This post is sponsored by Danish Creamery. All opinions are my own.
Salted Chocolate Cheesecake Bars are the most delicious sweet and salty dessert! These rich, creamy, sweet, chocolatey bars are easy to make, and easy to eat too. Cookies, chocolate, and cheesecake are perfectly layered together in this recipe. Make these ahead of time for guests, a party, or for the holidays!
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Easy Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
These chocolate cheesecake bars are so easy to make, and they’re so delicious. It’s a triple chocolate dessert that everyone will devour!
Start with a layer of crushed chocolate cookie crust, add in the rich and creamy chocolate cheesecake filling, then top it off with chocolate ganache and a bit of salt. Yum!
This salted chocolate cheesecake bar recipe is great for holidays and parties, kids and adults. Plus they freeze well, so you’ll always have some extra dessert on hand.
Why You’ll Love this Cheesecake Bars Recipe:
- SWEET AND SALTY: The combination of chocolate, topped off with sea salt, makes for the most amazing sweet and salty flavor!
- MAKE AHEAD: These chocolate cheesecake bars are easy to make ahead of time, so you won’t have to worry about a last-minute dessert. Keep it in the fridge, or freeze it for a little longer.
- DESSERT FOR A CROWD: Dessert bars are always great for a crowd, and they’re easy to serve at parties. You can slice these up however you please, so make them a little bigger or smaller as needed.
These are the perfect dessert for Easter, Christmas, and other holidays!
Looking for more dessert bar recipes? You’ll love these raspberry chocolate coconut bars or these scotcheroos.
The importance of using the best butter available
Butter is one of the most important ingredients in quality baking recipes. I never use anything but Danish Creamery when baking for Christmas.
Danish Creamery has a new Premium Butter line and it’s absolutely delicious, high quality, creamy, and perfect for holiday baking. I used their Premium Salted Butter for these Chocolate Cheesecake Bars and you will definitely be able to taste the difference.
You might remember me using Danish Creamery previously and I hope you also give these recipes a try!
I have been SO impressed with Danish Creamery that it’s now my go-to butter brand.
How to Make Salted Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
You can jump to the recipe card for full ingredients & instructions!
- Preheat oven and prepare baking pan.
- Make the crushed cookie cheesecake crust, and press it into the bottom of the pan. Then bake briefly and let it cool.
- Make the chocolate cheesecake filling and pour it on top of the crust.
- Bake for 45 minutes, then let it rest in the oven with the door cracked open.
- Let it finish cooling to room temperature, and then refrigerate (at least 8 hours, or overnight).
- Make the chocolate ganache, and pour it on top of the cheesecake filling.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. Sprinkle with sea salt, slice into bars, and serve!
I recommend using a semisweet chocolate for this recipe. It’s less intense than unsweetened chocolate and balances out nicely in the cheesecake filling.
I like using baking chocolate, but you can use semi-sweet chocolate chips instead.
You can make a graham cracker crust for these cheesecake bars if you prefer. It will lighten out the chocolate flavor if you want something a little less rich.
Classic Oreos are perfect for these triple chocolate cheesecake bars, but you can use a different kind if you prefer.
Yes, you can skip the final ganache layer if you prefer. It adds a nice extra texture to the bars, but it would still taste great with the crust and cheesecake filling.
Salted chocolate cheesecake bars are so rich and decadent. That sea salt on top adds the perfect final addition!
Tips!
- Use quality ingredients such as Danish Creamery Butter. In baking, butter makes all the difference.
- Use an 8×8 baking pan for these cheesecake bars. Line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
- A food processor is the easiest way to crush up the cookies. But if you don’t have one, just put them in a resealable bag and crush them up with a rolling pin (or another heavy utensil).
- You will briefly par-bake the cookie crust before adding the cheesecake filling to help it set.
- Cheesecake should have time to cool between each layer, and after assembling. You don’t want it getting too warm or sitting out too long at any step in the recipe.
- The cheesecake is done baking when the filling is mostly firm, with just a slight wiggle in the middle.
- Store bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator, up to 4 days. Or in the freezer up to 3 months.
Can I make these bars ahead of time?
These chocolate cheesecake bars are a great dessert to make ahead of time! Since the cheesecake will need to be refrigerated anyways, you’ll want to make most of this recipe the day before.
Just refrigerate overnight (as instructed in step 11 in the recipe card). You’ll need to refrigerate it again after layering on the ganache.
You can make these 1-3 days before serving, and keep them in the fridge until ready to serve. If you want to make them further ahead of time, you can freeze them.
What is the best way to freeze cheesecake bars?
You can freeze these cheesecake bars for 2-3 months.
Follow the recipe as instructed, and let the cheesecake cool completely in the fridge after adding the ganache. Slice them into bars, then wrap them tightly in wax paper or plastic wrap, and store them in freezer-safe containers/resealable bags.
If you wrap them individually or in batches, you can thaw them out as you serve them, and keep the rest for later.
More Chocolate Dessert Recipes We Love
- Best Chocolate Cake Recipe
- Peanut Butter Cup Fudge
- Chocolate Donuts
- Caramel Cream Cheese Brownies
- More Delicious Chocolate Desserts
These sweet and creamy bars are a chocolate lover’s dream. Make this salted chocolate cheesecake bar recipe and you’ll be able to enjoy triple the chocolate, any time!
More Creamy Cheesecake Recipes to Try:
- Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
- Basque Cheesecake
- Salted Caramel No Bake Cheesecake
- Macadamia Caramel Cheesecake
- No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake
- Funfetti Cheesecake
- Carrot Cake Cheesecake
If you make this recipe be sure to upload a photo in the comment section below or leave a rating. Enjoy! You can also jump to recipe.
Salted Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
- 8×8-inch Baking Pan
- Food Processor (click for my favorite) (optional)
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
- 24 crushed chocolate sandwich cookies 271 grams, including the creme centers
- ¼ cup Danish Creamery Premium Unsalted Butter 57 grams, melted (½ stick)
- 10 ounces semisweet chocolate 284 grams, coarsely chopped
- 16 ounces cream cheese 454 grams, room temperature (2 bricks)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar 67 grams
- ⅓ cup brown sugar 71 grams
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
- 2 large eggs 100 grams, room temperature
For the Chocolate Ganache
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate 340 grams, finely chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream 227 grams
- 1 teaspoon Flake sea salt for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Make the cheesecake crust. Crush the sandwich cookies in a food processor (or place them in a Ziplock bag and smash with a rolling pin) until fine crumbs form.24 crushed chocolate sandwich cookies
- In a small bowl, combine the cookie crumbs and melted butter. Press the crust mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.¼ cup Danish Creamery Premium Unsalted Butter
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool while you prepare the chocolate cheesecake.
- Make the chocolate cheesecake filling. Place 10 ounces of semisweet chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt the chocolate in the microwave until smooth. (Heat at 50% power for 30 seconds. Stir. Repeat until melted.) Set aside.10 ounces semisweet chocolate, 16 ounces cream cheese, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, sugars, and vanilla together until smooth.
- Add the melted chocolate and mix well.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, until just combined.2 large eggs
- Pour the cheesecake batter over the cooled crust. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the middle jiggles slightly.
- Turn off the oven and open the door a crack. Allow the cheesecake to rest in the oven for an additional 1 hour.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow it to fully cool to room temperature. Once cool, refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
- Make the chocolate ganache. Place the 12 ounces of chopped chocolate in a heat-safe bowl.12 ounces semisweet chocolate
- Pour the heavy cream into a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Whisk until smooth.1 cup heavy cream
- Remove the cheesecake bars from the refrigerator. Pour the chocolate ganache over the fully cooled cheesecake and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
- Garnish with flake sea salt, cut into bars, and serve.1 teaspoon Flake sea salt
Video
Becky’s Tips
- Use quality ingredients such as Danish Creamery Butter. In baking, butter makes all the difference.
- Use an 8×8 baking pan for these cheesecake bars. Line it with parchment paper for easy removal.
- A food processor is the easiest way to crush up the cookies. But if you don’t have one, just put them in a resealable bag and crush them up with a rolling pin (or another heavy utensil).
- You will briefly par-bake the cookie crust before adding the cheesecake filling to help it set.
- Cheesecake should have time to cool between each layer, and after assembling. You don’t want it getting too warm or sitting out too long at any step in the recipe.
- The cheesecake is done baking when the filling is mostly firm, with just a slight wiggle in the middle.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
This recipe sounds so good, I can’t wait to make it. Question: block cream cheese or
Blocks!