These Chocolate Cheesecake Bars are easy to make and the perfect dessert for chocolate lovers. The Oreo cookie crust gives it a delicious crunch. And the best part? There's no need for a springform pan!
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Over the years, I have fallen in love with making cheesecake. It is such a delicious and fancy dessert to make and share. Although, most weeks I do not have time to create and make a full sized cheesecake. That's when cheesecake bars are my best friend.
They are so easy to make and the flavor options are endless. You could have a traditional graham cracker crust like these apple cheesecake bars or you could have a brownie crust like these cherry cheesecake brownies.
Recently I was craving chocolate, so I changed the measurements on these mini triple chocolate cheesecakes and turned them into chocolate cheesecake bars.
Why You Will Love These
This chocolate cheesecake recipe is so simple that even beginning bakers will feel confident making it for their next dinner party or get together.
- Perfect dessert for chocolate lovers!
- Have a shorter bake time than a full size cheesecake
- Look fancy but they are so easy to make.
- No special pans or tools needed!
- Great dessert to serve for events or crowds.
Get ready to wow your friends and family with a pan of creamy chocolate cheesecake for dessert. No one has to know how easy they are to make.
Key Ingredients
These easy chocolate cheesecake bars are made with just a few ingredients and baked on an Oreo crust. Add swirls of homemade whipped cream and fresh strawberries for a decadent yet simple dessert.
- Chocolate Sandwich Cookies - Combining crushed Oreos (or any sandwich cookie) with melted butter makes a great crust for any cheesecake.
- Cream Cheese - I use full fat cream cheese for the best taste. Make sure to set it out ahead of time, so it softens to room temperature.
- Granulated Sugar - Adds some sweetness to the cheesecake bars and helps smooth out the softened cream cheese.
- Eggs - Binds the ingredients together and adds flavor and richness.
- Sour Cream - Adds some additional creaminess and tang to the cheesecake.
- Chocolate - Gives these bars a sweet chocolate flavor. You can use melted chocolate chips or bakers chocolate.
How to Make Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
Follow our basic steps and see how easy it is to make this chocolate cheesecake bars recipe in minutes. The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for the cheesecake to chill, so you can dig in.
- Make the cheesecake base. In a large bowl beat the cream cheese and sugar with a mixer until smooth and creamy. Add sour cream and vanilla and mix again.
- Add the dark chocolate. Place the chocolate chips in microwave safe bowl with shortening. Heat at 50% for 45 seconds. Stir and repeat until melted and smooth. Add to the cheesecake batter and mix in.
- Whisk the eggs. Use a fork to break apart the eggs then add to the batter and mix in gently
- Bake and chill. Pour the creamy chocolate cheesecake filling onto an Oreo cookie crust and bake. Once done place on a wire rack and let cool for an hour at room temperature. Then place in the refrigerator and chill for a few hours until completely cooled.
Storage Recommendations
In the Refrigerator - Place the cooled cheesecake bars in a covered air tight container and keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
In the Freezer - Wrap the entire block of cheesecake or individual squares in two layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature, so they will blend together easier.
- Using a food processor is the easiest way to crush the cookies into fine crumbs. You can also use a rolling pin and a plastic bag, but that will take longer.
- Line your pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, so you can remove the cheesecake easier for cutting after it bakes.
- Press the cookie crumbs firmly in the bottom of the 9x13 baking pan to keep the crust from crumbling apart when you slice it.
- Mix the cream cheese and sugar very well before adding the other ingredients.
- Do not over blend the eggs. Whisk them gently before adding them to the mixture to avoid adding extra air to the batter.
- Don't over bake. The cheesecake should be wiggly like Jello in the middle. It will continue to cook as it cools.
- When ready, cut the chocolate cheesecake into squares with a hot knife. Run it under hot water and dry it off each time for the cleanest cuts.
- Serve plain or top with a chocolate ganache, whipped cream, and cherry pie filling.
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Recipe FAQs
The cheesecake bars should have a slight jiggle to the center of the cheesecake similar to Jello. If the cheesecake center does not wiggle, it is overdone.
Over beating the batter is the most common reason a cheesecake will crack. Beating too much adds air into the batter causes cracks to happen as a cheesecake bakes.
Another reason a cheesecake cracks is because it might have been over baked. It should have a wiggle to it when you pull it out of the oven.
These chocolate cheesecake squares are a great dessert to make ahead of time. They need time to chill and set up in the refrigerator before you eat them.
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Recipe
Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
These Chocolate Cheesecake Bars are easy to make and the perfect dessert for chocolate lovers. The Oreo cookie crust gives it a delicious crunch. And the best part? There's no need for a springform pan!
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 30 Oreo cookies
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Cheesecake
- 3 - 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups dark chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon shortening
- 1 - 8 ounce container Cool Whip, thawed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick spray.
- Pulse the cookies (with cream filling included) in a food processor until they are crumbs. Mix the cookie crumbs and butter together.
- Press the cookie crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake 8-10 minutes. Remove and cool.
- Place a large baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven. Fill it halfway with water. Let the oven preheat again.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add the sour cream and vanilla and beat again.
- Place the dark chocolate chips and the shortening in a microwave safe bowl. Heat for 30 seconds at 50% power. Stir and repeat. Stir until melted and creamy.
- Add the melted chocolate to the cream cheese mixture and beat until creamy. Use a spatula to scrape the side of the bowl while doing this.
- Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl, then pour into batter and mix gently until combined. Do not over mix the batter.
- Pour the cheesecake batter gently on top of the crust. Bake for 35-38 minutes or until sides are slightly set and center is jiggly.
- Remove and let cool on a wire rack for one hour. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or until chilled and set.
- Serve squares with Cool Whip swirls, shaved chocolate, and strawberries.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 293Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 160mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 4g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
*The post for triple chocolate cheesecake bars was first published October 2013. It was updated and republished January 2023.
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Beth @ bethcakes
I'm sooo not a math person either. At school I specifically chose a major that required as little math as possible, haha. These cheesecake bars look totally worth doing a little math, though!!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Haha!! Thanks Beth!! 🙂
Marcie
It doesn't matter if you're not good at math, cuz you're great at making cheesecake bars! These look so creamy and delicious!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Haha, thanks Marcie!!
Tieghan
Math is the worst!! Ugh.
Love these bars!! Bars all the bet in my opinion and these triple chocolate ones look killer!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thanks Tieghan!!
Renee
These really look heavenly! I really enjoy your website. Your treats always look delicious and so pretty! 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thank you so much Renee!! It's wonderful to hear that others enjoy my little piece of the web!! 🙂
Rachel Cooks
Is it wrong that I could eat a whole pan of just the crust?
Jocelyn Brubaker
Not. At. All. 😉
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust
I majored in math and I still have problems with 3rd grade homework. So, it's not just you. 🙂
LOVE the cheesecakes!!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Oh geez! That's good to hear!! Thanks Dorothy!! 🙂
Mary
These look insanely delicious! I'm with you on the math - not my thing - the triple chocolate cheesecake bars however are right up my alley!
Mary x
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thanks Mary!!
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl
Triple chocolate, please sign me up on these cheesecake bars! I know if I make them they will not last very long!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thanks Pamela!!
Erin | The Emerging Foodie
Mmmm, these look delicious!! We can pretend they're a little good for you, right? Good for your soul at least! 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Absolutely! Thanks Erin!! 😉
Auntiepatch
So, 3 cups Oreo crumbs = 1 pkg. Oreos? Looks like math to me!
Jocelyn Brubaker
You are right...I think the 3 cups of crumbs was close to the whole package. Look at me doing math without even thinking 🙂
Nancy P.@thebittersideofsweet
I did that once with my son and he took his homework to school not knowing most of his answers were wrong so I have learned to leave that to his stepdad. History is my subject! These look great!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thanks Nancy!!
Renee @ Awesome on $20
I tried to forget everything I learned in math class as quickly as possible. I even took college algebra as a high school junior to get the requirement out of the way. I haven't taken a math class since 1995! Luckily my husband has a physics degree. Thank goodness this recipe doesn't require me to do any quadratic equations. 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
You are very smart for doing that! 😉
Jenn@eatcakefordinner
Math used to be my best subject, but now I'm like . . . Can I please have a calculator! These bars look super duper good.
Jocelyn Brubaker
Haha, thanks Jenn!!
Mary Frances @ The Sweet {Tooth} Life
Yep, these are totally health food. There is only 1/2 cup sugar and oh my gosh, look at all those antioxidants in that dark chocolate! lol:)
Why am I joking about these bars? They look SO delicious, not even funny. Wow, I could polish off a couple of these in no time! I've never put whipped cream on my cheesecake but now I must. Extra calories are a moot point by then:) Your choc/pb cookie bars and pb cookie cheesecake bars are calling my name, too! It all looks amazing!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Haha! Thanks so much Mary!! 🙂
Stephanie @ PlainChicken
WOW! These look sinful!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thanks Stephanie!!
Averie @ Averie Cooks
Bars are so much easier to make and to serve - you got that right! That's why I make a ton of them! Love how much chocolate there is here and Oreo crusts are the best 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thanks Averie!!
LuAnn Braley
I know I've said this before, but y'all live ENTIRELY too far away from my family! :O)
Jocelyn Brubaker
Haha, you're too sweet LuAnn!!
Laura @ Lauras Baking Talent
These look amazing good and chocolately. I love how you try to make them sound healthy 🙂
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thanks Laura!!
Carol
Oh my goodness do these look amazing! I'm trying to remember if it even took until middle school before I could no longer help with math homework ( hubs either) . By HS , son didn't even bother asking lol
Jocelyn Brubaker
Haha, pure craziness how quickly we forget basic math!
Gina
Hmmmm- I have all these ingredients- guess I'm just going to have to make this TODAY! YUM!
Jocelyn Brubaker
Thanks Gina!!