An incredibly delicious no-bake dessert you won’t stop raving about. These gluten free chocolate peanut butter cheesecake bars have a chocolate cookie crust, whipped peanut butter cheesecake filling, and are topped with a chocolate ganache.
I have no idea where to start.
These Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars might just be the BEST thing I’ve made so far. That’s a pretty bold statement to make, but they are literally like a bite of heaven. Everyone who has tried them cannot stop raving about them.
I can’t stop thinking about them.
The best part: no need to turn on the oven… these bars are a NO-BAKE dessert!
Here’s a quick list of everything we have going on in this recipe:
- Chocolate cookie crust
- Whipped coconut peanut butter cheesecake filling
- Chocolate ganache topping
- And… some espresso flavor here and there for good measure.
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars
Start by pulsing together gluten free Oreos (chocolate sandwich creme cookies, I used Glutino chocolate vanilla creme cookies), melted butter, and espresso powder in a food processor. Dump this crust mixture into your 8×8 square baking pan, carefully press it down into the pan, then place in the freezer.
Next, it’s time to make the filling.
Scoop out the hard coconut cream from a refrigerated can of coconut milk. Place in a large mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed for a few minutes until it’s light and fluffy.
Beat in mascarpone cheese. That’s right… no cream cheese here. Mascarpone is where it’s at! It adds a wonderful creaminess and sweetness to the filling, as it’s not as tangy as cream cheese. I’m totally obsessed with it.
Once that’s all combined, beat in peanut butter, melted chocolate, and some vanilla extract. You’ll end up with a thick and creamy whipped peanut butter filling.
Pour this filling over the frozen crust, spread it out evenly, then place back into the freezer.
Finally, make the ganache by heating up 4oz of coconut milk (shake a new can and stir/combine before measuring). Once heated through, pour the coconut milk over 6oz of chocolate chips and stir to combine. Stir in some espresso powder and vanilla for extra chocolatey goodness.
Now for the hard part: let the ganache cool completely.
The ganache will thicken as it cools, but it’s important to wait at least 30 minutes or until it has completely cooled before pouring over the peanut butter filling. Once you pour it over the top, place the pan back in the freezer to chill at least 30 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
These bars can be kept frozen or refrigerated. I prefer to cut them when frozen (or let sit out at room temperature for 10 minutes first if too hard to cut) and then keep them in the fridge to eat when ready, but they will keep fresher longer if stored in the freezer.
Make Them Dairy Free
These chocolate peanut butter cheesecake bars aren’t just gluten free, they can also be made dairy free if needed!
Here are the substitutions you’ll need:
- For the crust, use gluten free & dairy free chocolate wafer cookies instead of sandwich cookies (unless can you find dairy free version). Substitute the butter for melted coconut oil or a dairy free butter.
- In the filling, substitute the mascarpone cheese with a dairy free cream cheese.
That’s it!
I really hope you make and enjoy these no-bake peanut butter cheesecake bars as much as my family and friends did. If you do try them and post a photo, tag @zestandlemons on Instagram, leave a review on Pinterest, or leave a comment/review below!
Try these Other Delicious Gluten Free Summer Desserts!
Lemon Cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Gluten Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes
Strawberry Nectarine Skillet Crisp
Strawberry Basil Lemonade Popsicles
No-Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars
An incredibly delicious no-bake dessert you won’t stop raving about. These gluten free chocolate peanut butter cheesecake bars have a chocolate cookie crust, whipped peanut butter cheesecake filling, and are topped with a chocolate ganache.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cookie Crust
- 10oz gluten free chocolate sandwich cookies (similar to Oreos, don’t remove the filling)
- 6 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1 tsp espresso powder
Peanut Butter Filling
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated overnight
- 6oz mascarpone cheese, cold
- ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
- ⅓ cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted (measure dry first, then melt)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 Tbsp granulated sugar, optional if needed
Ganache Topping
- 4oz canned coconut milk (from a second can, shake to combine)
- 6oz semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp espresso powder
Instructions
Make the Crust:
- In a food processor fitted with the metal S blade, pulse the chocolate sandwich cookies until broken up. Pulse in the melted butter and espresso powder until it resembles wet sand.
- Dump this crust mixture into a parchment lined 8x8 square baking pan and carefully press it down into the pan so it evenly coats the bottom. Place in the freezer to chill.
Make the Filling:
- Open the refrigerated can of coconut milk and scoop out the hard coconut cream on top (reserve the leftover liquid for another use). Place in a large mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer on medium-high speed for a few minutes until it’s light and fluffy. Beat in mascarpone cheese for 1-2 minutes. It may look thin when you first add it, so continue to beat on medium-high until it starts to thicken again.
- Beat in peanut butter, melted chocolate, and vanilla extract until thick and smooth. If needed to sweeten more, beat in the granulated sugar.
- Remove the baking pan from the freezer. Pour the filling over the frozen crust, spread it out evenly, then cover with foil and place back into the freezer.
For the Ganache:
- Pour the 4oz of coconut milk (shake a new can and stir/combine before measuring) into a small pot over medium-low heat. Once heated through, just before it boils, pour the coconut milk over 6oz of chocolate chips in a medium mixing bowl and stir until thick and combined. Stir in espresso powder and vanilla extract. Set aside to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.
- Once cool, pour the ganache over the peanut butter filling. Cover with foil and place the pan back in the freezer to chill at least 30 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
Notes
- These bars can be kept frozen or refrigerated. I prefer to cut them when frozen (or let sit out at room temperature for 10 minutes first if too hard to cut) and then keep them in the fridge to eat when ready, but they will keep fresher longer if stored in the freezer.
- Make it dairy free! For the crust, use gluten free & dairy free chocolate wafer cookies instead of sandwich cookies (unless can you find dairy free version). Substitute the butter for melted coconut oil or a dairy free butter. In the filling, substitute the mascarpone cheese with a dairy free cream cheese.
- The ganache needs to thicken and cool completely before pouring over the top of the peanut butter filling. To speed up the cooling process, you can try placing the ganache in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes and then check the temperature
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