here is my soft, pillowy, spicy version of pumpkin Snickerdoodles. Makes 3 1/2 dozen 1 C. Butter-unsalted and softened 1 C Sugar 1/2 C Brown Sugar  1 C Pumpkin Puree 1 Egg 2 tsp Vanilla Extract 3 3/4 C Flour 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 1/2 tsp Sea Salt 1 tsp Cinnamon  1/2 tsp Nutmeg **I've made it with 1 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon and nutmeg*** For the coating: 1/4 C Sugar 1/2 tsp Cinnamon 1/4 tsp Nutmeg Dash Cloves **I've made this with 3/4-1 tsp of pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves*** In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.  In a large bowl beat together butter and sugars, then add pumpkin and vanilla fin...

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes

We had a big box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch that I wanted to use for a Rice Krispies treats type of dessert but hadn't gotten to it yet. The only acceptable way to eat cereal in my opinion is straight out of the box. But the others in my house like milk and cereal so I wanted to develop a cupcake with a frosting tasted like the milk, and cake that tasted like the cereal with bits of the cereal on top. I got good feedback while testing this recipe. It's overall not crazy sweet so it could be considered an acceptable breakfast. The cake itself is very dense but the frosting is very light and buttery.  Makes 16 Cake: 2 c. All-purpose Flour 1/3 c. Granulated Sugar 1/2 C Brown Sugar 1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder 2 tsp. ground Cinnamon 1/4 tsp. Salt 3/4 c. (1 1/2 stick) softened Butter  1 c. Milk 1 large Egg 2 tsp. Vanilla extract Frosting: 1/2 C Nonfat Milk powder 1 1/2 sticks of Butter, softened 1 C Powdered Sugar 1/4 tsp Vanilla extract (don't over measure or it will tast...