Shawn Marie Graybeal-Sellers

Tony’s Peanut Butter Butterfinger Cheesecake

My son Tony loves cheesecake, and he loves peanut butter. For his 21st birthday, I decided to combine the two and created this rich peanut butter cheesecake with a salty pretzel crust, Butterfinger pieces, and white chocolate chips.

Tony turns 30 this week, which makes this the perfect recipe to bring over from my old CoffeeQuilter blog. Nine years later, it is still very much his cheesecake.

Prep time: 25 minutes
Bake time: 65–70 minutes
Cooling time: At least 1 hour
Servings: 16–20

Ingredients

Pretzel Crust

  • 1½ cups crushed pretzels
  • ⅓ cup butter, melted

Peanut Butter Filling

  • Five 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup Butterfinger pieces

Topping

  • ½ cup crushed pretzels
  • ½ cup Butterfinger baking bits or finely chopped Butterfinger pieces
  • ½ cup white chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
  2. Combine 1½ cups crushed pretzels with the melted butter. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
  3. Bake the crust for 5 minutes. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
  5. Add the peanut butter and vanilla, mixing until thoroughly combined.
  6. Add the eggs and beat on low speed just until combined. Avoid overmixing.
  7. Gently stir in 1 cup of Butterfinger pieces.
  8. Pour the filling over the cooled pretzel crust and spread it evenly.
  9. Bake for 50–55 minutes, or until the cheesecake is almost set. Remove it from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes.
  10. Combine the crushed pretzels, Butterfinger pieces, and white chocolate chips for the topping. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the cheesecake.
  11. Return the cheesecake to the oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
  12. Cool for at least 1 hour before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers—if Tony leaves you any!

Shawn’s Notes

Make sure the cream cheese is fully softened before mixing so the filling stays smooth. Once the eggs are added, mix only until everything is combined.

The pretzels provide a salty contrast to the sweet peanut butter filling, Butterfinger candy, and white chocolate. Cut the cheesecake into small pieces—it is wonderfully rich.

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