This salty-sweet, extra creamy monster cookie cheesecake encompasses everything you love about Monster cookies – but in classic cheesecake form. With a crunchy oatmeal cookie crust, peanut butter cheesecake filling, chocolate ganache on top, and tons of M&M candies.
Have you ever made monster cookies? They’re chewy oatmeal cookies made with peanut butter and filled with chocolate chips and M&M candies. They have a ton of flavor thanks to the peanut butter, and the mix-ins make them impossible to resist. They basically combine everything you could want into one delicious cookie recipe.
This monster cookie cheesecake combines everything you love about monster cookies – but in creamy cheesecake form. It’s an over-the-top cheesecake recipe, with a big payoff.
- It has a crunchy oatmeal peanut butter cookie crust
- Peanut butter cheesecake filling
- Chocolate ganache topping
- And tons of M&M candies on top
Tips for Making Cheesecake
This is a baked cheesecake recipe. It’s not overly difficult to make, but because the ingredients are on the pricey side, it’s super important to read the recipe carefully and follow these tips:
- Give a read to this post which has a ton of tips on making cheesecake, along with a lot of the science behind making the perfect cheesecake
- Do not use lite, spreadable or whipped cream cheese – it won’t provide the proper consistency and structure
- The cream cheese, eggs and room temperature should be room temperature before getting started. Otherwise, the cheesecake won’t mix together evenly. Take them out of the fridge about 30 minutes before getting started.
- Do not use natural or homemade peanut butter since it can separate add oil to the batter.
- This cheesecake is baked in a water bath – this keeps moisture in and minimizes the risk of the cheesecake cracking. You can see a photo of what it looks like below.
- You’ll wrap the outside of the pan in aluminum foil at least 3 times so that all the seems are covered.
- After making the crust and filling, place the cheesecake pan in the middle of a large roasting pan.
- Pour ½ inch of water into the roasting pan – then the whole thing goes in the oven to bake.
- Cool the cheesecake very slowly. Let it cool in the roasting pan until the water is room temperature and the cheesecake is completely cooled to room temperature. Then cover the cheesecake pan, and place the cheesecake in the fridge to chill for at least 6 hours. Chilling the cheesecake allows it to set properly, and the flavor and texture actually improve.
- Only sprinkle the M&Ms on top right before serving, otherwise, I find they can bleed their color.
Variations & Substitutions
- Instead of making an oatmeal cookie crust using Nutter Butters, you could use Oreo cookies instead. If using Oreo Cookies, you’ll need 26 Oreo cookies and 4 tablespoons of butter (melted).
- If you’d like to make a no-bake monster cookie cheesecake – make the crust and chocolate topping as described in the recipe card below. But instead, make the peanut butter filling from this no-bake peanut butter cheesecake recipe.
- Feel free to add 1 cup of mini chocolate chips into the cheesecake batter. I don’t recommend regular chocolate chips because they’re too heavy and fall to the bottom. You could add in 1 cup mini M&Ms, but be aware that the color can bleed (which doesn’t always look as pretty).
And if you love peanut butter and M&Ms – don’t forget to try:
Monster Cookie Cheesecake
Ingredients
Nutter Butter Crust
- 20 Nutter Butter Cookies* wafers and filling
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
Peanut Butter Cheesecake
- 20 oz cream cheese* use full-fat, brick style
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup peanut butter*
- 1 cup sour cream*
- 3 large eggs*
- hot water for the waterbath
Chocolate Ganache
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate* finely chopped
- ½ cup heavy/whipping cream
- ¼ cup mini M&Ms
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F degrees.
- Wrap the outside (bottom and sides) of a 9-inch springform pan with aluminum foil at least 3 times so that all the seems are covered.
Crust
- Add the cookies (wafer and filling) to food processor and blitz until crumbs. Or place them in a ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin.
- Mix the cookie crumbs with melted butter and press into the bottom and just slightly up the sides of the pan to create a slight lip.
- Bake in the preheated oven tor 10 minutes.
Cheesecake Filling
- In a very large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
- Beat in the white sugar, brown sugar and peanut butter.
- Beat in the sour cream.
- Beat in the eggs 1 at time until just combined.
- Place the cheesecake crust (with the pan still wrapped in aluminum foil) inside a large roasting pan
- Pour/spoon the cheesecake filling on top of the crust and smooth over the top.
- Pour the hot water into the roasting pan, so that there's about ½ inch of water in the roasting pan.
- Place the roasting pan with the cheesecake inside into the preheated oven, and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the top looks just set and there's still a slight wobble in the middle. Oven times will vary, so I recommend checking at 50 minutes just in case.
- Remove the cheesecake (inside the roasting pan) from the oven and cool until the cheesecake is room temperature. Cover the springform pan, remove the springform from the roasting pan and chill the cheesecake in the fridge for at least 6 hours (or overnight). (Keep the cheesecake should stay in the springform pan).
Chocolate Topping
- Chop the chocolate into very small pieces and place in a heatproof bowl.
- Heat the cream until almost boiling (either in the microwave or in a saucepan while gently stirring).
- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes, then whisk until smooth.
- Remove the cheesecake from the fridge and unclamp the sides of the springform pan.
- Pour the chocolate ganache over top of the cheesecake, letting it drip over the sides.
- If not serving immediately, place the cheesecake back in the fridge.
- Sprinkle the top with M&M candies before serving.
Notes
- If you can't find Nutter Butter cookies, use 24 Oreo cookies (wafers and filling) and 5 tablespoons unsalted butter.Â
- Cream cheese, sour cream and eggs should all be room temperature before starting.Â
- Use smooth peanut butter. Do not use homemade or natural peanut butter - because it can cause the cheesecake to separate or have lumps.
- Semi-sweet chocolate can be substituted with dark chocolate (I wouldn't recommend more than 50%) or even milk chocolate.
- Store cheesecake covered in the fridge. Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to 4 days - note that the M&Ms can sometimes bleed color when in the fridge.Â
- Nutrition information is based on 1 piece, assuming that the cheesecake is sliced into 14 even pieces.Â
Nutrition
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