Reese’s Cheesecake Bars

 

You’ll love these rich and indulgent Reese’s Cheesecake Bars! A creamy cheesecake, peanut butter and chocolate dessert that always disappears quick!

A Peanut Butter Chocolate Lovers Dream

A graham cracker crumb crust, a smooth and creamy cheesecake layer with plenty of chopped Reese’s throughout and a chocolate ganache topping – yum! If you’ve followed me for long, you know I am a sucker for anything that is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup inspired – like my Reese’s Peanut Butter Poke Cake, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cake or Reese’s Mini Cheesecakes! These dessert bars are the perfect flavor combination!

Frequently Asked Questions

What mixer are you using in these photos?

This is a question I commonly get any time I show this specific mixer in my recipe instruction step by step photos. I am using a Bosch mixer (paid affiliate link) for this recipe. While this fancy mixer is quite nice, it’s honestly no better than your traditional stand mixer. It just works well for taking photos to show the ingredients inside. I don’t think I can justify the price tag to be honest. You can use any other stand mixer or just use an electric hand mixer.

What other toppings could I add?

There are a couple different options to add with your chocolate ganache layer. You could swap the regular sized Reese’s cups for the mini ones. Or go for some White Chocolate Reese’s Cups. You could even try some Reese’s Pieces on top. Maybe try a peanut butter drizzle, M&M’s or peanut M&M’s on top with the ganache. Some crushed peanuts would work too if you like them. It could really enhance that peanut but

Why are room temperature ingredients so important?

Having all the ingredients room temperature just helps it all incorporate into the batter a bit better and will also keep the cream cheese from getting clumpy again when mixed with everything. 

Can I use storebought graham cracker crumbs instead?

Sure, using premade crumbs can make things easier. You can use the store bought graham cracker crumbs that you can buy in the box. Then you’ll need about 1 ½ cups of graham cracker crumbs for this recipe.

Any tips for getting clean cut cheesecake bars?

Yup! These can easily get “ugly” quickly, haha. I like to run the knife blade under some warm water to physically warm it up first. Then I wipe the knife dry with some paper towels or a clean kitchen towel and then make my first cutting pass through the dessert. I make sure to wipe the blade of the knife clean after every pass through the dessert. If I notice that a particular area is harder to cut through, sometimes I spray the blade of the knife with some non stick cooking spray to help give it a little extra help cutting through, or I’ll run it under hot water again.

How should I store leftover Reese’s Cheesecake Bars?

Any leftover Reese’s Cheesecake Bars can be stored in an airtight container. They should be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can freeze leftovers for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Ingredients Needed: (See Recipe Card Below For The Full Recipe)

• graham crackers – I crush up the graham crackers but you can use store bought graham cracker crumbs if you’d like – see my Frequently Asked Questions above for more on that.
• granulated sugar
• unsalted butter– or you can use salted butter. The little bit of salt included in the salted butter is so minimal that it will not impact the flavor of these cheesecake bars.
• Reese’s peanut butter cups
• cream cheese– If you forget to set out the cream cheese, check out these Tips for Softening Cream Cheese Quickly.
• all-purpose flour
• plain Greek yogurt– make sure it’s room temperature, it makes it easier to mix together for the layer that it is used in. If Greek yogurt isn’t your thing, swap it out for some sour cream.
• vanilla extract
• salt
• eggs – try to set your eggs out until they come to room temperature if you have time. This really helps the eggs incorporate so much easier into the batter.
• semi-sweet chocolate chips – if you prefer a lighter tasting ganache, you could use milk chocolate or if you prefer dark chocolate, use dark chocolate chips.
• heavy cream – when making ganache, it must be heavy cream, no substitutes.
• powdered sugar
• 
  

How To Make Reese’s Cheesecake Bars

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper (or foil). Spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Place graham crackers in a food processor (in batches) and pulse until ground. If you don’t have a food processor, just put them into a large Ziploc bag and crush them with a heavy object like a rolling pin.