This No Bake Buckeye Cheesecake starts with an Oreo cookie crust filled with a creamy peanut butter cheesecake and a ring of chocolate ganache and peanuts around the edge. If you love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, you are in for a real treat with this cheesecake! I also have a Biscoff Buckeye Cake you may want to try!
What Is A Buckeye Cheesecake?
A Buckeye cake is named after the buckeye candy, peanut butter fudge dipped in chocolate. They are similar to peanut butter balls but with the peanut butter still visible. In this cheesecake, the center of the peanut butter cheesecake is left exposed with a ring of milk chocolate ganache around the edge, making it worthy of the Buckeye name!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Crust: If you are crushing the Oreo cookies, use a food processor for the finest crumb. Or, you could place them in a sealable plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin or wine bottle. Ensure the crumbs are completely coated in the melted butter. You could also use a store-bought crust. Or, try the dessert with a chocolate wafer or chocolate graham cracker crust.
Peanut Butter: For the peanut butter cheesecake, I recommend using creamy peanut butter. However, you could substitute crunchy if that is all you have on hand.
Heavy Whipping Cream: Heavy whipping cream, or heavy cream, is whipped with confectioners’ sugar to make a whipped cream. It will be folded into the cream cheese mixture for the creamiest cheesecake!
Chocolate Ganache: The ring of chocolate ganache around the cheesecake is made with just two ingredients. I also have a chocolate ganache made with butter you could use. If preferred, you could use semi-sweet or dark chocolate.
Peanuts: For a bit of texture, I sprinkled chopped peanuts over the ganache. I think chopped Reese’s peanut butter cups would also be an amazing add-on!
How To Store No-Bake Buckeye Cheesecake
To store buckeye cheesecake, cover it or wrap it in plastic wrap. Then, store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Can I Freeze Cheesecake?
Yes! To freeze cheesecake:
- First, let the cheesecake cool and completely set.
- Next, place the cheesecake (uncovered) in the freezer for about an hour. If you are keeping the cheesecake pie in the springform pan, remove the sides of the pan.
- After the hour in the freezer, take the cheesecake off the pan (you may have to pry it off with a knife), and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap.
- Finally, place the wrapped cheesecake into a zipped freezer bag or wrap it in aluminum foil. Be sure to label and date the cheesecake. It will last up to 2 months in the freezer.
No Bake Buckeye Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 cups (216 g) crushed Oreo Cookies, about 20 cookies
- ¼ cup (½ stick / 57 g) unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling
- 12 ounces (1 ½ blocks) cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (193.5 g) creamy peanut butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- ¾ cup (178.5 g) heavy whipping cream, cold
- ⅓ cup (42 g) confectioners' sugar
Chocolate Ganache
- ¼ cup (59.5 g) heavy whipping cream
- 3 ounces (a heaping ⅓ cup) milk chocolate chips
Garnish
- ½ cup (73 g) salted roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
Instructions
Crust
- In a small bowl, combine Oreo cookie crumbs with melted butter. Make sure to get every crumb coated in butter.
- Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a deep 9-inch pie pan. Set aside.
Cheesecake
- To the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, add cream cheese and sugar. Blend until smooth. (You could also use a handheld mixer.)
- Add peanut butter, vanilla extract, and sour cream. Blend until creamy, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as needed. Set aside.
- To make the whipped cream, in a separate bowl, add heavy cream. Using a handheld mixer, start mixing at the lowest speed, and then gradually increase the speed to medium until the cream starts to get thicker. (The gradual progression prevents you from spraying yourself with cream.)
- When the cream starts to thicken, stop the mixer. Slowly add in the confectioners' sugar and then resume mixing again, starting with low speed and increasing to medium speed, eventually moving to a high speed. The cream will thicken and start to peak. Mix on high until the cream is thick and stiff.
- Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture.
- Pour the cheesecake filling into the Oreo crust, spreading it into an even layer.
- Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours, up to overnight.
Ganache
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat heavy cream for 45 seconds to a minute, or until hot.
- Pour chocolate chips into the hot cream and let sit for 5 minutes. Then, whisk the chocolate and cream until shiny and smooth (about 1 minute).
- Pour the ganache over the chilled cheesecake filling in a circular motion, starting at the edge and working towards the center. Leave the center of the cheesecake open, revealing the peanut butter filling. This gives it the look of a traditional buckeye.
- Garnish with chopped peanuts over the chocolate, leaving the peanut butter cheesecake filling exposed. Cut and serve.
Video
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What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
Oh wow, this is fantastic. Chocolate peanut butter lovers will go nuts for this dessert!
Elizabeth
Oh my goodness. This may be the ultimate dessert for those of us who love chocolate and peanut butter treats. The cheesecake is so creamy, and I love just the ring of chocolate around the outside, not too much or too little. Wow.
Rachael
Peanut butter and chocolate in any capacity is always a go-to for me. So a no-bake peanut butter filling in an Oreo crust with ganache is pretty much the perfect combination!
Bella
Oh wow, this is so yummy. There's so much peanut butter flavor and I'm here for it! It pairs great with the rich chocolate ganache and Oreo crust. The texture is very smooth but the cheesecake holds its shape well!
Annabelle
Peanut butter and chocolate is always a winning combination, especially in this cheesecake! The filling is creamy and has so much peanut butter flavor!
Selena
OMG. Best ever. I love peanut butter and chocolate as a combo but this just hits it out of the park. I love the crunchy peanut topping!
