I must confess.
It’s been 3 years since I posted a new cheesecake recipe. And it wasn’t even a real cheesecake. It was a swirly twirly number by the name of pumpkin cake cheesecake.
Today we’re visiting the swirly twirly cheesecake atmosphere again. We’re trading pumpkin for peanut butter, chocolate, Snickers, and caramel.
Let’s take a second to think about what this Snickers cheesecake means.
- A layer of Oreo crust which is BUTTER and OREOS.
- A peanut butter cheesecake (similar to these peanut butter pretzel cheesecake bars).
- A chocolate cheesecake.
- Salted caramel liquid gold.
- Salty peanuts + Snickers bars.
In other words, calories. This all really means: calories. If you clicked on Snickers cheesecake today and expected something other than a mountain of delicious calories… you may be backwards.
Let’s review each layer inside the Snickers cheesecake.
Oreo cookie crust: Is there really an alternative that can live up to an Oreo cookie crust? All you have to do is pulse Oreos into a crumb (the entire cookie), mix with melted butter, and press into your springform pan. Make sure you pre-bake the crust for about 10 minutes. It’s the same crust we use for cookies & cream pie and white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars.
Chopped Snickers: Remove the warm Oreo crust from the oven and sprinkle some chopped Snickers on top. This is the base of your Snickers cheesecake. I love the Snickers chunks inside!
Cheesecake: The cheesecake portion is my go-to cheesecake. Creamy, luscious, and thick… I never stray from this basic cheesecake batter. You’ll need brick-style cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and sour cream. You’ll divide the cheesecake batter in half. There’s about 7 cups total, so 3.5 cups each. Half will be chocolate flavored, half will be peanut butter flavored.
*I reduced the amount of sour cream down to 3/4 cup from my blueberry swirl cheesecake recipe. Because we’re adding chocolate and peanut butter to the batter, I wanted to reduce something down to avoid overflowing.
Here’s how to do it. Melt 4 ounces (about 115g) of pure chocolate, let it slightly cool, then stir into half of your cheesecake batter. TIP: Since you have to wait for it to cool, I usually melt the chocolate at the beginning of the recipe so it has a chance to cool down as I pre-bake the Oreo cookie crust.
The other half of cheesecake batter is peanut butter flavored. Super simple stuff here: just beat 1/3 cup (85g) of creamy peanut butter into the batter. See the picture below? Left: peanut butter batter. Right: chocolate batter.
Layer and swirl both batters on top of the Oreo cookie crust. Then BAKE!
Cheesecake Water Bath
I promise a water bath is nothing complicated. All you’re doing wrapping your springform pan in aluminum foil and placing it in a roasting pan, filling it with hot water, and baking. What’s the point, you ask?
I actually have an entire post and video tutorial for How to Make a Cheesecake Water Bath.
You see, cheesecake loves a humid environment. The steam from the hot water will lift the cheesecake up slowly and evenly, reducing the risk of cracks on the surface. Additionally, this slow and even baking method helps prevent the cheesecake from sinking back down as it cools. Taking a few extra minutes to prepare a water bath for this cheesecake recipe is well worth it.
Make sure you plan ahead because this cheesecake has a few stages. First, cheesecakes are notorious for taking awhile to bake through. Second, it must sit in the oven after baking as the oven cools down— this is another trick to avoid cheesecake cracks. Third, once the cheesecake is room temperature, you must chill it. Because of all these steps, this is a great recipe to begin the night before.
After cheesecake has chilled in the fridge, take that sucker out and decorate it. I obviously kept things simple, can’t you tell? 😉 I loaded it up with salted caramel, peanuts, and more Snickers bars. Decorate the Snickers cheesecake however you’d like, but I definitely wouldn’t leave off that caramel. If your cheesecake ended up cracking (it still happens no matter what you do!), the caramel can cover it all up. Magic.
More Snickers recipes to try!
- Another version of Snickers cheesecake in Sally’s Candy Addiction
- Snickers cheesecake bars
- Snickers cupcakes
- Caramel Snickers 7 layer bars
- Use them in these candy bar blondies
If you love cheesecakes, be sure to try my peanut butter Butterfinger cheesecake and caramel turtle cheesecake, too!
Print
Snickers Cheesecake
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (plus chilling)
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Cheesecake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Super decadent and rich Snickers cheesecake is made with a peanut butter and chocolate swirl, salted caramel, peanuts, and Snickers candy bars on top!
Ingredients
Crust
- 22 regular Oreo cookies (not Double-Stuf)
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted
- 8 fun-sized Snickers, chopped (save some for topping)
Filling
- 24 ounces (678g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (180g) full-fat sour cream (or full-fat yogurt), at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter*
- 1 4-ounce (115g) bar semi-sweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
- toppings: salted caramel, chopped Snickers, peanuts
Instructions
- *Time-saving tip: You need melted and slightly cooled chocolate in step 4. Melt it before you begin so it has time to cool before beating into the cheesecake.*
- Make the crust: Lower oven rack to the lower third position and preheat to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease a 10-inch springform pan (NOT 9-inch) with nonstick cooking spray. In a food processor or blender, pulse the whole Oreos (cream filling and cookie) into a fine crumb. You should have about 2 cups (packed) crumbs, or 250g. Combine the Oreo crumbs and melted butter together in a medium bowl. Press tightly into the bottom and up the sides of prepared pan. Wrap aluminum foil on the bottom and tightly around the outside walls of the springform pan. This helps prevent leakage. Bake for 10 minutes. Sprinkle some of the chopped Snickers on top of the warm crust. Reserve the rest to decorate on top of the cheesecake.
- Make the filling: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium speed in a large bowl, about 3 full minutes until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and beat until combined. On low speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just blended. Do not overmix the filling after you have added the eggs. Divide the batter in half. (There’s about 7 cups, so 3.5 cups each.)
- Beat the peanut butter into half of the cheesecake batter. Beat the melted and slightly cooled chocolate into the other half.
- Layer both batters into the pan on top of the crust. This doesn’t have to be done in any fancy way, just randomly spoon both into the crust. Using a knife, swirl the two together.
- Prepare the simple water bath (see note): If needed for extra visuals, see my How to Make a Cheesecake Water Bath; the visual guide will assist you in this step. Boil a pot of water. You need 1 inch of water in your roasting pan for the water bath, so make sure you boil enough. I use an entire kettle of hot water. Place the pan inside of a large roasting pan. Carefully pour the hot water inside of the pan and place in the oven. (Or you can place the roasting pan in the oven first, then pour the hot water in. Whichever is easier for you.)
- Bake for 55–70 minutes or until the center is almost set.* Turn the oven off and open the door slightly. Let the cheesecake sit in the oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight (preferred).
- Loosen the cheesecake from the rim of the pan and remove the rim. Top with salted caramel, the rest of the chopped Snickers, and/or peanuts. Cut into slices and serve chilled. Cover leftover cheesecake and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: This cheesecake can be made the day before. It has to chill for quite some time before serving. See step 7. Another way to make this cheesecake ahead of time is to freeze it. Cheesecake can be frozen up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 10-inch Springform Pan | Food Processor | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Large Roasting Pan
- Peanut Butter: Do not use natural or homemade peanut butter. You need thick, creamy peanut butter like Jif, Skippy, or similar.
- Chocolate: Make sure you’re using pure chocolate, not chocolate chips, in the cheesecake batter. Real chocolate melts down into the proper texture for mixing into the batter. I prefer a Ghirardelli, Nestle, or Baker’s brand 4 ounce semi-sweet chocolate bar. Found in the baking aisle next to the chocolate chips.
- Pan: A 9-inch springform pan is too small. The cheesecake will overflow. Use a 10-inch springform pan. If a 9-inch springform pan is all you have, simply fill it up 3/4 full. Discard remaining batter or make mini cheesecakes like these salted caramel chocolate chip mini cheesecakes.
- Alternate Water Bath Method: This method works as well, and you don’t have to bake the cheesecake IN water. Boil a kettle or pot of water. You need 1 inch of hot water in your roasting pan for the water bath, so make sure you boil enough. Place the cheesecake on the center oven rack of the preheated oven. Place a large metal baking or roasting pan (do not use glass—I usually use a 9×13-inch baking pan or an extra-large cast iron skillet) on the bottom rack. Pour boiling water into the empty pan, about 1 inch deep. Immediately close oven to trap the steam inside. This unique water bath adds steam to the oven without having the cheesecake sit inside the water itself. No need to wrap the springform pan in foil. See How to Make a Cheesecake Water Bath for more information.
- Important: Avoid overbaking the cheesecake. When the cheesecake is done, there will still be a 2- or 3-inch wobbly spot in the center; the texture will smooth out as it cools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
This turned out so great! I even made this with gluten free Oreo’s instead of regular, as the person I made it for is gluten intolerant. Turned out so good, wouldn’t even know that it was gluten free
This was excellent, every step turned out great! I made it for a birthday, definitely one we will keep for special occasions. People that saw pictures could not believe their eyes. I made it a week in advance and froze it. You would never guess it was frozen, and it saved a lot of time on the day. This recipe made me want to bake cheesecake every weekend!
I followed the recipe exactly and only had about 5 cups of filling. Any idea what might be the issue? It’s in the fridge chilling now. Can’t wait to try it later today.
I’m hoping to make this cheesecake, but wondering if I could omit the Snickers bars inside and on top? (I know – crazy – but it sounds just a bit TOO decadent)! Would there be any change to the rest of the recipe if I left them out? Thanks 🙂
Hi CP, you could leave them out, yes. There shouldn’t be any changes to the recipe if you do. Hope you enjoy!
It did not make a very thick cake. If I made it again I would put it in a significantly smaller pan. Good flavor but I can’t take this to a family reunion . So disappointed
Hi sally, as always the most amazing recipes are yours but I can’t find a chocolate cheese cake, can i skip the peanut butter and make this only use the chocolate to make it a chocolate cheese cake?
Hi Sormeh, We don’t have a chocolate cheesecake recipe, but you could use the classic cheesecake recipe and slightly reduce the sour cream and add 3 or 4 ounces of melted (and slightly cooled) unsweetened chocolate. Another option would be to add in chocolate chips like we do with our Amaretto Cheesecake or simply top the baked cheesecake with chocolate ganache. Let us know what you try!
If you accidentally cooked it at 325 how long do you think k it should cook
Love love love you Sally! Just wondering how this recipe would change if I did not want a layer of peanut butter filling in the cheesecake? I don’t want to look elsewhere for a recipe because you are the best!
Hi Shelley! We haven’t tested a peanut butter layer, but that sounds delicious. Let us know what you try! You may also love our peanut butter cheesecake recipe.
Hi there… i love your Cheesecake Recipies…. can the Oreo Cookie Crust be made without the middle filling? If so, what would need to be adjusted? Happy New Year…
Hi Freddie! You should be able to – you’ll need about 2 cups of cookie crumbs.
Hi Sally! Can this be made in a 9×13 inch pan?
Hi Shelby! I’m sure it could, I just don’t know the best bake time.
Hey!
I’m going to attempt this recipe this weekend, but wanted confirmation in the butter measurements; is 1/4 vip before or after being melted ?
Thanks
Hi Erica, you’ll need 1/4 cup of butter (or half a stick) and then melt that. Hope this helps!
Thanks sooo much and enjoy your day!!
Hi Sally, I was wondering what your thoughts were on using powdered peanut butter in this recipe? I have both on hand but never baked with powdered peanut butter before.
Thanks
Hi Adrienne! We haven’t tested this recipe with powdered peanut butter, but let us know if you try anything!
I measured my filling and it is only four cups . I used exact amount said so what can be wrong ? 3 four oz. boxes of cream cheese is right isn’t it ?
Hi Sally,
Just a question about the salted caramel sauce..does it have to poured on just before serving or can I pour it on before hand then leave the cheese cake in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve?
Thanks,
Pete
Hi Pete, it’s best to drizzle the caramel on top right before serving.
Making the cheesecake was easy. It’s in the fridge for overnight. Don’t have carmel. So I will use milk chocolate for the drizzle.
Made this Monday!! And with a few modifications to fit my 12″ spring form pan, it came out Sooooooo good!!
Love alot of your recipes! Thank you Sally.
Loved this cheesecake, it was delicious!! I used one third of all the ingredients which fit perfectly into a 6 inch cake tin. I lined the whole tin with baking paper so I could lift it straight out when ready to serve, and it was so easy sitting the whole cake tin straight into the water bath. Baked about 45 minutes, and was so creamy and amazing!! Thanks Sally for the recipe 🙂
Hi Sally,
First of all thank you for all your amazing recipes..Love love them all!
And for this recipes, is it possible for me to substitute the sour cream to plain yogurt?
Hi Ana, Yes you can use full fat yogurt instead of the sour cream. Enjoy!
Hi Sally,
I would like to exchange the peanut butter in the batter for caramel. Do you think this would work and if so would I use the same amount as the peanut butter? Thanks!
I made your pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving and it was hit! Everyone wants your cheesecake now instead of pumpkin pie.
Hi Natalie! I haven’t tested this recipe swirling caramel into the cheesecake batter, so I can’t say for sure. You can certainly try it though. I recommend a homemade caramel, such as salted caramel. It’s difficult to predict the right amount without testing it though.
I’ve made this multiple times, and been told it’s the best cheesecake ever! But I’m thinking I want to try a buckeye cheesecake. I’m wondering, if I just use this base recipe, and double the peanut butter and skip the chocolate and have an all peanut butter cheesecake filling if it would be a strong enough peanut butter flavor to go with a chocolate ganache?
Hi Aimee! Here is my peanut butter cheesecake recipe. You can leave out the butterfingers. You can also try the method you described, too. (I haven’t tried it like that.) Either way, a chocolate ganache will definitely be rich but the peanut butter flavor will come through.
My husband made this for our sons 45th birthday, he is a cheesecake fanatic. OH M Y GOD! So unbelievably good. Son & wife said it was the best cheesecake they have ever had * now they want it for Christmas dinner desert Thank you!
Hi sally,
Does it really make a big difference if you use Ghirardelli semi-sweet baking chocolate chips instead of the bars? I didn’t read the recipe thoroughly enough before I went shopping and bought the wrong thing.
The baking bars melt down so much easier and would be best in the cheesecake batter. But that isn’t to say the melted chips won’t work out! In a pinch, they’ll be just fine. Next time use the bars though– tastes so good!
Does the caramel sauce get hard on top of the cheesecake after it’s in the fridge?!? This part makes me nervous. Or would it be better to do the caramel sauce the next day prior to serving?
Hi Ashley! The caramel doesn’t harden and crisp up, but it solidifies into a chewy consistency. I recommend drizzling the salted caramel on top right before serving.
I just made this cheesecake this past weekend and it was so good! My stepdad loves chocolate and peanut butter cheesecake so I swapped out the snickers for Reeses peanut butter cups and I topped the cheesecake with cut up Oreos and peanut butter cups, and then a melted peanut butter drizzle. It tasted so good and looked so indulgent too! I didn’t use a water bath for it because I always have problems with water leaking into my cheesecake and creating a soggy crust because of it sitting in that water bath. I just ended up putting some pans of water in the oven next to the cheesecake as it baked to kind of act as a water bath to prevent cheesecake cracks but it didn’t work. My cheesecake did have a lot of cracks in it when it was done but I honestly didn’t mind at all because I knew I was going to load it with so many toppings that you wouldn’t be able to see even the top of the cheesecake . I highly recommend this recipe or even my variation of it into a peanut butter chocolate cheesecake because ittasted really rich and delicious and had lots of chocolate and peanut butter mixed into it. So yummy!
We have our annual Christmas Baking contest with our family (started it last year with Apple Pie!) and this year’s theme is Cheesecake! We love to bake so thought it would be fun for a little friendly family competition. (bragging rights really and fun silly prizes for top 2 winners). Think we have 7 or 8 people making cheesecake this year. So, my question is: can I condense this recipe to make it in a 7 inch spring form? We decided to go smaller as there will be a lot of cheesecake!
We all have some fun recipes but we are allowed to use whichever one we want. So… Sally will get the credit for this one! I promise! It sounds divine!!! Please let me know! Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Hi Karen! This cheesecake is huge and doesn’t even fit into a traditional 9-inch springform pan! If using a 7-inch pan, I suggest reducing down the ingredients OR using any extra batter to make little cheesecake cupcakes. You can freeze them! Merry Christmas 🙂
Hi Sally! I want to make this on Saturday, but will not have time to do it on Friday or Saturday. Do you think it would be ok to make it ahead on Thursday and keep it in the fridge? I always like to make my desserts as fresh as possible, but don’t mind making ahead if the taste will not be compromised. Thanks!
Yes, it should be ok covered in the fridge for 2 days! Enjoy!
I made this for my wife’s 30th and was loved by all. Thank you so much for your amazing recipes. They’re well enjoyed in this household in Australia!
I made the Snickers Cheesecake and wow was it good! I used a 10 inch pan (as thats the only one I have) and it worked beautifully. I think the butter in the crust could be cut back to 3 Tbs, as I had melted butter in the bottom groove of the pan after cake was done. I didn’t set the pan directly in the water either. I set another cake pan under it on next rack below, filled with at least an inch of water. Turned out great! Will make it again. Thank you for the great recipes!