Easy Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars that are really perfect any time of the year.
I really like that these bars can be made as bars or as part of a pie.
Easy Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars
This is a tasty bar recipe made with peanut butter cheesecake on a graham cracker crust.
There are some great ways to personalize this recipe too, as I will tell you about in a moment.
I am real excited about my 4 Ingredient Pink Circus Fudge recipe.
That simple recipe is for making a tasty fudge using frosting.
This recipe however, is really like a cheesecake that has been made into a bar.
To make this a bar recipe, you should use an 8X8 square baking dish. Using a larger baking dish can make more but, smaller bars.
This recipe is for anyone asking what are cheesecakes made of.
There really are two kinds of cheesecake.
There are the cheesecakes that are not made with eggs, and thus do not have to be baked as a result.
This recipe is based upon a cheesecake that does contain eggs.
Because of the added eggs, this a cheesecake bar recipe that needs to be baked.
Eggs add moisture and texture to cheesecakes which can help make them taste more rich and delicious.
You may also be wondering how do you make a graham cracker crust that doesn't fall apart.
The base layer of this cheesecake bar recipe is made with graham crackers.
However, i is basically a graham cracker crust that is for dessert bars.
Here is hot to keep that graham cracker crust from cracking.
First off, make sure that you are using butter and that it is well integrated with the other crust ingredients. Then, press the crust ingredients into the prepped baking dish well. Lastly, allow for the crust to cool while you make the cheesecake layer.
Tips for making peanut butter cheesecake bars with graham cracker crust.
I kind of teased this earlier but, you can skip the bottom layer and make this into a pie(s).
You will most likely need more than one graham cracker pie crust to do so.
More tips for you
- Allow the cream cheese to soften to room temperature before adding it to this recipe for best results. This will help to prevent lumps in your cheesecake as well.
- I prefer smooth peanut butter for a recipe such as this one. Even better, fresh creamy peanut butter is the easiest to work with.
- Resist the urge to overmix the eggs when you add them to your cheesecake. Overmixing eggs can lead to a cracked cheesecake.
Personalize your simple peanut butter cheesecake bars.
Yes, this recipe is wonderful just the way it is.
Simply make the crust, bake the cheesecake, and serve it
Here are some ways to make your cheesecake bars even better.
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- Add melted chocolate to the top of the cooled crust before adding the cheesecake layer.
- Or, you can drizzle or pour melted chocolate on top of the cheesecake bars before serving.
- Add the chopped nuts to the top of your cheesecake.
- Stir in coconut flakes for a fun texture and flavor.
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You may also be interested in these ideas.
About this peanut butter cheesecake recipe.
This is a two layer cheesecake bar recipe.
The bottom layer is the graham cracker crust that is baked.
The top layer of these bars is the cheesecake layer.
This is a traditional cheesecake recipe featuring peanut butter.
However, I also suggested the idea of using graham cracker pie shells to thus make this into a pie recipe (baking time may need to be adjusted).
Ingredients needed to make the graham cracker crust.
- Graham Cracker Crumbs- 2 cups. You can make the crumbs using a food processor or placing the graham crackers in a zip top bag and using a rolling pin to crush them
- Butter- 1 stick, melted (eight tablespoons).
- Ground Cinnamon- ¼ teaspoon.
- Salt- a pinch
How to make a graham cracker crust for dessert bars.
- Preheat your oven to 350 and line a square baking pan with parchment paper that overhangs the sides of the pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter, cinnamon, and salt.
- When the ingredient are well combined, you should press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan, packing it into the pan as a smooth and even layer. Then you can bake the crust for five minutes.
Remove your crust from the oven and allow it to cool on the counter while you work.
Ingredients needed to make peanut butter cheesecake.
- Cream Cheese- 24 ounces (three average sized bars). The cream cheese should be softened to room temperature.
- Sugar- 1 cup, granulated.
- Heavy Cream- ¼ cup.
- Peanut Butter- ¾ cup creamy.
- Vanilla Extract- 1 teaspoon.
- Eggs- 3, also at room temperature.
How to make Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars
Step One- mix the ingredients.
Use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add the heavy cream, peanut butter, and vanilla an mix until combined. Scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs one at a time.
Once all of the eggs have been incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl and make sure the batter is smooth. However, just be sure not to overmix once the eggs are added as it can thus lead to cracking!
Step Two -Transfer the ingredients to the crust and bake.
Pour the cheesecake layer from the mixing bowl over the graham cracker crust and then bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center is just set (check for jiggling).
Then remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature.
However, once cooled, you can transfer the cheesecake to the refrigerator and allow it to set (but, overnight is preferred, but at least 4 hours).
Step Three- serve the cheesecake bars.
To serve, using the overhanging parchment paper, you should remove the cheesecake from the pan. Prepare your cutting knife by running it under hot water to heat it up. Then you should carefully dry the warm knife and use it to slice the cheesecake into bars. If your cheesecake starts to stick to the knife, you can just run it under hot water again and wipe it clean with your towel. You can repeat this step as needed.
You can store any leftover cheesecake bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Easy Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars, tasty dessert recipe idea for peanut butter cheesecake on a graham cracker layer crust.
Easy Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
- 1 Crust -see post for details.
- 24 oz Cream Cheese
- 1 cup Sugar
- ¼ cup Heavy Cream
- ¾ cup Peanut Butter
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 3 Eggs
Instructions
- Use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add the heavy cream, peanut butter, and vanilla an mix until combined. Scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs one at a time.Once all of the eggs have been incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl and make sure the batter is smooth.
- Pour the cheesecake layer from the mixing bowl over the graham cracker crust and then bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and the center is just set (check for jiggling).Then remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature. Then transfer the cheesecake to the refrigerator and allow it to set (but, overnight is preferred, but at least 4 hours). Slice and serve.
Recipe Notes
originally posted:
October 8, 2021*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that the links on this website, and specifically on this post, that lead to other sites may be affiliate links.
Please note: Nutritional data has been calculated using a tool that comes with this recipe card and not by me. This means that Nutritional Information is only an estimate and can vary especially with ingredients that you use. The accuracy of this tool may differ from other tools as expected. Also note that there is no instructional value to the video that may be attached to this recipe. It is only there for visual pleasure. For more information about the images in this recipe, please refer the the recipe instructions. Thank you!
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