layered Nutella cheesecake bars

These gorgeous Layered Nutella Cheesecake Bars have a crisp chocolate graham cracker base, a rich Nutella cheesecake center, and a light and fluffy whipped cream topping. They're the perfect treat for the chocoholic in your life!

Welcome back, lovely readers! As you know by know, I'm basically chocolate-dependent so it's only fitting that the first post of 2017 would be these Layered Nutella Cheesecake Bars! I made these babies a few days ago for my dad's birthday, because if there's anyone that loves chocolate more than me, it's my father. No surprise as to who I get it from 😉 These Nutella cheesecake bars are creamy, dreamy, and rich. I know everyone's all about new year's resolutions and eating healthy... but surely that can wait one more day, right?

So I have been meaning to tell y'all this for weeks, but I couldn't find a good spot to bring it up. But I got Lasik!!! I've had glasses since I was 7 and contacts since I was 14, so after a combined 16 years of visual aids, I was SO ready for a change! I'm not gonna lie, it was kind of terrifying but it was over so fast and absolutely worth it! My right eye started seeing 20/15 {which is better than 20/20... BETTER. I can't!} 4 hours after the surgery. My left eye had a little bit of corneal abrasion due to the repositioning after the lasers and it took a little longer to heal, but as of a week post-OP, I can see almost 20/20 and that's good enough for me!

I'm not gonna give any more deets on the Lasik because I know not everyone is as medically inclined as I am. And eyeballs are gross 😉 But if y'all have any questions, I'm happy to answer them! Now back to these ridiculous Nutella cheesecake bars. So I started with a layer of chocolate graham crackers for the crust. I was gonna go for Oreos, but I had none of those in the house and plenty of grahams! I'm all about shopping your own pantry, because it's freeee 😉 The cheesecake layers is basically textbook, with cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, sugar, and of course a big ol' heaping scoop of Nutella. SO good. Basically the best thing to happen to my Nutella-loving life.

And then, the topping! This is classic whipped cream, but with a secret... it's stabilized. Which means it will literally not deflate no matter what you do. I ate a bar a full week after I made them {sorry to be gross, but it was still good} and the whipped cream was STILL this fluffy and solid. Magic, I tell you. The secret is adding powdered milk. It's close enough to whipped cream to where it won't change the flavor at all, but it changes the chemical makeup enough to where it doesn't melt or liquefy! I think I'll post a whipped cream-specific post soon, but if you bothered to read my blurbs, you can be rewarded now 😉

Make these Nutella Cheesecake Bars soon, I promise you'll fall in love! If you're wanting more Nutella goodness, you can check out my Nutella rice krispie treats, whole wheat Nutella braided bread, Nutella brownies, and Nutella crepe cake. Happy baking!

Print Recipe

layered Nutella cheesecake bars

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course: Bars, Brownies &amp

Servings: 9

Author: Valentina | The Baking Fairy

Ingredients

• 1 cup chocolate graham crackers finely crushed
• 4 tablespoon salted butter
• 12 oz cream cheese {1 ½ blocks}
• ¾ cup sour cream
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup Nutella
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoon powdered milk
• 2 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon cocoa for topping

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine the crushed graham crackers and melted butter. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, and press down with the back of a spoon.
• Bake in preheated oven for 5-6 minutes, then set aside to cool.
• Lower the oven to 325F.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add in the sugar and beat until fluffy.
• Add in the sour cream, followed by the eggs, one at a time, and finally the Nutella.
• Pour the cheesecake mixture onto the prepared crust, and bake for 50-55 minute, until firm and only lightly jiggly in the center.
• Remove cheesecake from oven, and let cool to room temperature, then transfer to fridge and let cool until completely solidified (optimally overnight).
• When ready to serve, prepare the whipped cream. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat heavy creamy to stiff peaks. Stir in the powdered milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla.
• Smooth the whipped cream on top of the cheesecake, and sprinkle some cocoa powder on top. Serve immediately, or store in fridge until needed. Enjoy!