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Food Faith Fitness

Nourishing your body, mind and soul

By 55 Comments

Healthier Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars with Oatmeal Crumble {Whole Wheat + Super Simple}

Learn how to meal prep like a pro with my Meal Planning Toolkit.

These Oatmeal Crumble Peanut Butter Cheesecake Squares are SO easy to make and always a hit at gatherings! So creamy that you would never know they’re lightened up with Greek yogurt and whole wheat flour!

Healthier Oatmeal Crumble Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars - SO easy to make and always a hit at gatherings! So creamy that you would never know they're lightened up with Greek yogurt and whole wheat flour! | Foodfaithfitness.com | @FoodFaithFit

HI! I actually haven’t packed myself into a box yet! WOO HOO>

But, today is the actual MOVE IN DAY, so there is STILL TIME.

However, I have a question for you:

Did your mom have “that dessert” that she ALWAYS brought to every.single.event that required some sort of food bring-age, without fail?

My mom did. I can recall MANY church potlucks, get-togethers at friend’s places, family gatherings and even some random after-school snack-age that involved these chewy chocolate oatmeal bars.

But, really, they were made of butter, oats, brown sugar, chocolate and marshmallows. They were also completely ready in about 20 minutes.

Do you blame her? SO MUCH GOODNESS.

Random side note: Growing up, my brother and I just called it “square.” “Chocolate oatmeal bars” was way out of our speech capacity, and they were cut into squares. So “Square” was an obvious name choice.

Clearly, we were wise beyond our years.

Anyway.

But, then I grew up and marshmallows, butter and refined flour just didn’t “do it” for me anymore.

Healthier Oatmeal Crumble Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars - SO easy to make and always a hit at gatherings! So creamy that you would never know they're lightened up with Greek yogurt and whole wheat flour! | Foodfaithfitness.com | @FoodFaithFit

I can’t confirm that the above sentence is a lie. Read: it is.  How can those NOT “do it” for you, no matter who you are?!

Realistically, I just grew up and wanted to give my favorite child-hood treat a healthier makeover. I also learned about the existence of cheesecake. A discovery that changed my life.

So, I swapped the butter for coconut oil, the flour for whole wheat flour …and left the brown sugar. Sometimes, you don’t mess with that kinda-chewy-slightly-molassey thang that brown sugar adds to baked goods. That is a poor life choice.

But you know what isn’t a poor life choice? Swapping out the marshmallow filling for cheesecake and the chocolate chips for peanut butter chips.

Is peanut butter ever a bad idea? Personally I think it’s the best idea when served on a spoon.

Just in case you were wondering.

BUT, I am an all-inclusive peanut butter-ist, so this girl will eat it off a spoon OR in cute little chip form INSIDE a creamy (Greek yogurt!!) cheesecake.

That also happens to be topped AND bottomed with crunchy, buttery-without-the-butter crumbs. Crumbs that almost didn’t even fulfill their destiny of being topped on aforementioned cheesecake because they kept being “taste-tested”

You know, for quality assurance.

Don’t say I don’t look out for your guys.

So, all there is left to say is this: “Look out Spring potluck-ing, because there is a new kid in town.”

Unless you eat it all before the potluck even starts.

I won’t tell.

Healthier Oatmeal Crumble Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars - SO easy to make and always a hit at gatherings! So creamy that you would never know they're lightened up with Greek yogurt and whole wheat flour! | Foodfaithfitness.com | @FoodFaithFit

I also shared the Oatmeal Crumble Peanut Butter Cheesecake Squares Recipe over on Food Fanatic, so make sure you check it out there!

FOR THIS RECIPE, I RECOMMEND:

IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, PLEASE REMEMBER TO TAG @FOODFAITHFIT AND #FOODFAITHFITNESS ONINSTRAGRAM! I LOVE SEEING YOUR RECIPE RECREATIONS!  :)

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Healthier Oatmeal Crumble Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars - SO easy to make and always a hit at gatherings! So creamy that you would never know they're lightened up with Greek yogurt and whole wheat flour! | Foodfaithfitness.com | @FoodFaithFit

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Healthier Cheesecake Bars from around the web:

Clean Eating Lemon Curd Cheesecake Bars – Honey + Figs

Healthy Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars – ifoodreal

Did you answer my super simple question that I need YOUR input on last week?  Please read the details HERE!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Matea says

    April 6, 2015 at 3:34 am

    My mom’s go-to dessert was/is a simple spongecake with fruits on top. It tastes amazing and takes only a few minutes to whip up, so I don’t blame her for always making it either!
    These bars look delicious! Your lightened up desserts are the reason I can still fit through doorways 😉

    Reply

  10. Julia says

    April 6, 2015 at 9:30 am

    I hope the move went swimmingly, girl! These pb cheesecake bars look like a phenom snack to enjoy between packing, moving, and unloading boxes. Hope you get nestled in to the new place soon and many congrats! xo

    Reply

  13. CakePants says

    April 6, 2015 at 1:23 pm

    Oh no…these DO look like the kind of thing I would make for a potluck and then make something else to take instead because I want to hoard it all (it’s happened before…the shame!). Can’t go wrong with peanut butter and cheesecake!

    Reply

  20. Erin @ Miss Scrambled Egg says

    April 7, 2015 at 3:42 am

    Yes, yes, yes. All of the peanut butter and oatmeal. These looks delicious. I like the substitution of cheesecake for marshmallows. Although I do enjoy marshmallows occasionally, I’m totally more of a cheesecake girl. My mom usually brought Dirt Dessert to church functions and holiday parties. It was oreos, sour cream, cool whip, and pudding (I think!).

    Reply

    • Taylor Kiser says

      April 8, 2015 at 12:02 pm

      I am SO more of cheesecake than marshmallow. At least cream cheese has protein. Maybe. Whatever.
      I LOVE THE DIRT DESSERT! But I have never heard of it with sour cream! YUM.
      Thanks lady! xoxo

      Reply

  21. Joanne says

    April 7, 2015 at 4:44 am

    The only problem I can see with these being healthier is that I will totally convince myself that that means I can eat twelve in a row. But maybe that’s not really a problem?

    Reply

  23. Lydia @ Thrifty Frugal Mom says

    April 10, 2015 at 4:09 pm

    Oh, goodness, these look AMAZING! I love cheesecake but find cheesecake bars are an easier way to get the taste than making an actual cheesecake and I love your lightened up version. I don’t typically keep Greek yogurt on hand. DO you think regular yogurt would work too?

    Reply

    • Taylor Kiser says

      April 11, 2015 at 5:51 am

      Hi Lydia!
      I am not 100% sure, as I haven’t tried the recipe with it. The only thing I think is that regular yogurt is A LOT thinner than Greek, so it might completely mess it up. You could buy one of those tiny, cheap, single-servings of Greek yogurt just to be safe? I hope that helps!

      Reply

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