Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer Dessert
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This chocolate peanut butter layer dessert is packed full of flavor! There’s a sweet and salty pretzel crust, a creamy peanut butter cheesecake filling, silky chocolate pudding, ribbons of hot fudge, and whipped cream. Add a drizzle of peanut butter on top with some chocolate curls! Peanut butter desserts don’t get tastier than this one!
Peanut Butter Desserts
So I feel like people love layered desserts and I want to make what people like. That’s why for this month’s peanut butter dessert treat, I made a chocolate peanut butter layer dessert with loads of layers.
This is the kind of dessert that disappears fast at potlucks, holidays, and summer parties because the layers work so well together. The crunchy pretzel crust adds texture, the peanut butter layer is light and fluffy, and the chocolate pudding keeps everything rich and creamy.
The best part? It can be made ahead of time which somehow makes it taste even better after chilling for a few hours.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The salty pretzel crust balances the sweet layers perfectly.
- The peanut butter cheesecake filling is light and fluffy instead of dense.
- It’s an easy make-ahead dessert for parties and holidays.
- No complicated decorating required.
- Uses instant pudding for a quick shortcut that still tastes amazing
- The layers hold beautifully once chilled
Ingredients
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all ingredients and quantities.
Pretzels – You can use pretzel sticks or mini pretzel twists for this recipe. The finer you crush up the pretzels, the butter the crust holds together.
Butter – Use salted or unsalted butter for this recipe. Since there is already a lot of salt on the pretzels, you may want to skip the salted butter.
Cream Cheese – Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature so it blends into a smooth no bake cheesecake filling. I like to use full-fat cream cheese for all of my recipes.
Peanut Butter – I don’t recommend using natural peanut butter for this peanut butter dessert. I do however want you to use your favorite peanut butter. Mine is Jif.
Hot Fudge Topping – You can use store-bought or homemade hot fudge topping. I like the Smucker’s brand.
Instant Chocolate Pudding – Grab a family size instant chocolate pudding. Don’t follow the amount of milk that’s on the box, instead follow the 2 cups that I used.
Substitutions and Variations
- Substitute the crushed pretzels for crushed Oreo cookies, vanilla wafers, shortbread cookies, etc. You can omit the sugar and reduce the butter if you’re using cookies.
- You can substitute the heavy whipping cream in the peanut butter cheesecake for whipped topping.
- You can substitute the hot fudge for homemade chocolate ganache.
- You can substitute the whipped topping for the top with heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar whipped into homemade whipped cream.
NOTE: This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer Dessert
Step 1: First layer up is the pretzel crust with finely crushed pretzels, butter, and sugar. Mix them right in the 9×13 pan and firmly press the pan. Bake for 10 minutes and then let cool.
Step 2: Second layer is a peanut butter cheesecake mousse. Beat together the cream cheese, peanut butter, and room temperature butter until smooth.
Step 3: Beat in the sugar and vanilla extract until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and begin folding in the thawed whipped topping until fully combined. Spread the mixture evenly on top of the cooled pretzel crust.
Step 4: Third layer is chocolate pudding. Beat together the instant pudding mix and milk until incorporated and then let thicken for 5 minutes before spreading it on top of the peanut butter cheesecake filling. Add the hot fudge topping on top of the pudding.
Step 5: Spread the whipped topping on top of the chocolate fudge topping. You may want to wait until you’re close to serving because the chocolate can sometimes bleed into the white whipped topping.
Step 6: Decorate the top of the layer dessert with a drizzle of peanut butter and chocolate curls.
Tips for Best Results
- Don’t skip baking the prezel crust. Bake the crust for 10 minutes helps it stay crisp longer and prevents it from turning soft underneath the filling.
- Seal the edges with the cheesecake layer. This helps keep the pudding layer from seeping down into the crust.
- Let the pudding thicken first. If the pudding is too thin when spread on top, it can mix into the peanut butter layer instead of sitting in clean layers.
- Chill before slicing. This dessert cuts much cleaner after several hours in the refrigerator. Overnight is even better.
How to Store and Freeze
Make this dessert the day before you plan on serving it! Store it in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for up to 4 to 5 days.
You can freeze this layer dessert, though the chocolate pudding may soften more after thawing. Place the dessert in a freezer-safe container or wrapped tightly in two layers of plastic wrap and a layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months.
Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving it.
I was inspired to make the pretzel crust because of pretzel salad. I LOVE strawberry pretzel salad. It’s sweet, salty, creamy, fruity, jiggly and basically perfection.
This post was published March 2, 2017 but has been updated with new information and photos.
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Chocolate Peanut Butter Layer Dessert
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Ingredients
Pretzel Crust
- 2 1/2 cups pretzels, crushed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup butter, melted
Peanut Butter Cheesecake Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks
Chocolate Pudding
- 5.85 ounce box instant chocolate pudding, family size
- 2 cups whole milk
- 11.75 ounce jar hot fudge topping
- 8 ounces whipped topping, thawed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a 9×13 pan, add in the crushed 2 1/2 cups pretzels, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, and melted 3/4 cup butter. Stir to coat all the pretzels in the melted butter.
- Firmly press the crushed pretzels into the pan.
- Place into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Begin working on the cheesecake filling.
Peanut Butter Cheesecake Filling
- In a medium bowl, add in the 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 cup creamy peanut butter, and 1 tablespoon butter Beat on medium/high until light and fluffy.
- Add in the 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Beat until incorporated.
- Add in a quarter of the whipped cream and fold it into the cream cheese mixture. This will lighten up the mixture before adding the remaining whipped cream and deflating it all.
- Add in the remaining whipped cream and carefully fold it in.
- Spread the filling into the cooled crust. Be sure to get to all of the edges of the crust. Seal off any holes on the edges to prevent the pudding from seeping through and making our pretzel crust soggy.
Chocolate Pudding
- In a mixing bowl, add in the 5.85 ounce box instant chocolate pudding mix and 2 cups whole milk. Using a handmixer, beat on medium until incorporated. Let thicken about 5 minutes before spreading on top of the cheesecake layer.
- Spread the pudding evenly over top of the peanut butter cream cheese layer. Be sure to get to the edges.
- Remove the lid from the 11.75 ounce jar hot fudge topping and microwave for 45 seconds. Stir well.
- Scoop all of the fudge topping into a sandwich bag. Cut a small hole out of the corner of the sandwich bag.
- Drizzle the hot fudge topping all over the top of the pudding. I started from the corner and drizzled back and forth until everything was covered.
- Spread the thawed 8 ounces whipped topping all over the top of the dessert. Again, make sure to take the topping all the way over to the edges.
- Add the 1 1/2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter into a sandwich bag. Place into the microwave for about 20 seconds. Squish it around in your hand to make sure it's all runny.
- Cut a small hole in the corner of the sandwich bag. Drizzle peanut butter on top of the dessert. I drizzled one direction all the way across the dessert and then drizzled in the opposite direction all the way across.
Notes
Nutrition
(Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietitian for special diet advice.)
Cups of pretzel measured before or after crushing?
How many days will it be ok? Can I make on Tuesday & will be ok for Thursday?
You can but I recommend not adding whipped topping to it till before serving, as it will break down a bit. I recommend making just 24 hours ahead of when you want to serve it up.
What could be better!!
Amen!
Perhaps you did mention the size of the dish to be used for this recipe, but I did not see it; I repeatedly tried to guess the pan’s dimensions from the picture (not a full picture on my screen). I would appreciate your response and shall thank you in advance. Greer
It is a 9×13 pan
Very easy to put together and tastes wonderful. The only criticism from my family was the crust was too hard, I thought it was fine, but I’m outnumbered haha! Maybe it was my error, but I followed the recipe.