Eating these Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cookie Bars will send you to your sugar happy place right away. This bar cookie recipe would be a great addition to your dessert table anytime.
There is nothing that I would classify as too sweet. I am quite a dessert heavy weight (LOL literally).
Now my hubby on the other hand, he takes one or two bites and he is over it. We were at Cheesecake Factory a few weeks ago, and we both ordered cheesecake after dinner.
Now I purposefully only ate a small portion of dinner because one must leave room for cheesecake when you come to a place called The Cheesecake Factory. It is a given.
Anyway, I had no problem downing my cheesecake and a few bites of my hubby's. He had a few bites and was going on about how sweet it was, and that it was too rich for him.
He even said that he was getting the shakes and the sweats from trying to eat all that sugar. I just had to laugh at him and call him a dessert light weight. I guess I have had a lot more practice holding my sugar with all the desserts I keep cranking out.
After having that cheesecake a few weeks ago, I was craving some cheesecake goodies. One of my favorites from last year were these Key Lime Cheesecake Cookie Bars, so I knew I wanted to make another variation of that recipe.
And since Reese's are my absolute all time favorites, I decided to make another peanut butter version with Reese's peanut butter chips, because clearly you can never have enough of that!!!
These peanut butter cheesecake cookie bars are purely decadent. Thick layers of chocolate and peanut butter chip cookie dough with a generous layer of peanut butter cheesecake in the middle. Oh yeah!!
I like my bars super thick, but if you like yours thinner, go ahead and bake these in a 9x13 pan. Just make sure to adjust your baking time to about 30 minutes.
I also used the Hershey's baking melts in place of the chocolate chips. I liked biting into the big chunks of chocolate. Who doesn't though...
And of course everything is better with more chocolate right? So, go ahead and drizzle your bars with more melted chocolate and Reese's peanut butter chips!!!
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Recipe
Peanut Butter Cheesecake Cookie Bars
Peanut butter and chocolate chip cookie dough with a layer of peanut butter cheesecake. This will take dessert to a whole new level.
Ingredients
For the Cookie Dough
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup shortening
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 cup peanut butter chips
- 1 cup extra large chocolate chips
For the Cheesecake
- 1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup peanut butter
For the Topping
- ¼ cup peanut butter chips
- ¼ cup chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon shortening
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8 pan with nonstick spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter, shortening, and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, vanilla, and salt and beat again.
- Stir together the baking soda and flour. Slowly add to the butter mixture until incorporated. Stir in the peanut butter chips and baking melts by hand.
- Press half the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside.
- In another bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add the peanut butter and beat until smooth.
- Add the egg and beat until mixed in. Pour the cheesecake top of the cookie dough in the pan.
- Crumble small pieces of cookie dough over the top of the cheesecake layer. Continue until all the dough has been used and the cheesecake has been covered. Bake for 45 minutes.
- Remove and let cool on a wire rack for one hour, and then refrigerate until completely chilled. Cut into 16 bars.
- In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter chips and ½ teaspoon shortening. Heat for 30 seconds in the microwave. Stir until melted and smooth.
- Spoon into a plastic bag that has one corner cut off. Drizzle over bars.
- Place the chocolate chips and ½ teaspoon shortening in a bowl. Heat for 30 seconds. Stir until melted and smooth. Drizzle over the bars. Keep refrigerated. Makes 16 bars.
Notes
You can also bake these bars in a 9x13 pan, if you want shorter thinner bars. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 496Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 68mgSodium: 266mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 2gSugar: 37gProtein: 8g
I am slightly addicted to Reese's...here are a few of my favorites.
Cathy
These look amazing!!!! I am so glad I found your blog through Whipperberry!
Cathy
Megan @ For the Love of Cookies
That picture is incredible...I can almost taste it! Lol! It looks so indulgent and peanut buttery. I want to make these. Need some cream cheese now!
Trish - Mom On Timeout
Just gorgeous Jocelyn! I could eat like FIVE right now 🙂 Pinned!
Karen McMurphy
I am making these! Do I butter the pan? How will I know they are done? Thanks!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Yes, grease the pan before adding any dough. Bake for 45 minutes if you are doing the 8x8 pan...no longer or it will be hard!!! Cheesecake always looks undone, but it sets up when it cools and chills. Let me know how it is for you!
Heather @ French Press
I have no words Jocelyn...just YUM
Averie @ Averie Cooks
I love everything about these - PB, cookie bars (so much faster than cookies, and the cheesecake and chocolate drizzle...yum!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you Averie!!! I love how much easier it is to do cookies as bars and adding cheesecake is just plain yum!
kristi@ishouldbemoppingthefloor
Ahhhhh....mazing.
Marcia
Ok, so I am more like your husband. About two bites and I'll be happy. But I have a church full of sugar lovers (I live in the South after all) who will be thrilled when I try out this new recipe. And my Dad absolutely loves the peanut butter and chocolate idea, so he will be happy if I can make some and take them to him in New York this summer! 🙂 Reese's are also my favorite, but if they come two to a pack I always share one! 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
You are a better woman than me to share your Reese's 🙂 I tend to hoard mine!!!
Billie
These look great , I want to try these today my son is coming home. Can you use liquid shortening solid?
Jocelyn Brubaker
I'm not 100% sure what you are asking...the shortening is a solid not a liquid. Although you will melt a small spoonful with the chocolate for the drizzle.
Brenda @ChattingOverChocolate.blogspot.com
That's exactly how my hubby is too!! ....but, oh well, leaves more dessert for us when it's "too sweet" or "too rich" for them - lol! PInned and wish I could be eating this right now even though it's only 6:30am....never too early to go to the dessert "happy place" though right?! 😉
Anberlin McCoy
how am i supposed to lose weight with this deliciousness taunting me?!
Jocelyn Brubaker
I am having the same problem living with all these sweets 🙂
Cranberry Morning
Good grief! No wonder I had to scroll down so far to leave a comment! Those look fabulous! 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you so much!!!
Alyssa Rivers
Oh my! You honestly always make the BEST treats!!! And you always photograph them so well! I want to hire you to do mine! 😉 Pinned
Jocelyn Brubaker
Girl you leave the sweetest comments! I wish we were close enough because I would be over eating all the delicious stuff you make 🙂
Elise @ Paint Chips & Frosting
These look heavenly! Two on my favorite things combined 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Two of my favorites too 🙂
Stephanie @ Macaroni and Cheesecake
These look so decadent and delicious! I'm with you, no dessert is ever too rich or sweet for me!:)
Jocelyn Brubaker
I think we need to definitely do dessert together in Texas this June 🙂 Lots of yummy desserts!!!
Stephanie @ Macaroni and Cheesecake
I would love too, but something came up that weekend as of right now I don't get to come!:( I'm trying to sell my ticket, but if something changes and I get to come I definitely want to get together!
Sara
I'm not a huge fan of sweets, but my husband is a dessert FANATIC. It's like he has a separate stomach just for candy. Definitely making these for Easter, and winning Wife of the Year.
Quick question: Is there anything I can substitute for the shortening in the topping? Trying to avoid buying another one-use product. Thanks!
Jocelyn Brubaker
The shortening is just to help the chocolate from seizing. You could use a little bit of butter in place of it. I hope your hubby likes these!!!
Holly Lefevre
wow - these are dangerous!
Elizabeth @ Confessions of a Baking Queen
My boyfriend is not a sweet person either. He says something is too sweet and I'm like PFFF you don't know what you are talking about! LOL More sugar the better 😉 And Reese's are my fav too and your bars look uberly decadent and delicious. I really could stuff my face right now with these thick bars! Thicker is better!!!
Jocelyn Brubaker
You are so right...the more sugar, definitely the better!!! Glad we can be Reese's buddies!!!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet
Gosh, I have been craving cheesecake for weeks now! These bars are so tempting!!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Cheesecake is always a craving around here!!! Hope you get some cheesecake to fix that craving!!!
Jess @ On Sugar Mountain
My mom and I do the same thing every time we go out to dinner! My dad gets so mad cuz he thinks we should eat our "meal" and skip dessert, but how on earth can you do that when cheesecake is on the menu?!? Or these bars?!? Purely decadent? Well I'm sold. 😀
Jocelyn Brubaker
I want to go to dinner with you and your mom 🙂 Girls after my own heart!!!!