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Today is a super special day!!!!

cheesecake slice on white square plate


Surprise! It’s Mandy’s Baby Shower Day! Mandy, from Mandy’s Recipe Box is having a baby next month. And a bunch of us are celebrating her today with a baby shower!

It’s not a party without some sort of dessert, and as you’ll see from the list of ladies throwing this shower, that there is no shortage of that!

Of course, I brought something with a crust. I’m me, right?

cheesecake slice on white square plate

I had been thinking of doing a peanut butter cookie crusted cheesecake bar for awhile. Then, last week, Averie made flour-less peanut butter cookies and I remembered how much I love those easy peanut butter cookies. I used to make them so much, and then I had to stop because people were starting to think I was pregnant, even though I wasn’t, because my 5 month old food baby was full of easy peanut butter cookies.

Anyway.

I made an easy peanut butter cookie base, in which I took Averie’s lead and used brown sugar (well, half brown and half white). I love brown sugar in cookies, it makes them soft and wonderful. It’s hard to tell with these bars what it does, because, well, they’re covered with cheesecake. And chocolate chips. And Reese’s Pieces.

Really, these cheesecake bars are a pregnant woman’s dream. They’re any woman’s dream. Soft and crunchy all at the same time, and full of fabulous peanut butter flavor. The easy peanut butter cookie recipe is SO rich in peanut butter flavor because it’s not interrupted with flour and all that other stuff. Mixed with the Reese’s, these are over-the-top peanut buttery.

They’re perfect for any party. Or a Tuesday night. {Whatever, I’m not picky.}

cheesecake slice on white square plate

So, happy baby shower day Mandy! I’m so happy for you and your family. Enjoy your special day today!

Peanut butter cookie cheesecake bars on a white plate with a forkful of peanut butter next

Peanut Butter Cookie Cheesecake Bars

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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 38 minutes
Yield 6 servings

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 + 1/4 cup granulated sugar , divided
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs , divided
  • 1/4 cup sour cream , room temperature
  • 8 ounces cream cheese , room temperature
  • 3/4 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup Reese’s Pieces (or other candy)
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Instructions

  • Line a 9×9” baking pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Mix peanut butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and 1 egg in a large bowl with a spoon. The dough should come together easily. Press into the bottom of your prepared pan. (Spray your hands with cooking spray to avoid it sticking!)
  • Sprinkle chocolate chips over peanut butter layer.
  • Beat cream cheese, sour cream, 1 egg, and 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Make sure all your ingredients are room temperature. Beat on high with a hand mixer, or use an electric mixer to get all the lumps out (or as many as possible). It’s easier if everything is soft to start with!
  • Pour cheesecake mixture on top of chocolate chips and spread to coat evenly. Sprinkle with Reese’s Pieces or other desired candy. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the top just begins to brown. The center will still wiggle a little. Cool at least one hour at room temperature and then refrigerate until completely set, 4 hours or overnight. Slice into bars and serve.

Recipe Video

Recipe Nutrition

Calories: 696kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 47g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 378mg | Potassium: 408mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 697IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Click here to see more PEANUT BUTTER recipes!

Check out all the other baby shower goodies for Mandy:

Holly – Life as a Lofthouse – Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Aimee – Shugary Sweets – Mint Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
Ashton – Something Swanky – Homemade Pancake Mix
Stephanie – Macaroni and Cheesecake – Slush Punch
Nikki – Chef in Training – Chocolate Covered Strawberry Muddy Buddies
Hayley – The Domestic Rebel – Cake Batter Oreo Stuffed Funfetti Cookies
Stephanie – Back for Seconds – Frosted Cakey Sugar Cookies
Brandi – The Country Cook – Lemon Pudding Cake
Becca – Crumbs and Chaos – Lemon Pudding
Jocelyn – Inside BruCrew LifeStrawberry Shortcake Fudge

 

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookie Bars

 Peanut Butter Nutella Nutter Butter Pie

Peanut Butter from friends:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie Bars by Buns In My Oven
Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars by Michelle’s Tasty Creations
Fluffernutter Blondies by Something Swanky

This post may be linked to: Chef in Training, Lil’ LunaBuns In My Oven, Chic-and-Crafty, I’m Lovin’ it Fridays, Strut your Stuff Saturday, Weekend Wrap Up PartySundae Scoop Link Party, and all of these too!



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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57 Comments

  1. You’ve got all my favorites covered in this bar. Peanut butter, cheesecake, Reese’s Pieces…yeah, I’ll probably be bringing my 5-month food baby to Austin, just FYI. ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. They are also a :women on mat leave who apparently doesn’t want to lose her baby wieght’s” dream as well. ๐Ÿ˜›