Brownie Bottom Peanut Butter Oreo Cheesecake. Brownies, peanut butter, Oreos and chocolate ganache. What’s not to love!

Today would have been my sister’s 50th birthday. I’m missing her more than I can say.

For those of you who don’t know, Joan Hayes, the founder of this blog died a 11 months ago from a massive heart attack. She had the typical WOMAN’S symptoms. She felt nauseous mainly and thought she had food poisoning or a stomach bug so she went to bed…. and never woke up. Just as virtually all women do, she thought she should take care of herself — not bother anyone with something as trivial as a stomach bug. It was a fatal mistake and one that women make all the time. According to the American Heart Association, Heart Disease is the number one killer of women in America.

Sadly most women are unaware that Heart Disease is a bigger threat than breast cancer and, like Joan, they’re very likely to try to self-treat when they experience serious symptoms. Be especially vigilant if you have risk factors like smoking or high blood pressure (Joan had both). Most importantly for you and your families, know the signs and don’t ignore them. It’s better to feel silly for seeing a doctor for a stomach bug, than to not see one for a heart attack.

Joan loved sweets. Although chocolate was her favorite, she loved mints, hard candies, and desserts of just about any type. So when I was thinking of what dessert to post for her birthday, it was a tough choice. When I was clearing out her house, I found a stash of Reeces Peanut Butter Cups in my sister’s room. She loved that flavor combination and clearly she was hiding them from her kids.

Joan also loved Oreos. When we were kids, we rarely had sweets and Oreos were an exceptionally rare treat. I only liked the filling so I’d eat that and give the cookies to Joan (or the dog if Joan wasn’t there). Joan loved the whole thing.

I made this Brownie Bottom Peanut Butter Oreo Cheesecake while I was still in Cambodia. I found the mini-oreos in a grocery store and couldn’t resist buying them. There’s nothing like a taste of home when you’ve been away for a long time. I fed it to my students at lunch and it disappeared fast. I think it was their favorite of the desserts I made while I was there.

You can use the chocolate-filled or regular oreos. I used the chocolate-filled ones for this recipe. If you don’t have min-oreos, you can use regular sized ones but I’d chop them in half or quarters so you can distribute them more throughout the cheesecake.

I think Joan would have loved the flavors in this cake. It tastes a lot like a peanut butter cup with oreos in the middle. Joan and I both love to have a little chocolate every day. I hope you have some to celebrate Joan’s birthday with those of us who knew her.

Brownie-Bottom Peanut Butter Oreo Cheesecake

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Ingredients

• 1 batch brownie batter (use 1 box mix or these cocoa brownies
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon gelatin
• ¾ cup honey, corn syrup or golden syrup
• ¾ cup peanut butter
• 12 ounces cream cheese
• 2 cups mini oreos

Chocolate Ganache

• 11 squares Trader Joes Pound Plus Dark chocolate (or just under 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips)
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream (whipping cream)

Instructions

1. Prepare the brownie batter as instructed and pour into a greased 9 inch springform pan. Follow baking directions for 8x8 inch pan. Let cool.

Peanut butter cheesecake layer

1. Scald milk in a small saucepan. Dissolve gelatin in hot milk. Mix in honey and peanut butter. Let cool.
2. Put cream cheese in a bowl and add peanut butter mixture. Beat with mixer until smooth.
3. Use a spatula to fold in mini-oreos. Pour over cooled brownie and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Chocolate Ganache

1. Break chocolate into small pieces and put in a microwave safe bowl with cream. Heat for 1 minute and stir. Then heat in 30 second intervals until just melted. Pour over top of cooled cake. Refrigerate for 4 hours or over night.

Many of Joan’s Blogger friends have helped keep her dream alive. Please visit their blogs to celebrate Joan’s birthday.

Melissa’s Southern Style Kitchen

The Hungry Couple

Recipe Girl

Tidy Mom

365 Days of Baking and More

Food Fanatic

Beyond Frosting

Art and the Kitchen

The View from the Great Island

Sprinkle Some Sugar

The Red Head Baker

Barefeet in the Kitchen

Love from the Oven

All Day I Dream About Food

Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt

Pastry Chef Online

The Bitter Side of Sweet

The Domestic Rebel

Cupcakes and Kale Chips

Frugal Foodie Mama