It’s Memorial Day Weekend, the sun is shining, and it’s 90 degrees outside…life is good! When it’s this hot outside, my family and I like to be outside as much as possible, soaking up that vitamin D and enjoying this beautiful earth, so you better believe that’s what I’ve been doing all weekend long!
Since it was so nice outside, I lit up the grill, threw some food on it to grill, and then sat down outside to relax. Well, at least for a moment. I suddenly realized that we didn’t really have any desserts to go along with our meal, so I had to do something about that… ASAP. The last thing I wanted was to turn on the hot oven and heat up the kitchen (and whole house), so I opened the fridge to look for ingredients that I could quickly throw together to make a no-bake dessert.
This dessert was surprisingly very quick and easy to make, and as soon as it was done, I stuck it in the fridge to chill while we were eating our dinner. By the time dinner was done, I pulled this dessert out of the fridge, sliced it up, and we dug right in!
Although I call it a no-bake “cheesecake”, this really isn’t your typical cheesecake, per se – It’s more like a cream cheese dessert in the form of bars. The first layer is a graham cracker layer, which can easily be substituted with vanilla wafer crumbs, chocolate graham crackers, or really any cookie crumbs.
Once the crust was prepared and pressed into the pan, I stuck it in the freezer to set and then got to work on the next layer: the peanut butter layer (aka the best layer). It was simply a mixture of peanut butter, powdered sugar, and cream cheese, and that’s it! Once it was all mixed up, I spread it evenly (or as evenly as I could) over the graham cracker layer, stuck it back in the freezer, and whipped up the third and final layer.
The last layer is the chocolate layer, which was just chocolate chips, butter, powdered sugar, and a little coffee extract. The coffee extract is totally optional and can easily be replaced with vanilla extract, however I love adding a hint of coffee whenever I use chocolate. But that’s just me – you do what works for you! I also used dark chocolate chips, but really any chocolate will work just fine.
Once it’s all mixed up, you just have to pour it over the peanut butter layer, smooth it out, and that’s it! I actually had a few graham cracker crumbs leftover from when I was making the crust, so instead of just throwing them away, I decided to sprinkle them on top for a little extra texture and color. After that, it went straight to the fridge to cool and set, and then when it was time to eat, we pulled it out, sliced it up, and enjoyed!
When making this recipe, it’s very important to take out the cream cheese and bring it up to room temperature before you start. This way, it makes mixing everything so much easier, and also gives the dessert a better texture.
And part of the fluffy texture may also be due to the fact that I used Melanie’s Medleys cream cheese – an absolutely incredible company that hand-makes cream cheese in small batches. The texture of their cream cheeses is truly different from any other cream cheese I have had because they are so whipped and airy. Hands-down, this company makes the best cream cheese around. I highly recommend trying it if you never have before! If you make a purchase from their website, I have a code that will get you $15 off your order, so it’s highly worth giving them a shot! Just head over to the website, add your items to the cart, and then apply this code at discount: “MARISAU18”. Then you’ll have your very own Melanie’s Medleys cream cheese to whip up this chocolate-y, peanut butter-y no-bake dessert!
Happy Memorial Day, everyone! If you’re traveling, I wish you all safe travels, and if not, enjoy the weekend with friends and family. And never forget what this weekend is truly about.
- CRUST:
- 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs*
- 8 TBSP (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- PEANUT BUTTER LAYER:
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
- ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- CHOCOLATE LAYER:
- 1¼ cups chocolate chips
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ tsp. coffee extract (or vanilla extract)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- Grease an 8x8” baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Melt the butter and combine with the graham cracker crumbs until well-mixed.
- Press mixture into the bottom of the dish and place in the freezer.
- Peanut butter layer: beat the cream cheese, peanut butter, and powdered sugar until creamy.
- Remove pan from the freezer and evenly spread the peanut butter filling on top.
- Place the pan in the freezer while you make the next layer.
- Add the chocolate chips and milk to a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring each time, until smooth and completely melted. Remove from the microwave and let cool.
- While it cools, combine the cream cheese, coffee (or vanilla) extract, and powdered sugar.
- Stir in the melted chocolate sauce and mix well. Spread over the top of the peanut butter layer and then place pan in the refrigerator to set. Let chill for at least 2 hours.
