Recipes

Peanut-Butter-and-Jelly Cheesecake Squares

Active Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours, 30 minutes
Makes: About 24 two-inch squares

Three things go into making this recipe really smooth: creamy peanut butter, like Jiff or Skippy (our test kitchen's go-to for baking); and room temperature eggs and cream cheese.

Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more, softened, for brushing

14 graham crackers (each 3 by 5 inches), broken into pieces

⅔ cup unsalted roasted peanuts

⅓ cup packed light-brown sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 pounds cream cheese (4 eight-ounce bars), room temperature

1 cup creamy peanut butter, such as Jiff or Skippy

1 cup granulated sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup Concord-grape jelly

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°. Brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with butter.

2. Finely grind crackers in a food processor. Add melted butter, peanuts, brown sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt; pulse until peanuts are chopped and texture of mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer to prepared baking dish; press firmly and evenly into bottom and three-quarters of the way up sides. Bake until set and slightly darkened, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely.

3. Reduce oven to 325°. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and peanut butter on medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in granulated sugar until light and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat  in remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then vanilla until smooth. Pour filling into cooked crust; smooth top with a small offset spatula. Bake until puffed and set along edges but still slightly wobbly in center, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely.

4. Whisk jelly in a saucepan over medium until melted. Pour evenly over cake, then tilt dish to spread jelly to edges in a thin, even layer. Refrigerate until jelly is firmly set, about 4 hours. Cut cake into squares, wiping knife between cuts for clean edges, or cover and refrigerate up to 3 days.