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Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup & Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

5.00 Mitt(s) 10 Rating(s)10 votes, average: 5.00 out of 510 votes, average: 5.00 out of 510 votes, average: 5.00 out of 510 votes, average: 5.00 out of 510 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5

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Level: Intermediate

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Description

After adding chopped Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups to the filling and drizzling the baked bars with melted chocolate, I was rewarded with a bar that caused my eyes to roll back in my head.

Ingredients

  • 7 whole Graham Crackers, Broken Into 1-inch Pieces
  • 6 Tablespoons (3/4 Stick) Unsalted Butter, Melted And Cooled
  • 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons All-purpose Flour
  • ⅛ teaspoons Salt
  • 2 packages (8 Oz. Each) Cream Cheese, Softened
  • ⅔ cups Granulated Sugar
  • 2 whole Large Eggs
  • ¼ cups Sour Cream
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • 12 whole (0.75 Oz Each) Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Divided, Cut Into 6 Pieces Each
  • 2 ounces, weight Bittersweet Chocolate, Chopped

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Prepare an 8-inch square baking pan by lining the pan with aluminum foil, leaving 3-4 inches of foil draping over the sides of the pan.

The crust:

Place graham crackers into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the crackers form fine crumbs, about 30 seconds. To the crumbs, add butter, brown sugar, flour, and salt. Pulse until the ingredients are fully combined. Using the bottom of a measuring cup or your fingers, press the crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan.

Bake until the crust is beginning to brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Let the crust cool on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes.

The filling:

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until it is very smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape the beaters and sides of bowl frequently. Gradually beat in granulated sugar until the mixture is combined, about 1 minute. Beat in eggs, one a time, making sure that each is fully incorporated. Beat in sour cream and vanilla extract until fully combined, about 30 seconds.

Unwrap and cut 9 Reese’s peanut butter cups (0.75 ounce each) into 6 pieces. Gently fold into the cream cheese mixture. Scrape the cream cheese mixture into the baking pan, over the top of the cooled crust. Spread evenly.

Bake until the edges are set but the middle still jiggles slightly when the pan is shaken slightly, about 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

Place the pan on a cooling rack and allow the bars to cool for 2 hours. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, and up to 24 hours.

Using the overhanging foil, lift the bars from the pan. Gently remove the foil and cut into 16 bars.

Place bittersweet chocolate in a small bowl. Microwave on 50% power until melted, stirring every 15 seconds. Drizzle the chocolate over the bars, top each with a small chunk of a Reese’s peanut butter cup and serve.

11 Comments

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Shane on 10.13.2016

I made these over the weekend. They turned out really well! I used the advice of one of the posters about leaving them in the oven to cool. I had 1 slight crack (made 2 batches) but overall they cooked perfectly. Next time I would probably just use mini PB reece cups and cut them in half. I think that would be easier then slicing up whole cups :)

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Ena on 9.17.2011

i’m sold! my sister and i are absolute peanut butter fiends so this just got moved to the top of my To Bake list!

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drichar3 on 4.4.2011

I was terrified of making cheesecake, but these turned out perfectly! And have continue to turn out perfectly every time a family member or friend has asked me to make it (every few weeks).

I would recommend letting it cool in the (turned off) oven for a while before switching to the fridge – helps prevent cracks in the cake.

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cookincanuck on 5.5.2010

I’ll have to try this in a pan next time. I’m glad you like them.

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suzy24 on 5.2.2010

I thought this was amazing. I made in a pie pan rather than the bars, and it turned out great!

10 Reviews

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Eugenia on 3.24.2012

I love how these are both extremely delicious AND beautiful. Awesome combination for taking with you to friends’ houses and entertaining guests at home.

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prairieprincess on 11.28.2011

Peanut butter + chocolate + cheesecake=WIN WIN WIN. Amazing.

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jessswan on 10.4.2011

I made these for Easter, 2010 (sorry for the late review!) and they were divine. They were easy to make, and were so pretty to serve. I came home with an empty plate! Thanks for posting this recipe!

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vtunell on 9.29.2011

These were excellent, thanks for the great recipe!

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Aimee Chipps on 9.26.2011

Amazing! I followed directions to a T…had wrong size of pb cups mine were a little smaller but it turned out fine. I only cooled mine on the counter for 1 hour b/c of time restraints.

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