This easy cheesecake recipe makes a rich, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chip cheesecake bar that's sure to be a family favorite.
To be honest, a chocolate chip cheesecake never seemed that special to me. But years ago when I created this Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Recipe I fell in love, it's so simple yet absolutely delicious! I had a few requests for a bar version and let me tell you this chocolate chip cheesecake bar recipe is perfect for your next party! I took that chocolate chip cheesecake recipe and New York Cheesecake Bar Recipe to develop this one.
Let's get to the recipe
Notes About the Ingredients
For the cheesecake bars there are two components. For the crust, you'll need graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. You can buy pre-crushed graham crackers or just crush some graham cracker sheets in a food processor or in a plastic bag with a rolling pin. For the cheesecake filling you'll need:
- Full-Fat Cream Cheese. Make sure your cream cheese is completely softened to room temperature. You can do this quickly by placing the foil-wrapped blocks in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes to soften it, you don't want to melt the cream cheese.
- Granulated Sugar. The sugar will sweeten the cheesecake.
- Sour Cream. The sour cream adds some tang and moisture to the batter. You could also substitute in Full-Fat Greek Yogurt. Make sure it's at room temperature.
- Pure Vanilla Extract. The vanilla warms the batter and gives it a little something special.
- Large Eggs. You'll use some whole eggs and additional egg yolks to add some extra richness to the cheesecake. The eggs all need to be at room temperature too!
- Mini Chocolate Chips. You'll add some of the mini chocolate chips to the batter and then once the cheesecake is in the pan pour some more chocolate chips on top. You could use regular size chocolate chips but they may just all drop to the bottom of the pan due to the weight of them. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips but milk chocolate chips would be great.
- Homemade Whipped Cream. Is the perfect topping for these cheesecake bars.
For another chocolate chip treat check out my chocolate chip bundt cake recipe!
For ingredient quantities please reference the recipe card below. On the recipe card there is a button for US or M (Metric) measurements.
Instructions for Cheesecake Bars
Start by preheating the oven to 350F/180C and line a 9" X 13" pan with parchment paper and grease it with non-stick baking spray. For the crust you'll just take graham cracker crumbs and mix them with some sugar, then mix in some melted butter. You want the mixture to look like wet sand. Press it into the pan and bake for 5-8 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack and reduce oven temperature to 300F/ 149C.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand-held electric mixer beat the cream cheese for 2 minutes at low speed. It should be smooth with no lumps. Add the granulated sugar then beat for another 2 minutes on low speed.
Add the sour cream, salt, and vanilla extract- mixing until fully combined. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is evenly combined.
Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the final two egg yolks together. You should have a creamy batter with no lumps and no signs of egg yolk.
Gently fold in ¾ cup of the mini chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared pan and gently tap on the counter to encourage any air bubbles to come to the top, use a toothpick to pop any bubbles. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of mini chocolate chips on top of the cheesecake layer.
Place the cheesecake bars in the oven on the middle rack then place a large pan filled with hot water on the bottom rack, this helps create a steamy, moist environment for the cheesecake to bake in. Which helps prevent cracks.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, the middle 2-3 inches of the cheesecake should jiggle just a little bit. I like to use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature is 150F-155F or 65C-68C but be careful when you poke as if you are not covering the top in whipped cream you will see the mark.
Turn the oven off and open the door but let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 45 minutes - 1 hour then cool it on a wire rack for another hour. Then wrap the cheesecake with plastic wrap. Let chill in the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours.
If you used a pan with a removable bottom then you can easily remove the bars from the pan or use the parchment paper overhang to help you remove them from the pan. Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Tips for Success
- Don't rush the cooling process, the cheesecake needs to set properly.
- Use a sharp knife to cut the bars, I like to make one cut and then wipe the knife clean so that I can get clean edges on all of my cheesecake bars.
- To freeze the bars bake them and let them cool then chill them completely- they need to be set up properly before freezing. Then cut the cheesecake into the sizes you want and wrap each piece in plastic wrap tightly twice, then place it in a freezer-safe bag. This helps prevent freezer burn.
- To thaw frozen cheesecake bars transfer them to the refrigerator to thaw overnight or at least a few hours depending on how large the slices you cut are.
Check out all my cheesecake baking tips here.
More Cheesecake Recipes
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PrintRecipe Card
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars
This easy cheesecake recipe makes a rich, creamy, melt in your mouth chocolate chip cheesecake bar that's sure to be a family favorite.
- Total Time: 7 hours 55 minutes
- Yield: 15 Slices 1x
Ingredients
Crust
- 250 Grams (2 Cups) Graham Cracker Crumbs
- 50 grams (¼ Cup) Granulated Sugar
- 6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
Cheesecake
- 24oz (1 ½ lbs) Cream Cheese, completely softened to room temperature
- 200 grams (1 Cup) Granulated Sugar
- 4oz (½ Cup) Sour Cream or Full-Fat Greek Yogurt
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
- 2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
- 3 Large Eggs + 2 Large Egg Yolks, at room temperature
- 170 grams (1 Cup) Mini Chocolate Chips, divided
- Optional: Homemade Whipped Cream Recipe
Instructions
Crust
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C and line a 9-inch X 13-inch pan with parchment paper and grease with non-stick baking spray.
- In a small bowl combine crushed graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar. Once evenly combined add melted butter to the crumbs. Mix until a wet sand texture is formed. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 5-8 minutes to set the crust. Let cool on a wire rack and reduce oven temperature to 300F/ 149C.
Cheesecake
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand-held electric mixer beat the cream cheese for 3 minutes at low speed. It should be smooth with no lumps. Add the granulated sugar then beat for another 2 minutes on low speed. Add the sour cream, salt, and vanilla extract- mixing until fully combined. Make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is evenly combined.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the final two egg yolks together. You should have a creamy batter with no lumps and no signs of egg yolk. Gently fold in ¾ cup of the mini chocolate chips. Pour into the prepared pan and gently tap on the counter to encourage any air bubbles to come to the top, use a toothpick to pop any bubbles. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of mini chocolate chips on top.
- Place the cheesecake bars in the oven on the middle rack then place a large pan filled with hot water on the bottom rack, this helps create a steamy, moist environment for the cheesecake to bake in. Which helps prevent cracks.
- Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, the middle 2 - 3 inches of the cheesecake should jiggle just a little bit. I like to use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature is 150F-155F or 65C-68C but be careful when you poke as if you are not covering the top in whipped cream you will see the mark.
- Turn the oven off and open the door but let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 45 minutes - 1 hour then cool it on a wire rack for another hour. Then wrap the cheesecake with plastic wrap. Let chill in the fridge overnight or for at least 6 hours.
- If you used a pan with a removable bottom then you can easily remove the bars from the pan or use the parchment paper overhang to help you remove them from the pan. Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
How to Freeze: These cheesecake bars can be frozen. To freeze the bars bake them and let them cool then chill them completely- they need to be set up properly before freezing. Then cut the cheesecake into the sizes you want and wrap each piece in plastic wrap tightly twice, then place it in a freezer-safe bag. This helps prevent freezer burn. To thaw frozen cheesecake bars transfer them to the refrigerator to thaw overnight or at least a few hours depending on how large the slices you cut are.
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Chill Time: 7 Hours
- Cook Time: 40 Minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
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