chocolate-covered cheesecake bars

Once upon a time, I had a Pinterest. And one of the first things I ever pinned were these Dulce De Leche Cheesecake Bars. I've been lusting after them ever since.... yet, I JUST now got around to making them. Oh mah gaaaah. Where have these been all my life?!

I'm honestly not a big fan of dulce de leche {don't punch me please}... sooo, I decided to leave it out! I mean, yeah, it's good, but when you're making a dessert at night and you have everything except the dulce de leche... wellll. It's easier to just leave it out altogether. The result is a buttery graham crust, a super fluffy pillow of cheesecake, and a blanket of dark chocolate glaze. This is like, the best thing ever.

As good as these were, they are nothing if not a test of your patience. I HATE waiting. Cheesecake bars require waiting. Looottss of waiting. Ooof. When I took the pictures, they were not totally cooled off... which was totally fine by me, because it meant the chocolate glaze was still kind of oozy and it got all over the sides of my bars. Perfect pictures! But the taste? Not quite perfect. After a good chill in the fridge overnight, the taste was out of this world. The glaze wasn't as pretty, but at that point pictures had already been taken. So who cares! Bloggers, take note. Pictures should be taken before the bars are cooled. But devouring should be done after a good while in the refrigerator. These are so worth the wait! They taste like a cheesecake cloud. A cheesecake cloud smothered in dark chocolate, that is. 🙂

Chocolate-Covered Cheesecake Bars
Adapted, barely, from Brandy's Baking
Yields: one 8x8 pan

For the crust
1 package graham crackers
2 tablespoon white granulated sugar
3 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

For the filling
16 oz {2 blocks} cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup white granulated sugar
2 eggs
splash of vanilla extract

For the chocolate topping
4 oz dark chocolate chips
¼ cup {4 tbsp} unsalted butter
2 teaspoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon heavy cream

First, make the crust. Preheat the oven to 325F. Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper, spray the parchment with nonstick spray, and set aside. In a food processor, blast the graham crackers and sugar together. Slowly add in the melted butter, and mix until incorporated. Dump the mixture into your prepared dish, and press down using a spoon. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
While the crust bakes, make the filling. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy {a couple of minutes}. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add in the sugar, and beat until well incorporated. Scrape the bowl again, then beat in the eggs, one at a time. Pour in the vanilla, and mix again. Pour the cheesecake batter onto your prepared crust, then place back in the oven for 45-55 minutes, until cheesecake is fluffy and not jiggly. Set aside to cool.
While the cheesecake bars cool, make the chocolate topping. In a double-boiler, combine the butter, chocolate, corn syrup, and heavy cream. Whisk together until everything is melted and smooth. Pour on top of the cheesecake bars. Now, this is the hard part.... let the bars cool! Cool for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. When ready to serve, lift the cheesecake bars out of the dish using the parchment, and cut into even squares. I cut 12, and they were still very generous servings! Enjoy cold, and store leftovers in the fridge.