Peanut butter, chocolate, and cheesecake? Put it on a pop and it’s all our favorite things in a kid- and party-friendly form.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 4 hr 30 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Inactive: | 2 hr |
| Cook: | 2 hr 15 min |
| Yield: | 36 mini squares |
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
- 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups creamy peanut butter
- 5 tablespoons vegetable shortening
- 12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- For the cheesecake: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Line a 8 by 8-inch baking pan with foil letting long flaps overlap on each side. Spray foil with nonstick spray.
- Break up the brown sugar to remove all lumps. In a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until very smooth. Add the cream and beat slowly; then add the yolks and vanilla mixing until just combined. Gently stir in peanut butter. Take care not to over beat the mixture; this incorporates too much air and causes the cheesecake to crack.
- Pour and evenly spread the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Open the oven to release some heat, then lower the temperature to 200 degrees F. Continue to bake the cheesecake until the outside is set but the center is still loose, for about 45 minutes. Turn off the oven, and cool cheesecake in the oven for 45 more minutes. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Lift cheesecake from the pan by lifting up the foil. Transfer to a cutting board. Cut into
- 1 1/2-inch cubes. Stick a wooden pop stick halfway into each bar and freeze for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, put the shortening and chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with an inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue to heat until completely melted, about 1 minute more.)
- Dip the pops into the chocolate mixture, and stand on waxed paper to set, about 5 minutes. Serve cold (straight from the fridge), or freeze up to 2 weeks. Frozen pops make a cool summer treat, or can be allowed to temper for 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 36 servings |
| Calories | 239 |
| Total Fat | 19 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 16 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 13 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
| Cholesterol | 36 mg |
| Sodium | 76 mg |
Reviews
I can make them 1 day! It is a combination of melted chocolate and pb cheesecake! They look like peanut butter cups!
Wonderful recipe! I baked the recipe exactly as stated, even though many comments stated that it needed longer to cook. I bake cheesecakes a lot, so I know that they sometimes do not look done when they are.
Having dipped items in chocolate before, I knew to buy extra chocolate. I bought 20 ounces instead of 12, and we barely had enough chocolate. Not sure if that’s on me, but this is not first recipe where I would have run out of chocolate if I had not opted to increase by about 50%.
I made them one day, and cut them into about 36 cubes the next day. I wish I had frozen them longer than one hour as the last handful almost fell off the stick. In fact, I will freeze before cutting them next time too because some parts were soo soft.
After we all ate one, we decided to freeze two each in a mini snack back and put all in a freezer bag. We love a splurge now and then, but this will definitely help with portion control.
They were not hard to make at all because we made them in steps a little over 24 hours. You just need time to have them cool, freeze, and then the dipping and cooling again. Super easy, just make a day ahead of time.
Wasn’t too hard to make, but it was missing something in my opinion. I think some sort of crust would have added an extra layer of texture and flavor.
I took these to an event in the summer of 2010 and I am still hearing from people how much they enjoyed them! Time consuming, but definitely worth it.
Holy sweetness. I loved these! I’m 24 weeks pregnant and I’ve been craving any p’nut butter/chocolate combos. This seriously hits the spot. I knew it’d take a long time to make, but I’m glad that it yields such amazing results. I’m so glad I can keep them in the freezer and just pull them out when my cravings call.
My only complaint would be when I was slicing up the cheesecake portion. Instead of cutting it when it comes out of the fridge, I think it would be better to freeze it slightly. The cubes seemed to melt quickly when I was cutting them and rolling each one into the chocolate mixture.
Love them! Everytime I make them I get tons of compliments. Tastes like peanut butter melt-a-ways. Great right out of the freezer too. I bake it in a 8X8 silicone pan and they pop right out and I cut them with dental floss.
I absolutely love these. They are VERY rich though. I did make a very small change though. Instead of making pops I created small round cakes which I served with whip cream. Everyone loved it but because it’s so rich it’s hard to eat too much of it.
Way more trouble than they are worth. I made them for a family party on Thanksgiving thinking they would be popular with the whole “on the go” idea. Took way too much time and I wound up with a ton left over.
I stuck to the recipe since it was my first time doing this. It took much longer to bake than an hour. I kept it in the oven at 200 degrees for at least 2 and a half hours before it was actually set. Cutting out the pops is really time consuming and very messy. I recommend putting the sticks in before actually cutting. Semisweet chocolate chips are much to rich, and a big turn off for the kids at the party.
I have a major sweet tooth but these were too rich for even me to do more than a couple. Too much hassle to me and I doubt I’ll make them again.
I stuck to the recipe since it was my first time doing this. It took much longer to bake than an hour. I kept it in the oven at 200 degrees for at least 2 and a half hours before it was actually set. Cutting out the pops is really time consuming and very messy. I recommend putting the sticks in before actually cutting. Semisweet chocolate chips are much to rich, and a big turn off for the kids at the party.
I have a major sweet tooth but these were too rich for even me to do more than a couple. Too much hassle to me and I doubt I’ll make them again.
I modified these just a little–I omitted the peanut butter, used white sugar instead of brown, used 1/4 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup heavy cream, and used 2 whole eggs. You definitely need to freeze the cheesecake for at least an hour before cuttting and clean your knife in between each cut for cleaner pieces. The first time I made these, I used an 8×8 pan and cut them into 50 squares, but I thought they were too large and difficult to eat. The next time I made them, I used a 9×13 pan and cut them into 96 pieces (8 rows by 12 rows) and they were bite-size. I dipped half of them in semi-sweet chocolate and dipped the bottoms into crushed toffee bits. I dipped the other half in white chocolate and dipped the bottoms into crushed oreos. They turned out great–looked professional and tasted amazing! I have made them for a family party, sent them to work with my husband, and made some for my mother-in-law to take to work. They have been a hit at each place! I think next time I make these I will try to dip them in caramel and dip the bottoms in chopped salted nuts. We’ll see how they turn out.
I made these and they are very rich but very good taste. I do recommend to cut small peices mine were to big. Will take others advice into consideration.