Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cups

Peanut Butter Cheesecake cups are crunchy cookies filled with smooth, silky peanut butter and cream cheese. These little Philadelphia cheesecake cups are so good I guarantee you'll be tempted to eat the whole pan!

It had been a long day. Responding to what seemed like endless e-mails and phone calls, I thought it was never going to end. Ken and I enjoyed a quiet dinner together. I was grateful for that. But the meal didn't completely satisfy.  Both of us craved something sweet.

Suddenly it dawned on me there were a couple of peanut butter cheesecake cups leftover from the afternoon gathering I'd had the day before.  How could I have forgotten about them? My friends had raved about my peanut butter cheesecake cups.

They said they'd never tasted cheesecake cups like it. I had to agree - they were pretty amazing.

I ran to the fridge and put the two cheesecake peanut butter cups on the table. Ken stared at them for a moment. And then asked me why he hadn't known about them and why were there only two? I had a twinge of guilt.

Although I'd made these cheesecake peanut butter cups for company, I should have put a few aside for him. I hadn't expected that many to be eaten.

So I offered him both of the cheesecake peanut butter cups. He took one and handed me the other. We savored every bite. But one wasn't enough. It was kind of like eating one potato chip. We wanted more!

At the time I made these peanut butter cheesecake cups, I was glad Patrick wasn't around. From the time he was a little boy, he was crazy about peanut butter and would take it any way he could get it. Because he loved it so much, I would put it in a lot of recipes.

He affectionately called me the peanut butter mother. I didn't mind the title. I've been called worse!😉

Patrick also loved a good cookie. What kid doesn't? From the moment he bit into on of these cheesecake cups, a dreamy look would cross his face. It was pleasure. Pure and simple.

Filled with peanut butter and Philadelphia cream cheese in a crunchie cookie nest, these cheesecake cups are nice to look at and the taste is out of this world. Heavenly!

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cups

If you're a sweet eater like and love peanut butter and cream cheese, this peanut butter cheesecake cups recipe has your name on it!

These delicious Philadelphia cheesecake cups are made of a tasty chocolate cookie cup filled with a mixture of peanut butter and cream cheese, creating a fantastic sweet and tangy treat that always satisfies.

I love to make these for all kinds of occasions, from desserts to afternoon snacks, and even potlucks. Wherever I take them, everyone always begs for more!

As I said in the introduction, they're so good, you'll be tempted to eat the entire pan!

Ingredients

It only takes a few ingredients to make these delicious peanut butter cheesecake cups, and most of them are already in your kitchen. In fact, I would venture to say that they're probably all in your kitchen. They're all cooking and baking staples that almost everyone keeps on hand at all times.

Here's what you'll need.

For the Cookies

• 1 cup of butter, softened
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 cup of brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons of hot water
• 3 cups of flour
• ½ cup of cocoa
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• ½ a teaspoon of salt
• 1-½ cups of Ghirardelli mini chocolate chips

For the Filling

• 1 package (8 oz.)of cream cheese, softened
• ½ a cup of heavy cream
• 1 cup of sugar
• ½ a cup of peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• ½ a cup of Ghirardelli mini chocolate chips, melted

Making the Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cups

Making these cheesecake cookie cups is as easy as gathering up the ingredients for it. You might be looking at the recipe outline below and thinking that it doesn't look easy, but don't be daunted.

In actuality, it's quite simple. It just takes a few steps to get to the finished product. When you break them all down, though, they're all very simple.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter, sugar, brown sugar and blend until creamy (there should be no lumps).
3. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well.
4. Place baking soda in the hot water and dissolve and add to mixture.
5. In a separate bowl, blend together flour, salt, cocoa, and chocolate chips.
6. Add to the mixture and blend at low speed.
7. Roll cookie dough into large balls and place each ball in each muffin tin compartment.
8. Put the muffin tin in the oven and bake for approximately 15 minutes. Remove.
9. Using a shot glass, press down the center of each cookie dough, pressing it up the sides to form a cookie cup.
10. The cookie dough will stick to the shot glass. Remove the cookie cup and push it off the shot glass. Place the cookie on a wire rack to cool.
11. Repeat until all the dough has been used.
12. Once cookie cups are cooled, make the cheesecake filling.
13. In the mixing bowl with a stand mixer, add softened cream cheese, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, and peanut butter.
14. Blend until smooth and creamy.
15. Using a small spoon, fill the centers of the cookie cups with the cheesecake filling.
16. Sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips over the top of each cookie cup.
17. In a single layer, place cookie cups in a container and refrigerate until set; about 4 hours.

And that's all there is to it! Lots of steps but not a lot of work. When you break them down, this recipe is all about doing little things in sequence. That's a pretty easy thing to do.

Alternative Fillings

There are alternative fillings like different flavored puddings. But, in my opinion, nothing beats the taste and texture of cream cheese and peanut butter.

Why Use Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips

Chocolate is chocolate right? Well, not quite. There are different quality chocolates. And when you use Ghirardelli chocolate chips, you're using one of the finest chocolates there is.

Ghirardelli is an American chocolate company owned by Lindt, a Swiss confectioner. It was named after Ghirardelli, an Italian food exporter trained in the chocolate business as a child. Long story, short, he moved to South America.

A neighbor of his moved to San Francisco taking some of Ghirardelli's chocolate with him and started a business in his name.

The brand has carried a lot of weight and rightly so. Quality is the name of the game and that's what Ghirardelli is.

Having said that, there's no shame in using regular chocolate chips. You're going to end up with fantastic peanut butter cheesecake cups all the same.

Feel free to change the flavor by using caramel, butterscotch or white chocolate chips. Or really ramp up the peanut flavor by using peanut butter chips.

Just look at that chocolate cookie dough! That in itself looks pretty tempting. At least I think so. But the picture doesn't tell the whole story. Bring together chocolate, peanut butter, and cream cheese, along with a little sugar and cream, and you've got taste and texture that can't be beat!

Indulging in one of these Philadelphia cream cheese peanut butter cheesecake cups is pure bliss!

That's what my latest taste-tester, Enzo told me. He's my new-found, upbeat Italian friend. Never has a bad word to say about anybody. But he's not afraid to give an honest opinion about my what I cook and bake.

And I appreciate that. So, I got him to try one of the peanut butter cream cheese cups. Before he finished it, he reached for another one!

Actions speak louder than words. When he spoke, he couldn't say enough good things about them!

Serving Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cups

These delicious peanut butter cheesecake cups are perfect exactly like they are. Smooth, creamy peanut butter cream cheese filling is spooned into a tasty chocolate cookie cup, and it needs nothing else. Simply serve these with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee, and you're all set. They're that good.

Storing the Cookie Cups

These cookie cups will keep well in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. For longer storage, you can freeze these cheesecake cups for up to a month. To freeze, set them on a cookie sheet in the freezer. When frozen, add them to an air-tight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bag.

Don't freeze them for longer than a month, as being frozen for an extended period will change the texture of the filling.

Try These Delicious Peanut Butter Cheesecake cups

These cheesecake cups are so delicious, and they're fairly easy to make. That's a great combination in my opinion. Delicious cheesecake cups filled with a creamy peanut butter cream cheese filling? Oh, yeah. They're delicious.

Whether you serve them as a dessert, and afternoon snack, or you bring them to a potluck or holiday gathering, everyone always wants more. Give them a try, and I'm sure you'll be as in love with them as I and my family are.

Other Desserts to Consider

Hopefully, these peanut butter chocolate cheesecake cups exceeded your expectations.

Whether they did nor not, maybe these other desserts will put a gleam in your eye!

Leave me your comments below. I'm always interested in hearing about your experiences.

Thanks for visiting. It's been a blast.