Peanut Butter and Jelly is a staple in most children’s diets. In fact, I just read that Americans will consume billions, with a B, of sandwiches every year. I can believe it, since my kids picked it for lunch 9 out of 10 times, until very recently.
I’ve gone through what must be 100s of pounds of peanut butter and even more jelly. They’re certainly easy to make, which saved me lots of time in the mornings before school, but I felt a little guilty packing it for them EVERY day. I mostly dreaded other parents finding out that my kids ate the same thing over and over. In my head I wanted them to eat bento boxes, with carved vegetables and seaweed salad, but, it was their lunch, their choice and they loved PB&J. The truth is that I love it too; almost everyone does, if we’re honest. Here’s a peanut butter and jelly cheesecake that has all the fond memories of those childhood sandwiches, but it’s way more decadent and sophisticated.
Once in a while I find a new product that changes the way I cook and bake. I felt this way about the Silpat and the Microplane Grater
The pan is fantastic, but took some getting used to, because it is transparent and flexible. It has a pin (the black tab) that slides in and out to seal the pan to the base. You’ll see a better picture of the pin later in the post.
How to Make Peanut Butter and Jelly Cheesecake
See me make it step by step and find the full recipe at the bottom of this post.
Preheat the oven to 325°F.
In a food processor pulverize the Oreos, butter, sugar and salt.
Pour into the pan and pat flat with your finger tips, bringing the oreo crumbs up the sides slightly. Bake the crust for about 10 minutes or until set.
In a stand mixer, fitted with the Beater Blade, mix the cream cheese on low speed, scraping down the sides to make sure it is all smooth. Add the sugar and sour cream.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add the salt and vanilla.
Split the batter into two bowls. Add the peanut butter to one bowl and add the jelly to the second.
Place the pan on a baking sheet. Spread the peanut butter batter over the oreo crust, smoothing out the top.
Very carefully add the jelly batter over the peanut butter batter.
Place the cheese cake in the center of the oven. Place a second baking sheet on a lower shelf and fill it with water. The water will create steam in the oven and prevent the cheese cake from developing a hard crust. Bake for about 60 minutes or until set in the center. The top will souffle slightly. Allow the cheesecake to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 4 hours. After one hour in the refrigerate, loosely cover with plastic.
Carefully run a thin bladed knife around the edge of the pan. Pull out the pin.
Unmold the cake from the pan.
To make the ganache:
In a saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate and butter. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, then stir gently, until totally smooth.
Place the cheesecake on a cooling rack that is sitting above a baking sheet, lined with parchment. This will catch the excess ganache.
This video shows you how to make the ganache, pour it over a cake and decorate the sides.
Let the cake sit on the rack until the ganache has set up, about 45 minutes.
To decorate the sides see the above video.
Use a thin Bread Knife
When you cut into it, the peanut butter and jelly layers will reveal themselves.
Ingredients
Crust
- 20 whole Oreos
- 3 tbsp butter melted
- 2 tbsp sugar
- Pinch salt
Cheesecake
- 2 1/2 lbs cream cheese room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 5 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla make homemade vanilla
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup jelly if you are using one that is pale, you may consider a drop of food coloring to perk up the color
Ganache
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 lb semisweet or bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
Instructions
Make the Cheesecake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- In a food processor pulverize the Oreos, butter, sugar and salt. Pour into the pan and pat flat with your finger tips, bringing the Oreo crumbs up the sides slightly. Bake the crust for about 10 minutes or until set.
- In a stand mixer, fitted with the Beater Blade, mix the cream cheese on low speed, scraping down the sides to make sure it is all smooth. Add the sugar and sour cream. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add the salt and vanilla.
- Split the batter into two bowls. Add the peanut butter to one bowl and add the jelly to the second. Place the pan on a baking sheet. Spread the peanut butter batter over the oreo crust, smoothing out the top. Very carefully add the jelly batter over the peanut butter batter.
- Place the cheesecake in the center of the oven. Place a second baking sheet on a lower shelf and fill it with water. The water will create steam in the oven and prevent the cheese cake from developing a hard crust. Bake for about 60 minutes or until set in the center. The top will souffle slightly. Allow the cheesecake to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 4 hours. After one hour in the refrigerate, loosely cover with plastic.
- Carefully run a thin bladed knife around the edge of the pan. Pull out the pin. Unmold the cake from the pan.
Make the Ganache
- In a saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate and butter. Allow to sit for 2 minutes, then stir gently, until totally smooth.
Pour the Ganache
- Place the cheesecake on a cooling rack that is sitting above a baking sheet, lined with parchment. This will catch the excess ganache.
- This video shows you how to make the ganache, pour it over a cake and decorate the sides. Let the cake sit on the rack until the ganache has set up, about 45 minutes.
- Use a thin Bread Knife, dipped in a pitcher of hot water to cut the cake. When you cut into it, the peanut butter and jelly layers will reveal themselves.
I made 1/2 this recipe , for a smaller cheese cake . It turned out great . I added a swirl of strawberry jelly (also some pulverized freeze dried strawberries) and a swirl of peanut butter (that I warmed slightly) to the layers . The only detractor I would have loved your measurements to be in grams . Love Love all you do
I have just put this cheesecake in the oven but it did go wrong. I I don’t know if I over mixed the ingredients but my mix was so runny that the flavours didn’t sit on top of each other so I had to swirl them together lol. Hopefully it will still satisfy my husband as it’s for his birthday. If you have any tips, and I always have this problem when I make cream cheese frosting too, and I’m an over whipper 🙁
Hi Donna,
Is the cream cheese so warm that it’s wilting when you pick it up? What brand of cream cheese are you using? Some may have more body than others.
Thanks, Zoë
I did it 😉 I have modified a little bit this recipe, I have changed oreos for other cookies and added our Polish typical ingredient. My jelly was brighter, but the flavor is fanatstic! I added to my blog 🙂 Aaaa, I had different “ganache”
I would like to add my photo but I don’t know how I can do it 😉
Thanks for recipe! 😀
Hi Meg,
That is fantastic, if you have a link to your blog, I’d love to see your cheesecake.
Cheers, Zoë
that’s link to my blog 😉
http://kulinarnewyskoki.blogspot.com/2013/04/sernik-dwukolorowy-maso-orzechowe-dzem.html
Thanks Meg,
Your cake is lovely! 🙂
Cheers, Zoë
hi 🙂 Could you explain me how you add the jelly to the cheesecake filling? I’m not sure that is 1/2 cup of one jelly powder mixed with hot water or maybe 1/2 cup of jelly powder without water, added directly to the cheesecake filling? I will be grateful 🙂
Hi Meg,
Oh, I am not familiar with jelly powder, but I need to find some. I was using regular jelly, which I just stirred and added it to the cheesecake batter.
Thanks, Zoë
Meg, are you perhaps referring to what Americans know to be Jell-O (a brand name) or gelatin dessert mix? What Zoë is using is what Americans know to be jelly: a clear, jelled product made with fruit juice, sugar, and pectin (usually). My UK friends use something called “jam sugar” to make it. Americans usually put jelly on toasted bread or crackers, or peanut butter sandwiches for children (of all ages). I hope this helps.
Following up my own comment to add that “jam sugar” is sugar that is already mixed with powdered pectin — you follow a recipe for measures of fruit and jam sugar. It’s been available in the U.S. (Kerr made it for a while) but isn’t commonly used here.
Thanks for your help:) I don’t know what you want to say by “regular jelly”. I’m from Poland, so we use different products.. In Poland we can buy the jelly – is similar to jelly-o , but we eat this for dessert , it’s in small pieces. But usually we make jelly at home by buying “jelly powder” f.ex: http://www.bangla.pl/zdjecia-dr-oetker-galaretka-rozne-smaki-up32028-2.htm .
We mix it with hot water, then we tip it into the dish and wait wait until it stiffens. It’s sth like the jelly, which “Bubbles” descirbed, but this jelly powder contains the gelatne and it needs only the hot water.
And that’s the point: I don’t know that Zoe adds this jelly liquid, only the powder or the pieces or big piece of “ready” jelly. We are from different countries and it’s a bit difficult to explain what I mean 😉 It’s a little complicated to show you clearly what I would you to know 😉
If you hava some photo of jelly, which Zoe used it will be perfect . Because I could understand better your product! 🙂
Hi Meg,
So sorry, What I had in mind is also called jam or preserves. This is what I had in mind: http://www.smuckers.com/products/group.aspx?groupId=1 You can use anything like this that is available to you. Please let me know what you call this product.
Thanks! Zoë
Ooo thank you very much! I understand know 🙂 I think that in Poland you can find this “jelly” under the name silimar to “jam” -now, I know what type of jelly it is 🙂 Sometimes one term is used in different situations and also the translation – meaning of the word “jelly” describes another thing than is used for the recipe, how wrote “Bubbles” is rather “jam sugar”.
Thank you Zoe! Now I can try your recipe 😉
Hi Meg,
Wonderful, I hope you enjoy the cheesecake!
Cheers, Zoë
Ahoj, Meg — jak sie masz? 🙂 — Dr. Oetker’s galaretka is like our Jell-O gelatin dessert. It is different from American jelly. Do you know what pektyna is? That is what makes the fruit juice thicken and jell to become the jelly we spread on toast. I invite you to look here, on my website: http://www.barbschaller.com/Saints_Preserve_Us%21_%282012%29/Entries/2012/6/17_Rhubarb-Strawberry_Jelly.html
and here: http://www.barbschaller.com/Saints_Preserve_Us%21_%282012%29/Saints_Preserve_Us%21_%282012%29.html .
Barb Schaller
How is the jelly mixed into cream cheese batter? In liquid form?or?
Oh my…..
What a gret job, im :O
Have to do this!! 😉
Oh MY … I would HAVE to bake this PB & J Cheesecake!