Creamy peanut butter cheesecake on an oreo crust topped with melted chocolate – these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars are rich and delicious, but are actually skinnier than the real thing!
My blogger friends and I are celebrating our love for cheesecake today since it is NATIONAL CHEESECAKE DAY! At the bottom of this post are links for 70 different cheesecake recipes. Whoa. That’s a lot of cream cheese right there! The brilliant idea of getting all of us together to celebrate came from the lovely Roxana of Roxana’s Home Baking! If you’ve never seen her blog, definitely check it out! She is constantly posting amazing food that is also easy to make!
My recipe for our cheesecake celebration is Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars – and as an added bonus, they are skinny! Ok kind of skinny. I will explain…
I’m so happy that Roxana invited me to her cheesecake party because, well, I’ve never actually made cheesecake! I dabbled with it when I made these brownies and these muffins. But the real deal? Never attempted it. So I decided to take baby steps for my first cheesecake and make chocolate peanut butter cheesecake bars. And you probably won’t believe these from looking at these creamy delicious bars, but they are actually SKINNY! I didn’t feel right putting skinny in the title because they aren’t totally low calorie. I mean there are still oreos in the crust, peanut butter in the cheesecake, and chocolate on top.
But instead of full fat cream cheese and tons of eggs and sugar like most cheesecakes have, I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese and Greek yogurt, plus 1 egg and only 1/3 cup sugar.
So compared to what they could be, they are skinny. Can we call them partially skinny cheesecake bars? Half skinny? Medium skinny? Well whatever we call them, they are lighter than a standard cheesecake bar, but they still taste incredibly rich, creamy, and delicious!
The crust is made of crushed oreos mixed with a little butter and peanut butter, so right off the bat you know these are going to be good!
Next is the cheesecake layer. It is so creamy thanks to the greek yogurt and the 1/3 less fat cream cheese, and a half cup of peanut butter makes it rich and nutty. I like to use crunchy for the texture, but you can definitely use creamy.
Then I topped the bars with a very thin layer of chocolate and then a little swirl made from melted peanut butter chips.
So we have peanut butter in the crust. Peanut butter in the filling. And peanut butter in the topping. I would say we have a peanut butter lovers dream cheesecake bars right here!
Creamy peanut butter cheesecake on an oreo crust topped with melted chocolate - these Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars are rich and delicious, but are actually skinnier than the real thing!
Ingredients
- 20 oreos
- 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 Tablespoon peanut butter, melted
- 1 8 oz brick of 1/3 less fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 5.3 oz container Greek yogurt, at room temperature (I used Chobani 0%)
- 1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter, at room temperature (I used JIF)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup peanut butter chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8"x8" pan with a long, thick strip of foil, letting the ends hang over the edges. This will create a sling to remove the cooked bars. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
- Process the oreos in a food processor until they become fine crumbs. Mix the oreo crumbs with the butter and peanut butter. Press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 6 minutes.
- In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and yogurt until well combined. Add the peanut butter and egg and beat until thoroughly combined. Beat in the sugar until smooth. Mix in the flour and the vanilla. Pour the cheesecake filling on top of the oreo crust. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes, until the cheesecake is set. Let the cheesecake cool for an hour.
- Melt the chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl (heat for 30 seconds, then stir. heat for 10 seconds then stir. continue this process until fully melted). Spread the melted chocolate on top of the cheesecake. Place the pan in the refrigerator for about an hour, until the chocolate is set. Then melt the peanut butter chips (same method as the chocolate chips) and drizzle the melted peanut butter chips on top of the chocolate.
- Return the bars to the refrigerator until the topping is firm. Remove bars from the pan using the foil sling. Cut into pieces and serve.
And now for all of my fellow cheesecake lovers out there, I present 70 different cheesecake recipes! Prepare to drool…
Baked Cheesecakes:
- Apricot ricotta cheesecake from Diethood
- Blackberry Goat Cheese Cheesecake from Baking a Moment
- Blueberry Ricotta Cream Cheesecake from Hungry Couple
- Caramel Macchiato Cheesecake from Wishes and Dishes
- Chocolate Cheesecake w/ Whisky Toffee Shards from girlichef
- Chocolate chip cookie mini cheesecake from My Sweet Zepol
- Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Cheesecake from Savvy Eats
- Coconut Cheesecake with Macadamia Crust from All Day I Dream About Food
- Hawaiian Chantilly Layer Cheesecake from Wallflour Girl
- Hawaiian Mini Cheesecakes from Pint Sized Baker
- Key Lime Pie Cheesecake from Love and Confections
- Lemon Cheesecake from Shugary Sweets
- Lemon Ginger Panna Cotta Cheesecake with Blueberry Sauce from Girl Versus Dough
- Lightened Up Apricot-Swirl Cheesecake from Take A Bite Out of Boca
- Lilikoi Cheesecake with Macadamia Nut Shortbread Crust from Dieter’s Downfall
- Mango Cheesecake (vegan) from Jessiker Bakes
- Mini cheesecakes with a toasted coconut crust (gluten free) from Quarter Life (Crisis) Cuisine
- Mini Mascarpone Cheesecakes with Strawberry Balsamic Topping from Boulder Locavore
- Mom’s Cheesecake from Magnolia Days
- New York Style Cheesecake from URBAN BAKES
- Oreo Cheesecake (vegan) from Namely Marly
- Oreo Ripple Cheesecake from Overtime Cook
- Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Nutella Ganache Topping from The Redhead Baker
- Pumpkin Cheesecake from Lady Behind The Curtain
- Rainbow Cheesecake from In Katrina’s Kitchen
- Raspberry Cheesecake with Oreo Crust from Hip Foodie Mom
- Ricotta Cheesecake from French Press
- Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Snickers Cheesecake from Life, Love and Sugar
- Sugar cookie cheesecake from Munchkin Munchies
- Vanilla Bean Cheesecake from Wine & Glue
- Very Berry Cheesecake with Chocolate Oreo Crust from JavaCupcake
- White Chocolate Cheesecake with Macadamia Nuts and Caramel from Taste and Tell
- White Chocolate Frangelico Cheesecake from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake from Will Cook For Smiles
No Bake Cheesecakes:
- Berry Cheesecake from Food Lust People Love
- Blackberry Cheesecake from You Made That?
- Butter Pecan Caramel Mini Cheesecakes from Simply Southern Baking
- Cherry and Pistachio Cheesecake with Animal Cracker Crust from Cravings of a Lunatic
- Dulce de Leche Cheesecake with Caramelized Peaches from The Food Charlatan
- Limoncello Cheesecake from Cake Duchess
- Mini Lime Cheesecakes from Miss in the Kitchen
- Neopolitan Cheesecake from Grandbaby Cakes
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake from White Lights on Wednesday
- Peanut Butter Cheesecake from Crunchy Creamy Sweet
- Peanut Butter Cheesecake from Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
- S’mores Cheesecake from The Gunny Sack
Cheesecake Beverages:
- Black Raspberry Cheesecake Milkshake from Blahnik Baker
- Caramel Cheesecake Martini from Happy Food, Healthy Life
Cheesecake Cookies and Bars:
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars from Cooking with Jax
- Caramel Overload Cheesecake Bars from Crumbs and Chaos
- Cherry Cheesecake Brownies from Inside BruCrew Life
- Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake Cookies from Lemons for Lulu
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars from Chez CateyLou
- Healthier Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownie Bars from Texanerin Baking
- Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Bars from Cooking In Stilettos
- No Bake Coconut Lime Cheesecake Bars from Beyond Frosting
- No Bake Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Bars from Garnish with Lemon
- Pear cheesecake with gingersnap crust from Roxana’s Home Baking
- Strawberry Chocolate Ganache Cheesecake Bars from A Kitchen Addiction
Cheesecake Desserts and Treats:
- Banana Foster No Bake Cheesecake Shooters from Mind Over Batter
- Blackberry Cheesecake Brownies from Jen’s Favorite Cookies
- Chocolate Nutella Cheesecake Cake from gotta get baked
- Key Lime Trifles from Hoosier Homemade
- Strawberry Cheesecake Pots from Barbara Bakes
- Triple Brigadeiro Cheesecake Tart from From Brazil To You
Frozen Cheesecakes and Treats:
- Blackberry Cheesecake Popsicles from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
- Chocolate Caramel Cheesecake Ice Cream from Chocolate Moosey
- Frozen PB&C Cheesecake from Noshing With The Nolands
- Frozen Peanut Butter Cheesecake with Nutter Butter Crust from Crazy for Crust
you can call them whatever you want, they look AMAZING!
Thanks, Heather!
These look Beautiful Cate!! I think I’m going to have to come over one day soon 😉
Thanks, Connie! I would love to have a baking/eating party with you someday soon!
Yay for PB cheesecakes! These bars look fabulous, Cate!
Thanks, Anna! PB cheesecake is the best!!!
These are gorgeous! I am loving the cheesecake celebration. Nothing makes me happier 🙂
Thanks, Allison! Celebrating cheesecake was so amazing!!!
I’m so glad you decided to join us as we celebrate cheesecake day and stepped out of your comfort zone by making your first cheesecake! And a very irresistible one! Peanut butter and chocolate is right up my alley and since you say they are sort of skinny, i’ll grab a few!
Thank you so much for hosting, Roxana! I absolutely loved celebrating with you, and venturing into the land of cheesecake! I think there will be many more in my future!
Skinny or not, these look awesome! Love that you used a chocolate crust. Yum 🙂
Thanks, Amy!! Chocolate crust seemed necessary with the peanut butter cheesecake 🙂
Brownies + cheesecake = awesomeness! Gorgeous photos! Have a lovely weekend, Cate!! 🙂
Thanks, Tina! Hope you are having a great weekend too!
Love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter, your squares are so pretty with the drizzled topping!!
Yes!!! I love these bars Cate! You always make the best chocolate and peanut butter and chocolate treats.
Whoa! I’m loving all the peanut butter!! They sound and look scrumptious!
Your bars are outstanding! I love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter in cheesecake.
These are PERFECT for your first try! You definitely nailed this one. YUM!
These are most definitely a peanut butter lovers dream cheesecake bars!! 😉 I’m in love with your peanut butter decoration on top, it’s absolutely perfect!
Thank you so much, Jocelyn! I always get nervous doing a decoration on top b/c I’m worried I will mess it up!!