Nothing says Christmas like peanut butter and chocolate. At least in my world this is my idea of a Merry Christmas. There’s a layer of peanut butter cheesecake that runs through the center of these fudgy brownies that are topped with peanuts and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Can you say thick, rich, filling, decadent, and wonderful? The brownies are easy to make and you’ll have them in the oven in no time. Mix up the filling which is cream cheese, peanut butter, sugar, and an egg. And for the brownies, I used a box of Betty Crocker™ Original Supreme Premium Brownie Mix that I found at my local Vons grocery store. When I’m busy I appreciate shortcuts. The ease and love are baked right in when you use Betty Crocker™ for your holiday baking needs that you can find at your local Albertsons Safeway stores. The brownies are full of flavor and texture contrasts which I love. Fudgy brownies, contrasted with the smooth peanut butter cheesecake filling, the salty crunchy peanuts, and the melt-in-your-mouth peanut butter cups ensures that every bite is awesome.
Ingredients for Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies
If you’ve never tried adding peanut butter to brownie mix before now, you’re going to LOVE this recipe! The resulting peanut butter cream cheese brownies are so rich and decadent, and they require just a handful of ingredients. To make the cheesecake peanut butter brownies, gather the following ingredients:
Cream cheese Egg Creamy peanut butter Granulated sugar Box brownie mix (I used Betty Crocker™ Original Supreme Premium Brownie Mix) Ingredients called for on brownie box (water, oil, and egg) Salted peanuts Mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
How to Make Peanut Butter Cheesecake Brownies
If you’re a frequent baker, making peanut butter brownies with mix may sound “wrong” to you but rest assured that this recipe winds up tasting 100% homemade! Full instructions are provided in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of how the cheesecake peanut butter cup brownies are prepared:
Can I Use Natural Peanut Butter?
No, I don’t recommend using natural peanut butter in this recipe (i.e. peanut butter that you have to stir and that contains just peanuts and salt). You need to use a “traditional” no-stir peanut butter to make the peanut butter cheesecake brownies, like Jif or Skippy.
Can the Recipe Be Doubled?
Definitely! Just double the ingredients and bake in a 9×13-inch pan. The bake time should remain roughly the same.
Can This Recipe Be Made Gluten-Free?
Yes! Use your favorite gluten-free brownie mix, and double check that the remaining ingredients are gluten-free.
Can I Use a Different Nut Butter?
If you have a peanut allergy or simply ran out of peanut butter, this may not be the recipe for you. You can likely use almond butter or another nut butter if it’s a no-stir variety. But I’ve made this recipe only with peanut butter, so that’s what I know for sure works.
Tips for Making Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Brownies
Betty Crocker has many kinds of box brownie mixes. Pick your favorite, any will work. You need to also buy the ingredients called for on the box brownie mix. You’ll be making the brownie batter as instructed on the side of the box. If you can’t find mini peanut butter cups, you’re welcome to buy full-size ones and chop them into smaller pieces. You could even use Reese’s Pieces, if desired.
More Chocolate Peanut Butter Desserts:
Fudgy Peanut Butter Cup Brownies — Easy, one-bowl, no mixer brownies with a full-size peanut butter cup in every brownie! As fast as using mix and tastes way better! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars — Super soft bars that just melt in your mouth from all the peanut butter! And all the chocolate!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding Bars — Nutter Butter crust, chocolate pudding, and peanut butter cream cheese filling! Easy, almost no-bake, and beyond amazing! Lives up to their dreamy name!
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Nutter Butter Bars – Nutter Butters baked in along with peanut butter and chocolate chips for a very rich and decadent treat!
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Chip Cookies – Super soft, perfectly chewy, BROWNED BUTTER cookies that are LOADED with two kinds of chips!! An EASY one-bowl, no-mixer recipe for irresistibly DELISH cookies!!
Peanut Butter Brookies — These brookies are soft and chewy, with peanut butter and chocolate married together in every bite. All you need is two bowls, and no mixer is required!
Peanut Butter Blossom Cookie Bars — Just like the classic cookies except made as cookie bars rather than individual cookies. Bars are faster, easier, there’s no dough to chill, they’re made in one bowl, and you don’t need a mixer!
Post brought to you by Betty Crocker and Vons. The images, text, and opinions expressed are my own. #bettycrocker #spreadcheer #reeses This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Betty Crocker™ and Hershey’s® . The opinions and text are all mine.
