Turtle Cheesecake Bars

You're going to love these turtle cheesecake bars. Rich caramel cheesecake is filled with chocolate chips baked to perfection then drizzled with chocolate ganache, caramel sauce, and roasted pecans. Learn how to make these turtle cheesecake bars with step-by-step photos and instructions.

Ingredients

For the crust you'll need:

• Graham Cracker Crumbs. You can buy pre-made graham cracker crumbs or use a food processor to turn graham crackers into crumbs. Or you can place the graham crackers in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them into crumbs.
• Finely Chopped Pecans. I prefer to use toasted pecans but you could use raw chopped pecans.
• Light Brown Sugar. The molasses in brown sugar compliments the notes of caramel in these turtle cheesecake bars. You could use granulated sugar if you wanted.
• Butter. I prefer to use salted butter but you can use unsalted if that's all you have on hand.

For the cheesecake filling you'll need:

• Cream Cheese. In order for your cheesecake to be creamy and lump-free make sure your cream cheese is softened to room temperature.
• Light Brown Sugar. Just like I like using brown sugar instead of white sugar in the crust I use brown sugar in the cheesecake filling too.
• Pure Vanilla Extract. Use the real stuff!
• Sour Cream. Make sure your sour cream is at room temperature. Sour cream adds a nice tang to the cheesecake.
• Large Eggs. Your eggs need to be at room temperature, you'll also need one additional egg yolk to add to the richness of the cheesecake.
• Caramel Sauce. You can use Homemade Salted Caramel Sauce or Store-bought caramel sauce.
• Mini Chocolate Chips. I prefer to use mini chocolate chips because they are not as heavy so they don't sink to the bottom of the cheesecake.

For the topping you'll need:

• Dark Chocolate. You can use finely chopped chocolate bars or I use Callebaut chocolate callets. You could also just use chocolate syrup.
• Heavy Cream. The cream needs to be warmed to melt the chocolate.
• Caramel Sauce. Again, use caramel sauce you made or store-bought.
• Roasted Chopped Pecans. You can buy toasted chopped pecans or take some whole pecans and toast them yourself.

For ingredient quantities please reference the recipe card below. On the recipe card there is a button for US or M (Metric) measurements.

Check out all my cheesecake baking tips here.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325F/163C and line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper and grease it heavily, including up the sides.

In a large mixing bowl stir together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and chopped pecans.

Add the melted butter and mix until all crumbs are moistened and it resembles a wet sand texture.

Once combined press into the prepared pan, use the bottom of a cup to help tightly pack the crust.

Bake crust for 5-10 minutes, until lightly golden then let cool while you make the filling.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer beat the cream cheese for two minutes on low speed. Add the sugar and mix for another minute, make sure to scrape the sides of the bowl so all is incorporated evenly.

Add the sour cream, caramel sauce, and vanilla, and mix for another 30 seconds or so.

Then add the eggs, one at a time, but do not over mix after they are added.

Gently fold in the mini chocolate chips.

Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the prepared crust. Place the cheesecake pan on a deep baking tray to create a water bath. Place the tray on the oven rack then add hot water to the pan to create a steam bath. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the center stops jiggling a lot. You can use a digital internal thermometer to check the cheesecake has reached an internal temperature of 140F/145F.

Open the oven door and let the bars cool inside for 30 minutes. Then set the pan on a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes at room temperature. Finally, cover the bars in plastic wrap, then place them in the fridge to chill for 4 hours or overnight.

In a medium bowl add chopped chocolate and set aside. In a small saucepan add cream and cook until just boiled. Pour directly over chocolate, and let sit for 3 minutes. Then using a whisk, mix the chocolate and cream until a silky texture.

Drizzle the ganache over the chilled cheesecake, then drizzle caramel sauce on top and finally sprinkle the chopped pecans on top.

Store the leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

How to freeze

Cheesecake is a great candidate for freezing. These turtle cheesecake bars can be frozen for up to 3 months, but I think they are best within a month. To freeze the cheesecake bars place them on a plate or small baking sheet and flash freeze uncovered for a few hours. Once the bars are firm wrap them in plastic wrap tightly, twice, then transfer to a freezer safe storage container or bag. When ready to thaw remove the plastic wrap and let sit on a plate to thaw for a couple of hours on the counter.

Can you double

You can double the ingredients and bake the cheesecake bars in a 9X13 inch pan and the bake time should not change too much, just keep an eye on them.

More cheesecake recipes

Check out this Biscoff cheesecake, seriously full of delicious cookie butter flavor.

If you're looking for a no-bake cheesecake then look no further than this no-bake Oreo cheesecake, a fan favorite!

For a bright, springy cheesecake check out my lemon cheesecake recipe.

★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

Make sure to join our Newsletter and follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, & Twitter.

Print

Recipe Card

You may also like