Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

These Chocolate Cheesecake Bars are to die for. Decadent and rich and oh so chocolaty, they are easy to make and taste delicious!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 1 55

Total Time 2 20

Servings bars

Calories 581kcal

Author Dina

Ingredients

Oreo Crust

24 Oreo cookies
3 tbsp unsalted butter melted

Cheesecake

32 oz cream cheese or 4 (8 oz) packages (softened)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
6 squares bakers semisweet chocolate (6 oz total)
4 large eggs at room temperature

Ganache topping

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy cream

Instructions

First, begin making the chocolate crust by combining 24 whole Oreo cookies and 3 tablespoons of melted butter in a food processor.
Pulse it at high speed until the cookies are crushed to fine crumbs.
Now line a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with foil and coat it in nonstick spray. Then press the cookie crust mixture onto the bottom of the baking dish and smooth it out with your hands or the back of a measuring cup.
Place the crust in the oven and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Then remove and let it cool.
Meanwhile, add 4 (8 oz blocks) of softened cream cheese to a stand mixer along with the sugar and vanilla extract. Beat that on high speed until it becomes smooth and creamy. During this process, scrape down the beater bowl a few times. This will ensure that no clumps are left behind.
Now add the sour cream and give it another thorough mix at high speed.
Melt 6 oz of semisweet baking chocolate in the microwave and add it to the cheesecake batter while mixing on medium speed. Then scrape down the sides and mix again.
Now take each room temperature egg (room temp is super important) and whisk 1 egg at a time in a small bowl. Then add it to the batter at low speed. Once the egg is incorporated into the batter whisk the next one and added one at a time. Make sure to mix at low speed or else the eggs will over-mix and cause your cheesecake to crack.
Once the eggs are all mixed in, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and pour the batter on top of the Oreo crust. Bake the cheesecake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, then drop the temperature to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Then turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake inside until it has cooled to room temperature. You don’t want to open the oven at all or the sudden change in temperature will cause the cheesecake to crack or collapse.
Once the cheesecake is cooled, make the ganache by placing 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips into a glass bowl and pouring 1/2 cup of boiling heavy cream on top. Let it sit for a minute and then whisk is really quick using a whisk. It should turn into a smooth creamy ganache. Now pour it over the chocolate cheesecake and smooth it out with a spatula.
Now place the cheesecake in the fridge for about four hours before serving.

Notes

Use room temperature ingredients- If the ingredients are too cold, they will not mix well, causing them to be clumpy and uneven. Using room temperature ingredients will give you a smooth and even consistency for your cheesecake bars.

Always scrape down the sides of the bowl- This is important because it ensures that no clumps remain and the batter is mixed well. If certain ingredients cling to the sides, this will lead to an uneven consistency when you pour the batter into the baking dish.

Add the eggs one at a time- Doing this gives the batter time to absorb the eggs. Because the butter-fat mixture can't absorb them all at once, the texture would be off.

Cut the bars with a hot knife- To get clean lines when you are cutting out the bars, use a clean, hot knife so it slices right through for even, smooth edges.

Nutrition