Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake Bars

Sorry I've been posting so many desserts! My mom has been here since the baby and has been taking care of all the dinners :) I couldn't be more grateful! I found these on Tasty Kitchen and knew that I needed to make them just for the fact that they had peanut butter cups in them. I can NEVER pass something up with a peanut butter cup in it!! The cheesecake part is super creamy and delicious. In the original recipe she used a graham cracker crust, but whenever I make any sort of cheesecake I use crushed up Chocolate Oreo Cookies. You should definitely try these!

15 Chocolate Oreo Cookies, crushed
5 T butter, melted
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1 t vanilla
12-14 whole Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, cut into 6 pieces each

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Prepare an 8-inch square baking pan by lining the pan with aluminum foil, leaving 3-4 inches of foil draping over the sides of the pan.

The crust:

Mix Oreo cookies and melted butter in a bowl. Press into the bottom of prepared pan.

The filling:

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until it is very smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape the beaters and sides of bowl frequently. Gradually beat in granulated sugar until the mixture is combined, about 1 minute. Beat in eggs, one a time, making sure that each is fully incorporated. Beat in sour cream and vanilla extract until fully combined, about 30 seconds.

Unwrap and cut 12 Reese’s peanut butter cups into 6 pieces. Gently fold into the cream cheese mixture. Scrape the cream cheese mixture into the baking pan, over the top of crust. Spread evenly. Sprinkle over top 2 more peanut butter cups.

Bake until the edges are set but the middle still jiggles slightly when the pan is shaken slightly, about 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Turn off oven and leave inside for at least 30 minutes to an hour.

Remove from oven and place the pan on a cooling rack and allow the bars to cool for 1-2 hours. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, and up to 24 hours.

Using the overhanging foil, lift the bars from the pan. Gently remove the foil and cut into 16 bars.

If you like, you can melt some chocolate to drizzle over the top of the bars for a little added dazzle!

*From Tasty Kitchen