Buckeye Cheesecake Bars
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This is an easy and quick buckeye cheesecake recipe packed with chocolate and peanut butter flavors. It has a sweet oreo crust, peanut butter filling, and a chocolate ganache. There is no water bath involved in this recipe!
I don’t know about you but we always have peanut butter in our pantry. So of course, I use it all the time in my desserts. Like peanut butter brownies, rice Krispie treats, cookies, fudge, pies, and more. And one of my all time favorite desserts are these buckeye balls that I love making around Christmastime.
So then it hit me – why not make a buckeye cheesecake? And I have to admit, these bars might be one of the best things to roll out of this kitchen in a while. These buckeye cheesecake bars are coated with delicious and decadent chocolate ganache, with the creamiest peanut butter filling, and it all sits on top of a buttery Oreo cookie crust.
Trust me, these bars easy to make and can be served at any of your next celebrations, gatherings, and special occasions you have planned. But maybe save a few for yourself. Yeah they are that good.
See Also:
- German chocolate cheesecake bars have a rich, creamy chocolate cheesecake filling and coconut pecan topping.
- Grab a couple cans of crescent rolls and make these Churro cheesecake bars sprinkled with cinnamon sugar!
- Candy lovers will love these Butterfinger cheesecake bars with an Oreo cookie crust and chocolate topping.
- When you a cheesecake recipe to impress your guests then be sure to check out my list of 45 cheesecake recipes!
Why You’ll Love This Buckeye Cheesecake Bars
- Perfect Make Ahead Dessert – Prepare this chocolate and peanut butter cheesecake bars the day before you need to bring them to your next get together, making them an easy make ahead dessert!
- Rich, Creamy, And Decadent – If you love chocolate and peanut butter, this buckeye cheesecake is perfect for you.
- Easy To Make – It only takes 30 minutes to prepare, put it in the oven, chill, and serve. Quick and easy!
Ingredients Needed
You will need the following ingredients to make peanut butter buckeye cheesecake:
For The Oreo Crust
- Oreo Cookies – This adds sweetness to the crust. Some use brownie mix for the crust but I used Oreos for my cheesecake crust.
- Melted Butter – To ensure the fine crumbs form and holds their shape.
- Salt – To balance the sweetness and bring out the Oreo flavors more.
For The Peanut Butter Cheesecake Filling
- Cream Cheese – I used full-fat cream cheese for this peanut butter cheesecake recipe. Choose blocks cream cheese and not the tub type. They give a smoother and better texture to the cheesecake. If you want a low-fat cheesecake, use low-fat cream cheese but you will not have the same smooth, silky, and creamy texture.
- Creamy Peanut Butter – I like my homemade buckeyes smooth and creamy, that’s why I use creamy peanut butter for this recipe.
- Heavy cream – This balances the texture, flavors, and richness of your cheesecake. You can also use sour cream if you need to.
- Sugar – For added sweetness. Some recipes use sweetened condensed milk or powdered sugar, but for my recipe, I used granulated sugar.
- Eggs – Should be at room temperature before adding them to the mixture. Place them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before using them.
- Vanilla Extract – I used pure vanilla extract for this recipe but you can also use imitation vanilla extract.
- Salt – To balance and bring out the sweetness.
For The Chocolate Ganache
- Heavy Cream – For melting the chocolate chips.
- Chocolate – I prefer to use semi-sweet chocolate that I chop for the best quality. But you can also use semi-sweet chocolate chips if that’s what you have on hand. Or try using milk chocolate chips or white chocolate chips for your chocolate ganache for a fun twist!
How To Make Buckeye Cheesecake Bars
Before combining your ingredients, it is important to ensure all your ingredients are at room temperature. To soften your cream cheese, you can check How To Soften Cream Cheese.
For The Oreo Crust
1. Prepare Pan
Preheat your oven to 325°F/162°C.
To prepare your pan, you can grease it with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper or tinfoil and then grease the foil to make it easier for you to remove the peanut butter cheesecake easier without any damage.
2. Mix Ingredients
To make the oreo crust, add Oreos to your food processor or inside a sealed bag. If you are using a sealed bag, crush your Oreos using a rolling pin or any hard objects or blend them until you reach a fine crumbs form.
Transfer to a medium bowl and add melted butter and salt. Combine and mix well until your mixture becomes moist.
3. Transfer
Transfer the Oreos and melted butter mixture to the prepared springform pan. Pack it tightly. I used the bottom part of my measuring cup to press the mixture at the bottom.
Set aside.
For The Peanut Butter Cheesecake Filling
1. Combine Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, combine cream cheese softened and sugar. Beat it with your electric mixer with a paddle attachment until smooth.
Then beat in the heavy cream until smooth.
Add your eggs, one at a time to your cream cheese mixture. Make sure the egg is properly mixed before adding another one.
When your eggs are fully incorporated, add vanilla extract, and salt. Then beat in the creamy peanut butter until smooth.
Don’t overmix your cream cheese and peanut butter filling.
2. Bake
Transfer your peanut butter cheesecake mixture to your prepared pan with Oreo crust. With a flat rubber spatula or the back of the spoon, smoothen the top of the cheesecake.
Bake the peanut butter cheesecake mixture for about 40 to 45 minutes or until the cheesecake bars is baked. To identify the peanut butter cheesecake, it should be slightly jiggly in the center but the edges are set.
3. Cool And Chill
Let the bars cool at 30 minutes at room temperature.
Place your cheesecake bars in the fridge for at least 4 hours to overnight or until it firms up.
For The Chocolate Ganache
1. Melt Chocolate Chips
Transfer heavy cream to a small skillet. Heat it until steaming over medium heat. Pour steaming heavy cream into your chocolate chips to melt. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
Whisk the chocolate chip mixture until smooth. Let it slightly cool.
2. Pour And Chill
When the peanut butter cheesecake is chilled and cooled, pour over your chocolate ganache. Place it in your fridge to set and harden for at least 10 minutes.
Slice your chocolate and peanut butter buckeye cheesecake and serve.
Add In Ideas
- Peanut Butter Frosting – Aside from the chocolate ganache, you can add peanut butter frosting and decorate your cheesecake. Combine peanut butter, confectioners sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and unsalted butter. Blend together until smooth, light, and fluffy. Transfer your peanut butter frosting to an icing bag and start designing the edges of your buckeye cheesecake. You can also add cream cheese and make peanut butter cream cheese frosting.
- Toppings – To make it picture-perfect, add toppings like peanut butter cups, candies, or crushed peanuts.
Recipe FAQs
Transfer the cheesecake to an airtight container. It will be easier to store them if they are already cut into bars. To ensure they don’t stick together, place a parchment paper before placing another layer of peanut butter cheesecake bars.
It can last for 5 to 7 days in the fridge.
If you don’t have Oreos or want to try something new, you can use graham crackers, vanilla wafers, or chocolate cookie crumbs to make the crust.
Yes, you can freeze the whole cheesecake pan or individual bars. Just make sure they are cool completely before freezing.
To freeze the cheesecake bars, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil, and then place it inside a sealed freezer bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible to prevent drying and freezer burns. It can last up to 3 months in your freezer.
And when you are ready to serve, transfer to your fridge and leave it overnight to thaw.
More Cheesecakes To Try!
If you’re craving more cheesecake then be sure to try my homemade lemon cheesecake topped with a fresh lemon curd! Or my Biscoff cheesecake. The cheesecake has a Biscoff cookie crust, and topped with more cookie butter!
Or if you’re looking for another great no bake bar, try my no bake banana pudding cheesecake bar recipe!
And you can’t go wrong with a classic cherry cheesecake with a homemade cherry topping! And if you’re craving more cheesecake bars, be sure to check out my 14 cheesecake bar recipes!
Buckeye Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 18 Oreo cookies
- 5 tablespoons (71 g) unsalted butter, melted
- Pinch salt
For the buckeye cheesecake bars:
- 16 ounces (2 packages, 454g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream, oom temperature
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup (270 g) creamy peanut butter
For the chocolate topping:
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
Instructions
Make cookie crust:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (162°C). Line a 8×8-inch square baking pan with tin foil or parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a food processor, crush Oreo cookies into crumbs. Place crumbs into a small mixing bowl. Stir in melted butter until a crumbly mixture forms.
- Press the oreo crust mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside.
Make buckeye cheesecake bars:
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or you can do this in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer) beat the cream cheese and sugar together on medium speed until smooth.
- Add in the heavy cream and beat until smooth.
- Add in the eggs one at a time and beat until incorporated.
- Beat in the vanilla extract, pinch of salt and peanut butter and beat on low speed until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Pour filling on top of the crust. Bake in the preheated 325°F oven, for 40-45 minutes, until the edges are set but the middle of the bars are still soft in the center. The bars will continue to firm up as they cool.
- Remove the bars from the oven, and cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm. Once cheesecake bars have cooled, top with chocolate ganache.
Make chocolate ganache:
- Chop chocolate into fine pieces and place into a heatproof bowl.
- Heat cream in a saucepan over medium heat until simmering, but not boiling. Pour hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes, do not stir.
- After 5 minutes, whisk until smooth.
- Pour over cooled cheesecake bars before serving. Smooth with spatula if necessary. Transfer to the refrigerator until set, about 15 minutes.
- Cut into squares and serve.
