Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars with Brownie Crust!
It is the Holiday season, which means that my hubby has work pot lucks all this week. It NEVER fails, I always get the assignment of making cheesecake…Every…Single…Time. Hubby said after this las lunch, there were tons of cheesecake left on the table, except mine. This cheesecake (as well as a few others I made) were gone within minutes. His coworkers refer to me as the “Cheesecake Lady”…lol To make these already yummy bars even better, I drizzled them with both a chocolate and a peanut butter ganache! 
This year, I wanted to give them some varity, so I made these yummy Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars with a brownie crust, and a also made a chocolate version as well. The Chocolate Cheesecake bars will be posted next week. No need for a cheesecake overload. I prefer to make cheesecake bars because they do not take forever to bake, and I do not have to water bathe them while baking, which is a total plus, since I only had 24 hour notice to make 60+ servings. 
What is your favorite thing to bake?
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Cook Time | 45 minutes |
| Servings |
Bars
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- Brownie Bottom:
- 1 stick unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- Filling:
- 2 packages cream cheese at room temperature, 8-ounce
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 2 Large Eggs at room temperature
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Topping:
- 1/4 cup heavy cream divided
- 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup peanut butter chips
Ingredients
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|
- Brownie Bottom:
- Preheat over to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 inch cake pan with parchment paper so that the edges overlap over the sides.
- In a large bowl combine butter, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Mix until well combined. Stir in the vanilla and then the eggs, one at a time, mixing very well after each addition. Add the flour and mix until combined. Spread into prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes.
- Brownies should be slightly set, but not fully baked. Set aside to cool.
- Filling:
- (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- /3 cup light brown sugar
- large eggs, room temperature
- /2 cup smooth peanut butter
- teaspoon vanilla extract
- /8 teaspoon salt
- Using a hand or stand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until combined. Add in the peanut butter, vanilla, and salt and beat until just combined. Pour over the cooled brownie crust.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Filling should be set around the edges and slightly jiggly in the center. Allow to cool at room temperature on a cooling rack for 1 hour and then refrigerate to chill through.
- Topping:
- Heat whipping cream until it comes to a low boil. Place chocolate and peanut butter chips into two separate bowls and pour equal parts of the whipping cream into each bowl. Allow to set for 1 minute to melt chips.
- Mix each bowl until each is well combined, allow to set for 5 minutes to thicken. Drizzle over cooled cheesecake