No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie Bars

For the chocolate crust:
Line a 13 x 9 inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over the two long pan sides. In a food processor, pulse Oreos (whole, do not remove the filling) until finely ground. Drizzle in melted butter and blitz a few more times to evenly combine. Press onto bottom of prepared pan. Place pan in freezer for 10 minutes while preparing the filling.

For the peanut butter filling:
In a large bowl, beat peanut butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt, and beat until smooth. With a rubber spatula, fold in whipped topping until completely combined. Spread filling evenly onto the top of the chilled chocolate crust. Chill for at least a couple hours or overnight.

For the toppings (optional):
Add chocolate chips and peanut butter to a small to medium-sized heat-proof bowl. In a saucepan over medium to medium-high heat, bring cream to a rolling simmer. Pour cream over the chocolate chips and peanut butter and let sit for 5 minutes. Then whisk until mixture is completely smooth. Let cool until mixture is just warm, but still nicely fluid.

Use a spoon to drizzle chocolate over individual bars or add chocolate to a plastic baggie, snip off a small piece of the baggie’s corner, and “pipe” chocolate over the bars. Finish by adding a piece of Oreo cookie and a few halved mini peanut butter cups to the top.

This dessert keeps very well in the refrigerator for a few days and can easily be made a day before serving. This is a very sweet dessert. The recipe yields 24 large bars, sized for those with bigger sweet tooths, or 35 smaller bars.