Protein Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cups

These protein peanut butter cheesecake cups are the perfect mid-day treat or dessert! Inspired by cheesecake, these protein cups have a buttery graham cracker base with a Greek yogurt and peanut butter filling topped with a delightful chocolate shell. You’ll love how easy these protein-packed treats are to make!

These frozen peanut butter cheesecake cups are a simple but flavorful treat that you’ll want to make again and again. They’re so easy to make and they’re the perfect treat to have ready to go in your freezer!

 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• These no-bake peanut butter cheesecake cups bring together my favorite combination of flavors, peanut butter + chocolate! What’s not to love about this recipe?!
• These are frozen treats so you can keep them in the freezer for when you’re craving a sweet bite. They’re meant to be eaten straight out of the freezer, so you can enjoy a sweet treat whenever your heart desires.
• These frozen cheesecake cups were made with them being protein-based in mind, so I used peanut butter and Greek yogurt. They’re perfect if you’re like me and want to sneak in extra protein through snacking. Each little cheesecake bite has around 6 grams of protein! You can add even more protein by mixing in some protein powder.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• graham crackers —  I crush my own graham crackers, but you can buy graham cracker crumbs.
• butter — some melted unsalted butter to mix into the graham cracker crumbs to create a crust just like in a traditional cheesecake.
• Greek yogurt — you can use low-fat or full-fat Greek yogurt, but I prefer full-fat yogurt, so these peanut butter cheesecake bites are rich and creamy. While regular yogurt is great, this recipe uses Greek yogurt as it is thicker, tangier, and more protein-rich than regular yogurt. It’s also higher in protein and lower in sugar.
• maple syrup — make sure you’re using real maple syrup, not pancake syrup. Real maple syrup comes straight from trees, whereas pancake syrup is usually made with corn syrup. You can also use honey in this recipe.
• peanut butter — full of heart-healthy, monounsaturated fats, micronutrients, and a source of plant-based protein, peanut butter makes for a delicious addition to the Greek yogurt. I use runny, natural peanut butter. It’s much easier to mix together than conventional peanut butter (eg Kraft or Jif).
• chocolate chips — you can use your favorite chocolate chips. I’m using semi-sweet chocolate chips.
• coconut oil — combining the chocolate chips with coconut oil helps create the chocolate magic shell that coats the tops of these cheesecake bites.

How to Make Frozen Protein Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cups

• In a mixing cup or bowl, add the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter and stir until well combined.

• In a silicone muffin mould, scoop the graham crack mixture into each mould (approximately 1½ tablespoons per mould) and use the back of a spoon to press the mixture down into the mould to create a crust.
• Transfer to the freezer while you work on the next steps.

• In a mixing bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, maple syrup, and peanut butter. Taste to see if you’d like additional maple syrup or peanut butter.

• Take out the muffin moulds with the graham cracker crusts and fill them almost to the top with the Greek yogurt mixture (approximately 1½ to 2 tablespoons per mould). Tap the silicone mould on a counter to get rid of all air pockets in the mixture and to create a more even top.

• In a microwave-safe bowl, add the chocolate chips and coconut oil.
• Microwave on high in 20-second increments, stirring in between until the chocolate is fully melted.

• Spoon the melted chocolate over the top of the Greek yogurt peanut butter mixture.
• Transfer the muffin molds to the freezer and freeze for at least 2 hours to firm up before enjoying.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• You can change things up by using different flavored yogurt. You can use plain or vanilla Greek yogurt but you can also use strawberry, blueberry, lemon, and more!
• I’m using two of the KANTNÅL silicone muffin mould from IKEA.
• If you do not have a silicone muffin mould, you can place a cupcake liner into a metal muffin tray to make removing them easier
• The chocolate shell sets quickly once it touches the Greek yogurt peanut butter mixture, so make sure to work quickly.
• You can add some flakey salt on top of the chocolate shell before they set.

Make Ahead Tips

• If you don’t plan to eat all of these protein cheesecake bites immediately, you should tightly wrap up the moulds in the freezer with a layer of plastic wrap. This helps prevent them from tasting like the freezer.

More Sweet Treats to Try

• Strawberry Yogurt Bites
• Blueberry Parfait
• Biscoff Overnight Oats
• Peanut Butter Yogurt Bark

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