Peanut butter and chocolate is a heavenly combination and these bars are divine! You get the creamy cheesecake texture with swirls of peanut butter chocolate goodness weaving throughout with the graham cracker cookie bottom for contrasting crunch! Not to mention bar cookies are a cinch to bake and cut. Because I had extra Oreo cookie crumbs from my Mini Candy Corn Cheesecake, I split the crumb layer between Oreos and graham crackers. This gave my family options in one tray bake! While options are hard to beat, you don’t need to do this – an all graham cracker crumb is delicious and my personal choice.
Have all your ingredients ready to go and at room temperature. Cream cheese, butter and eggs all blend best at room temp. Preheat oven to 325°F and lightly coat a 13X9 baking pan with baking spray or butter.
In two Pyrex measuring cups measure out the graham and Oreo crumbs. Add sugar and melted butter to the graham crackers and only melted butter only to the Oreo crumbs. Mix each one well to combine and dump on each side of your 13X9 baking pan.
Use the back of a measuring cup to tap on the crumbs and pack them. Bake at 325°F for 6-8 minutes, until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. In a standalone mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese for a minutes to loosen it up. Add granulated sugar and flour and beat until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
Microwave the peanut butter and chocolate chips on medium heat for a minute. Stir to combine and microwave at additional 10-15 minute intervals, stirring after each time, until the chocolate is smooth. Add 1 cup of cheesecake mixture to the melted chips and stir to combine. Pour the cheesecake batter over the cooled cookie crumbs and then pour or dollop with a spoon the reserved peanut butter chocolate chip reserved mixture. Swirl the two mixtures with a spoon or a toothpick.
Bake at 325°F for 40-45 minutes until set. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack and refrigerate until firm. Cut into bars. Makes 12-15 bars, depending on how large you want your bars. I love how these turned out. A little messy on the swirling, but I was in a hurry. This was just for the family so I didn’t need fancy swirling skills.
These cheesecake bars were the perfect afternoon sweet pick me up along with a refreshing Apple Cider Iced Tea. I think sweet tea goes with anything you serve. Enjoy! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think.
Swirled Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
Delicious swirls of peanut butter and chocolate chips in a creamy cheesecake filling over a graham cracker crust. One tray bake won't be enough! Makes 12-15 bars.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 ¼ cups Oreo cookie crumbs remove the cream filling
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted divide the butter between the two crumbs
- 1 ½ Tablespoons granulated sugar for graham cracker crumbs
Cheesecake Filling
- 2 8-ounce blocks cream cheese prefer Philadelphia, full fat
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk prefer Borden
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup peanut butter and milk chocolate morsels
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly coat a 13X9 an and set aside.
Making the Crust
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FOR HALF GRAHAM CRACKER, HALF OREO CRUST: Mix 1 ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs, 1 ½ Tablespoon granulated sugar and 3 Tablespoons of melted unsalted butter in a small bowl. In another small bowl, mix 1 ¼ cups Oreo crumbs and 3 Tablespoons of melted unsalted butter.
FOR ALL GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST: Combine 2 ½ cups crumbs, 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar and 6 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter.
Note: If you can't find the crumbs, place the cookies in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to smash them until it's a crumb consistency.
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Dump into the baking pan and use a measuring spoon to tap down and evenly pack the crumbs. Bake at 325°F for 6-8 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool.
Making the Cheesecake Filling
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In a standalone mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese for a minute to loosen up. Add granulated sugar and flour and beat until smooth.
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Gradually beat in evaporated milk, eggs (one at a time) and vanilla extract. Scrape down sides halfway. Beat until smooth and creamy without lumps.
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Microwave peanut butter and chocolate morsels for 1 minute in a microwave safe bowl. Stir and microwave at additional 10-15 seconds intervals, stirring each time until smooth.
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Stir 1 cup of cream cheese mixture into melted chocolate.
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Pour cream cheese mixture over the crust.
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Pour chocolate mixture over the cream cheese mixture and swirl the two mixtures together with a toothpick or spoon.
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Bake for 40-45 minutes or until set. Cool completely in pan on a baking wire rack. Refrigerate until firm and cut into square. Recipe yields 12-15 bars depending on portion size.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Nestle’s classic recipe.
