Happy National Peanut Butter Day! This is a day that’s truly cause for celebration around here, so of course I’ve got a new recipe for you today. This one is a no-bake Peanut Butter Protein Cheesecake Cup with Pretzel Crust. I personally love getting a dessert that’s individually packaged, so these little cups are perfect for me š You can always divide them into more jars to make for a lighter treat too!
I bought a huge bag of pretzel twists a couple weeks ago when all I really needed was a little snack bag worth of pretzels for a recipe, so I’ve been coming up with some creative ways to use up those pretzels! See here…and there are more pretzel recipes to come! I love, love the combination of salty and sweet, so I figured I’d give it a go as a crust for this peanut buttery cheesecake. It turned out amazing! The pretzels not only lend that saltiness I was expecting, but they also add this other layer of flavor complexity that I wouldn’t have gotten with a graham cracker or nut-based crust.
I highly recommend using PB2 powdered peanut butter in this recipe instead of some of the competing brands out there. I have found that some others tend to be kind of gritty, even when mixed in or dissolved into some liquid. As for the protein powder, I normally recommend using casein protein, especially in my no-bake cheesecakes because of how thick and creamy it makes the cheesecake. In this case though, I used whey since the PB2 and peanut butter really help thicken up the batter. For an even thicker and creamier cheesecake, sub out 1/2 scoop of whey with vanilla casein instead.
Peanut Butter Protein Cheesecake Cups with Pretzel Crust
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Dannon Light and Fit Vanilla Greek yogurt (6 oz)
- 1/2 cup Philadelphia 1/3 Less Fat Cream Cheese, room temperature (4 oz)
- 1/4 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt (2 oz)
- 1 scoop Cellucor Peanut Butter Marshmallow Whey Protein (33 grams)
- 2 tbsp PB2 powdered peanut butter (12 grams)
- 2 tbsp Skippy Natural Creamy Peanut Butter, melted (32 grams)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Pretzel Crust
- 1 cup pretzel twists (40 grams)
- 2 tbsp peanuts (17 grams)
- 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted (0.25 oz)
Optional Toppings
- dark chocolate ganache
- whipped cream
- crushed peanuts
Instructions
Add pretzel twists and peanuts to a food processor and pulse until the largest chunks are about 1/8″ wide. Add melted butter and pulse for another 3-5 seconds until butter is incorporated.
Spoon pretzel crust into the bottom of 4 serving jars and press into the bottom of the jar. Set aside.
Add yogurt, cream cheese, peanut butter, and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl, then add protein powder and PB2. Mix with a hand mixer until smooth, then scoop into a piping bag.
Pipe the cheesecake mixture into the serving cups on top of the pretzel crust. Top with optional toppings before serving, if desired.
Recipe Notes
I used these Weck jelly jarsĀ for serving.
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