You know you have hit the recipe jackpot when your non sweets eating husband actually eats a dessert you have made. It pretty much drives me crazy that Cliff usually (95% of the time) won’t even try a bite of a dessert we have made. How it is possible to resist things like this or this or this I will never know. I do not have that kind of discipline. Nor do I want it. I like my sweets. I’m fine with being a little pudgy if it means I can indulge in my favorite desserts. More to love, as they say. When we made this one though, Cliff actually asked for a taste. I did a double take when he actually tried the bite I cut him. And then that evening he ate another. And I think he ate another the next day, too. That just proves that the combination of Oreo’s, peanut butter, chocolate, and cheesecake are irresistible even to the Cliff’s of the world!
Kelly and I were discussing what to make for dessert for the pizza party I mentioned the other day. I knew it had to be peanut butter and chocolate. And cheesecake never fails. We found this recipe from Brown Eyed Baker that fit the bill perfectly. The only change we made was to swap out the graham cracker crust for an Oreo crust. We are suckers for Oreo crusts. Actually, we are suckers for Oreos in just about any form. I knew after the first bite, even before it had made it to the refrigerator, that we had a winner. I prefer to make cheesecake bars rather than a round cheesecake, so this was perfect. In my experience people would rather have a small bite then a huge slice of cheesecake. Even if they end up going back for seconds and thirds, it just seems healthier!
Here is what you’ll need
Combine the crushed Oreos, melted butter, and sugar
Press into ungreased pan and bake
Combine the peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar, and flour
Add the eggs one at a time
Add the milk and vanilla
Once baked and cooled top with chocolate glaze
Kara and Kelly baked; Cliff approved
Ingredients
Crust
26 Oreos, crushed
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup butter, melted
Filling
16 ounces cream cheese
1 cup sugar
½ cup peanut butter
3 tablespoons flour
4 eggs
½ cup of milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Glaze
1 ½ teaspoons shortening
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the finely crushed Oreos, melted butter, and sugar. Press into an ungreased 9 x 13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes and allow to cool fully. Once cooled, start the filling. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment combine the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and peanut butter on medium high speed until smooth. Add the eggs one a time. Make sure each egg is combined before adding the next. Slowly add the milk and vanilla. Spread evenly atop the Oreo crust and bake for 40-45 minutes. Allow to cool. Once cool melt the chocolate chips and shortening in the microwave. Microwave on medium power for 30 second intervals until the chocolate is smooth and melted. Spread the glaze over the entire cheesecake or use a fork to make a grid pattern with the chocolate. Refrigerate before serving.
Source: Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker
