When I was younger I loved sweets, especially chocolate. I had an affinity for cheesecake and key lime pie. As a matter of fact, my husband gave me pie a few weeks ago on my birthday (yes, I turned 21 again) even though he knew I probably wouldn’t eat it – but he brought it home because he knew it was my favorite.
Anyway, truth is, every now and then I like a *bite* of something sweet. Like a miniature Crackle Bar, or a Hershey Kiss. Or two, maybe. Ok, fine, more depending on the time of the month but typically that’s not the case.
Then I’m done and I’m ready for something
And cheesy.
And salty.
What are Salted Chocolate Cheesecake Bars?
These are layered cheesecake bars with a chocolate layer, topped with melted caramel and sprinkled with pink Himalayan salt. They have a good crumbly oat crust that’s simple to make. These overall are pretty straightforward to put together. Probably the most difficult aspect of this recipe is allowing it to set in the refrigerator for three hours. However, it is a must so they can be uniform and become one bar and you’ll be glad you did.
I have decided, however, that I will be making an adjustment to the crust. I’m not sure exactly how, but I am definitely going to tweak it some. Should I have done that before I posted them? Probably. But I have no patience, so here we are. I love them so much I had to go ahead and share them with you.
I LOVE what the salt adds to the taste and texture of these. The salt I used is very coarse and crunchy.
Here’s your printable –
Salted Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
A decadent layered cheesecake dessert bar with chocolate, topped with melted caramel and Himalayan sea salt.
Ingredients
- 118 mL oats
- 118 mL pecans
- 30 mL sugar
- 1/2 stick cold butter, dice
- 1 block cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 egg
- 79 mL sugar
- 2 mL vanilla
- 177 mL jarred caramel
- 177 mL milk chocolate chips
- 15 mL Crisco shortening
- Pink Himalayan Sea Salt*
Instructions
- Spray a small rectangular dish (7x5x1.5) with cooking spray.
- In a food processor blend together the oats, pecans and sugar until very crumby. Add butter and pulse until it forms a ball.
- Add crumb mixture to prepared dish and press to form a crust. Refrigerate for an hour.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°. Add cream cheese through vanilla to your food processor bowl; pulse until smooth.
- Remove crust from fridge and pour filling on top. Bake for 40 minutes, or until slightly golden brown and starting to crack at the edges. Remove and cool for at least an hour.
- Microwave the caramel for 30 seconds at a time on 75% heat, stirring in between, until warm.
- Pour the caramel over the cheesecake, let sit for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile in a glass bowl, microwave the chocolate chips and Crisco just like you did the caramel, until melted.
- Pour chocolate over the caramel layer and sprinkle with sea salt.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
