WARNING: You are about to fall in love with a dessert. Yes, a dessert. These peanut butter cookie cheesecake bars are sinfully delicious and overflowing with ooey-gooey goodness.
My husband and I recently returned from our honeymoon in Cancun. While staying at a resort there, we found a dessert on their poolside menu that sounded absolutely HEAVENLY. Some of the greatest things in the world (cheesecake, peanut butter and cookie dough) all combined into one treat. My husband gasped when he saw it on the menu and said, “We HAVE to order this.” I’ve never seen him so excited about food!
We ordered the dessert that afternoon, but the waiter told us that they had already sold out of the dish. We came back earlier the next day to make sure to order the dessert before it sold out… no luck. Sold out again! The same thing happened for the last 3 days of our stay at this resort. We were both SO bummed that we had to leave Mexico without ever tasting this magical dessert.
Once we returned home I decided to try to find a similar, equally delicious recipe to heal our broken hearts (and disappointed stomachs). I found this pin for Peanut Butter Cookie Cheesecake Bars by Culinary Concoctions by Peabody and decided to try it out!
Peanut Butter Cookie Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Layer (If you're not a die-hard peanut butter lover, this layer could also be made with your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough recipe)
- 1/2 cup butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Cheesecake Layer
- 16 oz. cream cheese room temperature (I used Philadelphia)
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Additional Toppings
- 1/4 cup mini peanut butter cups the mini-mini ones or smallest kind you can find
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- 12 full-sized peanut butter cups Reese's
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Spray a 9x13 pan with baking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper with one inch overhang on each side. (I was out of parchment paper and used a silicone baking sheet to line the pan instead- I would definitely opt for the parchment paper!) Spray the parchment paper with baking spray.
Cookie layer
- Cream together the butter and peanut butter.
- Add in brown sugar and mix.
- Add in eggs and vanilla extract, then mix.
- Add in flour and mix.
- Add in 1 cup of mini chocolate chips and fold to combine. Set aside.
Cheesecake layer:
- Combine all cheesecake ingredients in a bowl and beat until blended. Set aside.
To Assemble the Bars
- Press 3/4 of cookie dough into the bottom of your pan. Don't be afraid to use your hands!
- Place the full-sized peanut butter cups on top of cookie dough (I did 4 rows of 3 peanut butter cups).
- Pour the cheesecake mixture on top.
- Crumble remaining cookie dough on top of cheesecake layer along with the extra 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips and 1/4 cup mini peanut butter cups.
- Transfer pan to oven and bake for 30-40 minutes at 375 degrees F. Remove from oven to let cool.
- After the pan has cooled, place in the fridge for at least an hour. The bars are easiest to cut when refrigerated, but they taste best at room temperature. Remove from fridge and cut bars a few minutes before serving.
Happy baking, my friends! And more importantly, good luck with your new, uncontrollable cravings! (You’ll love me and hate me for this post.)
-Claire
This amazing post has been shared with Living Well Spending Less and Whipperberry.
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