Mini Buckeye Cheesecakes

Mini Buckeye Cheesecakes, easy chocolate and peanut butter cheesecake recipe. A fun individual dessert great for the holidays, Christmas, or anytime for a delish dessert.

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Mini Buckeye Cheesecakes recipe for you today! An oldie but goodie recipe, that’s getting a makeover. I originally posted this recipe years ago and thought it needed a little attention because…ummm…peanut butter cheesecake, yes! These cute little chocolate peanut butter cheesecakes have a simple chocolate graham cracker crust, creamy peanut butter cheesecake filling, rich chocolate ganache topping, and chopped peanuts on top. Delicious! 

I’m assuming most people know what a buckeye is but just in case you don’t…

What is a Buckeye?

There are a few different definitions for buckeyes. One being the Ohio State mascot which is not my favorite since I’m a Michigan Wolverine. Also the name of a type of bush/tree and the nut-like seed from it. 

A buckeye also refers to the popular peanut butter and chocolate candy. You can check out a recipe for that candy here. Always a holiday and Christmas favorite for many people.

So it’s not uncommon to call some chocolate and peanut butter concoctions “buckeye” and therefore, I made these fun gourmet cheesecakes! A good buckeye dessert is always a good thing when you’re a chocolate and peanut butter fan. You can see my buckeye recipes for the latest other concoctions as well as my chocolate and peanut butter recipes.

I used chocolate graham cracker crumbs for the crust for these fun cheesecakes, BUT you can use Oreos or chocolate cookie crumbs if you’d prefer. An Oreo crust would be a great option!

Mini Buckeye Cheesecake Ingredients

• Chocolate graham cracker (or Oreo cookie crumbs)
• Butter
• Cream cheese
• Peanut butter
• Sugar
• Flour
• Vanilla
• Eggs
• Chocolate chips
• Heavy cream
• Peanuts

How to Make Mini Buckeye Cheesecakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 paper liners.
2. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the graham cracker (or cookie) crumbs and butter. Press crumbs onto the bottom of the cupcake liners.
3. In a large mixing bowl, mix together cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, flour, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Beat in eggs until well combined.
4. Spoon cheesecake filling onto tops of crusts. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-22 minutes or until set on top but still soft. Remove from oven and cool completely.
5. Place chocolate chips and cream in a small microwave-safe bowl in the microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until smooth. Spoon the chocolate on top of each cheesecake. Sprinkle nuts on top if desired.
6. Refrigerate cheesecakes for at least 3 hours or overnight. Store cheesecakes in the refrigerator.

(Full printable recipe card is at bottom of post.)

Serving Suggestions

• I would suggest serving these cheesecakes at room temperature, but remove the cupcake liner while they’re cold so that they don’t stick as much.
• Top the cheesecakes with a little whipped cream or on the side if you’d like. Chocolate whipped cream would be great too!
• A little fruit on the side such as strawberries, raspberries, and/or blueberries would also be a great serving option.

Quick Tips for Best Results

• Be sure to not over-bake the cheesecakes. They should still be a little soft in the middle and will firm up as they cool.
• If you like your cheesecake crusts a little sweeter, you can add a little granulated sugar with the graham cracker crumbs (or cookies).
• Use full-fat cream cheese and peanut butter for the best results. Make sure they are at room temperature before mixing to prevent lumps in your cheesecake batter.
• Cheesecake needs to be refrigerated for at least a few hours before serving, although overnight is a lot better.
• To crumble the graham crackers, you can crumble them in your hand (not the best results), in a bag with a rolling pin, or the best and quickest way is in a food processor.
• I like to use a scoop for filling the cupcake liners. The cheesecakes don’t rise much so don’t worry if the batter is a bit high.
• There’s quite a bit of chocolate ganache on top of these cheesecakes. You can cut the ganache ingredients in half for a thinner layer. Also, be sure to add the chopped nuts while the chocolate is warm so that the nuts stick to the top.

Mini Buckeye Cheesecakes FAQ

How should I store the cheesecakes?
Be sure to refrigerate the cheesecakes for at least a few hours before serving, then store leftovers in the refrigerator well covered. Also, I’d suggest taking the paper cupcake liners off while the cheesecakes are still cold then let them sit for a few minutes before serving. 

Can I freeze the mini peanut butter cheesecakes?
I haven’t tried it but cheesecake generally freezes ok if well wrapped/covered.

How long will the Buckeye Cheesecakes last?
Depending on your ingredients and how well it’s covered, it could last in the fridge for about 5-7 days.

Substitutions?
Instead of chocolate graham crackers, you can use regular graham crackers, Oreo crumbs, chocolate cookie crumbs, or even vanilla wafers. An Oreo crust would be a great option! You can also use your favorite chocolate (chips) or chopped chocolate for the ganache. 

Can I use low-fat ingredients?
Full-fat ingredients will result in a richer cheesecake, but you can try low-fat cream cheese and peanut butter. 

What else can I add to this recipe?
You could add some chopped chocolate and peanut butter candy on top.

Didn’t turn out, what went wrong?
Generally, problems are from over-baking the cheesecake. If your cheesecakes are cracked on top after baking, don’t worry since you’re going to cover it up with the chocolate ganache.

Can I make these in a mini muffin pan?
Yes, cute little chocolate peanut butter cheesecake bites from a mini muffin pan would be great! You’ll need smaller cupcake liners that fit the pan and will have to reduce the baking time.

Can I make this vegan/vegetarian/low carb/gluten-free?
Here are some suggestions, but I can’t guarantee results. Be sure as always to check particular brands and ingredients if you’re following a specific diet or have diet restrictions or allergies.

Vegan – This would be a tough one to make vegan but you can try using vegan ingredients including a cream cheese substitute.

Vegetarian – It’s vegetarian. Be sure to check individual brands/products just to be sure though.

Low-Carb – You can try a sugar substitute and a low carb cookie or nut crumbs for the crust.

Gluten-Free -Try a gluten-free cookie or nuts for the crust instead of graham crackers.

Other Chocolate and Peanut Butter Recipes You May Enjoy

• Chunky Peanut Butter Stuffed Brownies (Snappy Gourmet) – Gourmet brownies full of peanut butter!
• Dark Chocolate & Peanut Butter Cookie Poppers (Snappy Gourmet) – A secret ingredient in these fun cookies.
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Snow Ice Cream (Snappy Gourmet) – Got snow? Make some snow ice cream!
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes (Wild Wild Whisk) – Can’t beat chocolate and peanut butter in a cupcake.
• Brownie Buckeye Cookies (Goddess of Baking) – Great combo of brownies and cookies.

Hope you enjoy these fun Mini Buckeye Cheesecakes. Tell me in the comments about how they turned out for you!

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You might also like these Buckeye Thumbprint Cookies and these Nutella Cheesecakes!

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4.86 from 7 votes

Mini Buckeye Cheesecakes

Mini chocolate and peanut butter cheesecakes, a fun gourmet cheesecake!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 22 minutes

Cooking 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 52 minutes

Yield 12 cheesecakes

Author Lisa Huff

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely crushed chocolate graham crackers (or cookies)
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
• 2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 (12 oz.) bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup finely crushed peanuts (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with 12 paper liners.
• In a small mixing bowl, mix together the graham cracker (or cookie) crumbs and butter. Press crumbs onto the bottom of the cupcake liners.
• In a large mixing bowl, mix together cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, flour, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Beat in eggs until well combined.
• Spoon cheesecake filling onto tops of crusts. Bake at 350 degrees F for 18-22 minutes or until set on top but still soft. Remove from oven and cool completely.
• Place chocolate chips and cream in small microwave safe bowl in microwave on high in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until smooth. Spoon the chocolate on top of each cheesecake. Sprinkle nuts on top if desired.
• Refrigerate cheesecakes for at least 3 hours or overnight. Store cheesecakes in refrigerator.

Notes

SNAPPY TIPS: Make sure your cream cheese is softened to room temperature, otherwise the mixture will be lumpy. Refrigerate overnight if you can for best results. Take the paper wrappers off while the cheesecakes are still cold then let them sit for a few minutes before serving.

SNAPPY SUBSTITUTIONS: I used chocolate graham crackers but you could use any kind of dry chocolate cookie or graham crackers. Instead of semi-sweet chocolate chips you could substitute any kind of chocolate chips.

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keywords: chocolate and peanut butter cheesecake, easy buckeye cheesecake

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This post was originally published in September 2011, but updated in November 2019 with additional information.