And to be downright truthful, I have to admit that when it comes to dessert, I have absolutely the highest threshold imaginable for sugar tolerance.  When everyone else is saying things like, “Wow, that’s so rich.  I can’t eat more than one bite,” I’m halfway through my second helping, feeling like I just don’t get it.

When is anything ever too decadent?  Perhaps that explains my tendency to put a lot of EVERYTHING into my baking.

Take these bars, for example.

In case you’re wondering, there are about three things going on here:

• An Oreo cookie crust
• A layer of peanut butter cheesecake with chocolate chips
• A crumbly topping of packaged, refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough (a worthwhile cheat) on top

Result?  Happy times!

Seriously.  Peanut butter cookies used to be my version of heaven.  Oh, what a child I was.  Peanut butter cheesecake is a whole new thang.  It’s creamy, it’s intense, and yes, it’s pretty darn decadent.

I brought these puppies to girls’ night.  We had wine.  We had sushi.  But what disappeared?

It seems that even people with low sugar tolerance can’t help but go back for seconds.  Proceed with caution.

And the leftovers, should you have any, freeze like a dream.  And taste like peanut butter cheesecake ice cream if you can’t wait long enough for them to defrost.

Here’s the recipe:

Oreo Crust:

• one package Oreos (regular or reduced fat)
• 6 oz. unsalted butter, melted

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Filling:

• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened (regular or reduced fat, but NOT fat free)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• semi-sweet chocolate chips

Topping:

• one package (16 oz.) refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough (I used Pillsbury)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.

In a blender or food processor, crush the Oreos finely.  Mix with the melted butter and press into the pan.  This will form a very thin layer.  Try to cover the bottom of the pan with the crust.  Bake for 10 minutes to set, and then remove from the oven to finish the recipe.

While the crust is baking, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the egg and peanut butter and combine until the mixture is creamy.  Fold in the chocolate chips.

Working carefully not to bring up pieces of the Oreo crust, spread the cheesecake layer gently over the bottom layer.

Take out the cookie dough.  Crumbling it with your fingers, layer it carefully over the cheesecake, trying to spread as many cookie crumble pieces as possible over the pan so that each piece of bar will have some cookie dough in it.

Put the bars back in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until the cookie layer is golden and the cheesecake is set.

Allow the bars to cool completely.  Then, refrigerate for three hours or preferably overnight. Cut into small squares.  These babies are rich!