Two Tone Cheesecake Bars Recipes

CHEESECAKE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Line an 8-inch baking dish with heavy-duty aluminum foil (so that there is an overhang on at least 2 sides) and spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray.
• Make the crust: In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar, and salt. Stir until well combined, using your fingertips if necessary to be sure no lumps of brown sugar remain. Press into the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, until set. Remove the crust from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
• Make the batter: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with beaters or the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and flour together on medium speed until just smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt; beat on low speed until just combined, about 1 minute. Do not over-mix.
• Pour the batter into the slightly cooled crust. Check to make sure your oven has cooled to 325°F, then bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the filling is set but still a little jiggly in the center. (An instant-read thermometer, inserted into the filling about 1" in from the edge, should read between 180°-190°F.) The cheesecake will continue to cook as it cools. Remove the bars from the oven, and cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Refrigerate until cold, at least 6 hours but preferably overnight.
• Use the foil overhang to lift the cheesecake out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into squares, wiping the knife clean with a damp cloth between slices. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Note: The cheesecake bars can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cheesecake bars can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze, place the cooled cheesecake (cut or uncut) on a plate and freeze, uncovered, until firm. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer, wrap it in heavy-duty aluminum foil and place in a freezer bag. Seal and return to freezer for up to 3 months. Remove the foil before defrosting.

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CHEESECAKE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out (makes cutting easier!). Set aside.
• In a food processor or blender, pulse the Oreos (cookie AND cream filling) into a fine crumb. You should have about 3 cups (330g) of crumbs. Stir the cookie crumbs and melted butter together in a large bowl. Press tightly into the bottom of the lined baking pan. Pre-bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. Leave oven on.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sour cream and beat until fully combined. Then add the peanut butter, vanilla extract, and salt and beat until fully combined. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just blended. After the 3rd egg is incorporated into the batter, stop mixing. A few small lumps can remain. Whisk the filling a few times by hand to rid any large lumps at the bottom of the bowl.
• Pour the cheesecake filling onto the crust. It's ok if the crust is still warm. Spread evenly on top with a rubber spatula or back of a spoon. (It will seem like a thick layer of cheesecake filling; that's ok.)
• Bake for 35-38 minutes or until the cheesecake appears set on top and the edges are browned. The edges may slightly crack. (Mine do!) The bars will be puffy, but will sink slightly down as they cool. Place pan on a wire rack. Cool for 1 hour at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours (and up to 1 day) before topping with chocolate. If you're in a rush, place in the freezer for 2 hours (or until chilled throughout.) If you plan to chill the bars for longer than a few hours, loosely cover with aluminum foil after 3-4 hours of chilling.
• Cut the butter into Tablespoon-size pieces. Place into a heat-proof bowl. Pour chocolate chips on top. Place in the microwave and melt in 30-second increments until smooth, stopping and stirring after each. You can also melt together on the stove, stirring constantly until smooth. Let the mixture cool for 2-3 minutes, then pour and spread evenly over chilled cheesecake bars. The cheesecake bars usually have a lip around the border since the center slightly sinks down, so it's easy to spread the chocolate topping, stopping around the border/lip. If yours don't have a raised lip around the edges, don't worry and just spread the filling evenly all over the top.
• Chill in the refrigerator for 45-60 minutes or in the freezer for 30 minutes until the chocolate topping has set. If chilling for longer than 1 hour, loosely cover with aluminum foil after 1 hour of chilling. Chocolate topping must be completely set and solid on top of the cheesecake bars before slicing.
• To slice, lift the bars out of the pan as a whole using the parchment overhang on the sides. Cut into squares with a sharp knife. For extra neat squares, wipe the knife clean between each cut.
• Cover and store leftover cheesecake bars in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

DOUBLE-LAYER CHEESECAKE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Reserve 1 cup dry cake mix for filling. In a large bowl, combine oil, 1 egg and remaining cake mix; stir until blended. Stir in 1/2 cup chocolate chips. Press onto the bottom of a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake until set, 10-12 minutes., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla and reserved cake mix. Add remaining 2 eggs; beat on low speed just until blended. Remove 2 cups for chocolate topping; pour remaining batter over crust., For topping, melt remaining chocolate chips. Stir into reserved cream cheese mixture; spoon over filling. Bake until center is almost set, 30-35 minutes. Cool 1 hour on a wire rack. Refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

TWO-TONE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press onto the bottom of a greased 10-in. springform pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 325° for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Gradually beat in cream. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined., Remove 3-1/2 cups to a small bowl; gently stir in melted chocolate. Pour filling over crust. Gently pour remaining filling over chocolate layer. Bake at 325° for 1 to 1-1/4 hours or until center is almost set., Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Meanwhile, place chopped chocolate in a small bowl., In a small saucepan, bring cream just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Cool slightly; gently pour over cheesecake. Cover and chill overnight. Remove sides of pan.

CREAMY CHEESECAKE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small bowl, combine the flour, walnuts and brown sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Set aside 2/3 cup for topping; press remaining crumb mixture into a greased 8-in. square baking dish. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned., Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, milk, lemon juice and vanilla just until blended. Pour over crust; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture., Bake 15-20 minutes or until filling is set. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Cut into bars. Refrigerate leftovers.

DOUBLE-LAYER PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE BARS

Steps:

• Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar for crust. Press onto the bottom and a little bit up the sides of a 9-inch square baking pan. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Combine cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract for filling in a mixing bowl; beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread it onto bottom of the graham cracker crust.
• Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg to remaining cream cheese mixture and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread the pumpkin mixture over the cream cheese mixture you already placed on the crust.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the center is set, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, 20 to 30 minutes. Place in the refrigerator until firm, about 3 hours. Cut into 16 squares and top with whipped topping.