Crunchy Creamy Sweet

menu icon
go to homepage
  • All Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • About Me
  • Contact
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • About Me
  • Contact
×
You are here: Crunchy Creamy Sweet / Dessert / Bars

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cheesecake Bars

Published: Apr 19, 2012 · Modified: Aug 5, 2022 by Anna · This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.

 

It's the third Thursday of the month.

What does that mean?

It's the Improv Challenge time!!

As a participant, you have to make something that will include two assigned ingredients.

This month the two ingredients were: peanut butter and jelly.

A perfect pair for a baker, if you ask me.

As of recently I am on a bars roll, I went with cheesecake bars for the challenge.

They are delicious and will satisfy any pb&j lover. Yum!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cheesecake Bars

makes 16

for the crust:
½ c butter, softened
⅓ c powdered sugar
½ c all-purpose flour
½ c oatmeal
¼ c Cheerios, crushed

Grease a 8" x 8" square baking dish. Set aside.

Beat the butter for 2 minutes.
The butter has to be really soft. It whips better.

Add the sugar and beat until fluffy.

Add the flour and mix it all with a spatula or a wooden spoon.

Would you like to save this recipe?

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

Add the cereal and oatmeal and mix it all until combined.

 

Press the dough into your prepared pan.
It will be sticky so be patient.
Note: I highly recommend using parchment paper or a aluminum foil to line the pan with. It will make it easier to get the baked bars out onto a platter. I will certainly do that next time. 🙂

Bake for 18 - 20 minutes, until the edges start to brown.
Leave the oven on the same temperature.

for the filling:
1 8oz. cream cheese, softened
1 egg, room temperature
⅓ c peanut butter
¼ c granulated sugar
2 tablespoon milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 tablespoon jelly ( I used my homemade cranberry jam )

Beat the cream cheese until creamy.

Reserve about a ½ c of soft, whipped cream cheese.
Mix it will 3 tablespoon of jelly. Set aside.

To the rest of the cream cheese, add the peanut butter and beat until combined.

Add the sugar and beat until fluffy.
Like this. 🙂 Yum!
Now go, give your Hubby a spoonful to taste.
He will love you for it.
Trust me. 🙂

Add the egg and mix well.
Add the vanilla and milk and mix again.
Add the flour and stir with a spatula or a wooden spoon.

Spread the cheesecake filling over the crust.

Spoon out the jelly cream cheese mixture and swirl with a spoon.
Bake 18 - 20 minutes. It will appear set and start to come off on the sides.
Cool for 30 minutes on the counter and then transfer to a fridge and cool about 2 hours.

Voila! PB and J cheesecake bars to enjoy. 🙂
You can warm up a little bit of jelly in a small bowl in a microwave and drizzle if over the bars before serving.

If you are interested in participating and joining the Improv Challenge group, contact Kristen from Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker.
I hope you do, because it's always lots of fun!

Enjoy!

The winner of the Dessert Decorator Pro was announced yesterday.

More DESSERT BARS RECIPES

  • Gingerbread bars stacked on a plate.
    Gingerbread Bars
  • Pumpkin cheesecake bars on a plate.
    Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
  • Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispies Treats stacked up.
    Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispies Treats
  • Apple pie bars stacked on a plate.
    Easy Apple Pie Bars

Comments

  1. Steve says

    April 20, 2012 at 12:42 am

    being a huge fan of cheesecake in almost any form, I would seriously devour this!

  2. Choc Chip Uru says

    April 20, 2012 at 12:20 am

    These bars look wonderful - each bite must taste like heaven for sure 😀

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  3. Curry and Comfort says

    April 20, 2012 at 12:09 am

    I would so eat every PB and J recipe from this improv!! I love the cheesecake... great idea. 🙂

  4. Kristen says

    April 19, 2012 at 11:36 pm

    You simply cannot go wrong with cheesecake in any form. Those bars sounds lip smacking good!!

  5. Tiffany says

    April 19, 2012 at 8:55 pm

    Sweet Anna, I love PB&J. These look delish!

  6. Lizzy says

    April 19, 2012 at 8:54 pm

    SO beautiful Anna! I think this would be another pb and j combo I'd eat, too!

  7. Amanda says

    April 19, 2012 at 8:51 pm

    Oh yum! Love the step by step too!

  8. Pam says

    April 19, 2012 at 8:27 pm

    Too die for! I love every ingredient in there and am drooling big time. If only I weren't trying to lose a few pounds!!!

  9. Tina Baker says

    April 19, 2012 at 8:14 pm

    I love the layering in these bars and I think that you really aced this challenge. Creative use of ingredients, especially the cereal for some good texture in the crust. Impressive and delicious post!

  10. Melody says

    April 19, 2012 at 6:08 pm

    I'm going to have to try your crust recipe one of these days. (I use Cheerios in place of Rice Krispies for marshmallow treats -- don't know why I never thought of crushing them for a crust... Thanks for the good idea!)

  11. Shannon says

    April 19, 2012 at 5:06 pm

    I never thought of peanut butter cheesecake but it sounds like it would be amazing, especially with the jelly cream cheese on top 🙂

  12. mr. pineapple man says

    April 19, 2012 at 4:05 pm

    peanut butter jelly time!! amazing!

  13. Pranjali says

    April 19, 2012 at 3:35 pm

    Hello Anna...Bars looks so yummy and mouthwatering.

  14. aprettymess says

    April 19, 2012 at 5:17 pm

    oh my goodness! i cannot wait to try these! they look amazing!

  15. Natalie Atick says

    April 19, 2012 at 5:03 pm

    Gorgeous bars! I love your step by step pictures!

Profile photo of the author of Crunchy Creamy Sweet website.

Hi! I'm Anna!

Thank you for stopping by! Here you will find easy and delicious recipes for busy people. My recipes are made with everyday ingredients and all of them are family-approved!

read more...

Easy Dinners

  • Square image of chicken in teriyaki sauce, rice and broccoli in a white bowl.
    Quick Teriyaki Chicken Rice Bowls Recipe
  • Asian chicken on rice.
    Easy Sesame Chicken Recipe
  • Square image of creamy garlic chicken in a skillet.
    Creamy Garlic Chicken
  • Lemon garlic chicken in a skillet.
    Creamy Lemon Garlic Chicken Recipe
  • Chicken in mushroom garlic sauce in pan.
    Creamy Mushroom Garlic Chicken
  • Beef noodle casserole in a baking dish.
    Cheesy Beef Noodle Casserole

Popular Recipes

  • Cooked shrimp on a white plate.
    Air Fryer Shrimp
  • Square image of four Russet potatoes on a rack in the Instant Pot pressure cooker.
    Instant Pot Baked Potatoes Recipe
  • Noodles with peanut sauce and green onions in a white bowl with chopsticks.
    Thai Peanut Noodles Recipe
  • Square image of chicken nuggets with parsley on a white plate.
    Air Fryer Chicken Nuggets Recipe
  • Pasta salad with tomatoes and bacon in a glass serving bowl.
    BLT Pasta Salad Recipe
  • Square image of KFC coleslaw in a white bowl with red plaid napkin.
    KFC Coleslaw Copycat Recipe

Featured in

Logos of publications like yahoo, Parade magazine, MSN.

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 Crunchy Creamy Sweet All rights reserved.