Cheesecake Bars

As of late I've had a hankerin' for some cheesecake. On more than one occasion I actually had a whole one in my shopping cart, then put it back, reminding myself that store bought cheesecakes just aren't that good. Why waste the indulgent calorie content on "store bought". Well eventually some urges just have to be satisfied so I decided to make a cheesecake. But. . . well. . . then I've have a whole cheesecake lying around the kitchen, calling to me, begging me to eat it. Not good, not good at all because if there is one thing I can't resist it's cheesecake. Well, actually there are lots of things that trump my self control but we won't go into that here. So off I went to my pile of "recipes to try", it's a big pile, embarrasingly big! I'm a recipe hoarder, it's a problem, I need help.  What I choose from the aforementioned recipe pile (in this case computer file) was Bakerella's recipe for Cheesecake Bars. That seemed a little more manageable. Bars are easy, plus I can cut them up and pass them off to unsuspecting friends. (insert evil laugh, bwa ha ha ha). 

I was pretty happy with how they turned out. They are sweet, really sweet, so be warned. I would give them about an "8", but my family, friends and co-workers LOVED them. I might change it up a bit, making a coffee flavored cheesecake layer, cutting down a bit on the chocolate but those modifications are for another day. I do my best to not fiddle and tweak the first time I make a recipe. So I pretty much made these just as the recipe was written.

Enjoy!

For the crust layer you need butter, brown sugar and Biscoff cookies. If you haven't tried these cookies yet then get yourself some IMMEDIATELY. They are so yummy. One of my favorite cookies.

The recipe calls for 1-1/2 cups of crumbs or approximately 27 cookies. I didn't measure. I threw in 27 cookies, then there were just 5 left in the package so I threw those in as well. So 1 package of Biscoff cookies is what you need.

Pulse the cookies into crumbs. Then add the brown sugar and pulse again until mixed.

Oh and yes, my food processor survived the Mandelhoernchen Melancholy. Wahoo! 

Add the butter and pulse again until well mixed.

Dump into an 9x13 pan.

Press evenly into the pan and set aside.

For the filling you need: cream cheese, sugar, flour, eggs, sour cream and vanilla.

Beat together the cream cheese, sugar and flour until light and fluffy.

Ohhh, light and fluffy and creamy.

Turn the mixer to medium low and add the eggs one at a time mixing well after each.

Add sour cream and vanilla and stir just until mixed.

Pour over the crust and bake in a 325°F oven for about 45 minutes.

Let cool completely. I trimmed off the edges so that it had an even surface. Well actually I peeled it off with my fingers and shoved it into my gob. But you know, same difference. The point is that I made the top layer even. 

When the cheesecake is almost cooled to room temperature, make the chocolate layer. You need semi-sweet chocolate chips, butter (not shown), heavy cream and powdered sugar.

Put the chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl.

Heat the butter and cream just to boiling. When you see tiny bubbles appear around the edges it's ready. Turn off the heat.

Pour the hot cream and butter over the chocolate chips.

Stir until totally combined. It will look weird and grainy at first but just keep stirring. . .

Soon you'll have a smooth even mixture.

Add the powdered sugar and mix well. WOW, that sugar looks really "blown out". I promise I'm working on my photog skills. Looking for a good class. Bear with me.

Pour the chocolate over the cheesecake and if necessary use a small spatula to spread it out evenly. Refrigerate several hours or overnight and then cut into square.

Delish! These are pretty good. I can't wait to try some different flavor possibilities.

Here is the link to the recipe again: Cheesecake Bars While you're there, be sure to poke around Bakerella's blog. It's great. She the queen of the current Cake Pop Craze. 

Enjoy!

Becky