These easy to make and deliciously decadent Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars are a chocolate lover’s dream. An ultra-creamy, velvety smooth, and intensely chocolatey cheesecake with the perfect hint of raspberry – all in bar form. Decadent. Delicious. Easy.
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Why are Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars SO GOOD?
Good food is all about the perfect combination of flavors and textures. And these Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars nail it!
Two kinds of chocolate – melted semisweet and cocoa – give a deep, rich, chocolatey flavor to the super creamy, super smooth filling. I didn’t add any raspberry to the filling. I didn’t want anything to interfere with its luscious, creamy texture. I also wanted the raspberry flavor to be subtle.
The Oreo cookie crust provides another dimension of chocolate and a delicious crunch. Raspberry jam is brushed on the crust and baked for a few minutes. This adds that wonderful raspberry flavor – just a hint, so you wonder where it’s coming from. Nothing overpowering or out of balance. It also seals the crust to help keep it crunchy.
And the pièce de résistance of these amazing bars – the chocolate raspberry ganache on top. There’s just something about ganache and how it just melts in the mouth leaving the pure, creamy taste of chocolate. Add to that a little raspberry puree and it goes from wonderful to sublime. Just enough raspberry to give a hint of flavor, the chocolate and raspberry in perfect balance.
What kind of chocolate to use in Chocolate Raspberry Ganache
I use semisweet chocolate or a combination of semisweet and bittersweet chocolate with lightly sweetened raspberry puree so the ganache isn’t too sweet. You can also use seedless raspberry jam in place of the puree. Since it’s sweeter, you might want to cut back on the sugar in the chocolate, using the combination of semisweet and bittersweet.
To tell you the truth, I’m just wonder struck by how amazing these Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars are. I keep going back to the fridge for another piece because I really can’t believe how good they are. And yep, each time they’re as good as I thought they were.
So easy and the perfect size for snacking.
I love cheesecake in bar form. It’s so easy. There’s no water bath to worry about, and it bakes up much faster than a full cheesecake. The best part is eating them. Bars are the perfect size for snacking. I love to cut them up into bite-sized squares. That way you can have a treat without committing to a whole piece of cheesecake.
How to make
To make these Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars, we will begin with the crust. Oreo cookie crumbs are mixed with melted butter and pressed into the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan. I love my pan with a removable bottom. If your pan doesn't have a removable bottom, line the bottom with a piece of aluminum foil so you can lift the bars out easily.
Bake the crust for 8 minutes. Remove and brush the crust with seedless raspberry jam that has been heated until it's starting to bubble. Return the crust to the oven for 3 minutes to set the jam.
While the crust is cooking, prepare the filling. It's important for all of the ingredients to be at room temperature for a smooth cheesecake. The filling is poured into the pan and baked at 325 F for about 50 minutes until the edges are set and the middle is still wobbly. I bake it until the center is about 160 F. After baking, the cheesecake bars are left to cool to room temperature. About 5 minutes after removing them from the oven, run a knife around the edges to separate them from the pan. This helps prevent cracking. The cheesecake bars are then refrigerated for at least 4 hours or overnight. When the cheesecake bars are chilled, pour on the chocolate raspberry ganache, saving some to pipe rosettes to hold the raspberries.
How to make Chocolate Raspberry Ganache
Making ganache is super simple. Chocolate is chopped fine and put in a bowl. Cream and raspberry puree are heated until just simmering. The cream mixture is poured over the chopped chocolate. Let it sit for about a minute, then whisk until smooth. That's it!
The ganache can stay at room temperature for a few hours, after that keep it in the fridge. If it hardens before pouring onto the cake, warm it gently.
Set aside some of the ganache if you would like to pipe rosettes to hold the fresh raspberries. Chill the reserved ganache in the refrigerator and it will harden to a piping consistency.
Recipe
Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
For the Oreo Cookie Crust:
- 1 ½ cups Oreo cookie crumbs (17 Oreo cookies, 6.75oz, 191g)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (1.5oz, 43g)
- ½ cup seedless raspberry jam (6oz, 170g)
For the Chocolate Cheesecake Filling:
- 16 ounces full-fat cream cheese at room temperature (454g)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar (4.7oz, 133g)
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ⅔ cup heavy cream at room temperature (5.3oz, 150g)
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate melted and cooled (227g)
For the Raspberry Puree:
- 4.8 ounces frozen raspberries (136g)
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons sugar (1.4oz, 39g)
For the Chocolate Raspberry Ganache:
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate finely chopped (227g)
- ⅔ cup heavy cream (5.3oz, 152g)
- ⅓ cup Raspberry Puree (4oz, 113g (can substitute raspberry jam, see note))
For decorating (optional):
- Fresh raspberries
Instructions
For the Oreo Cookie Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare an 8 inch by 8 inch baking pan, see note, and spray the inside with cooking spray.
- Combine the Oreo cookie crumbs and the melted butter. Press into the bottom of baking pan.
- Bake in 350 degree F oven for 8 minutes.
- Heat raspberry jam in saucepan until starting to bubble and it becomes liquid.
- Remove Oreo crust from oven and brush on warm the raspberry jam. Return to the oven and bake for 3 minutes until jam is set.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325F.
For the Chocolate Cheesecake Filling:
- Combine cream cheese, sugar, brown sugar, salt, and cocoa in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down bowl and paddle.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 20 seconds after each addition. Scrape down bowl and paddle.
- Add the cream and vanilla and mix until combined. Scrape down the bowl and paddle.
- Add the melted, cooled chocolate and mix until combined.
To bake the cheesecake bars:
- Pour the filling over the partially baked crust and bake at 325F until the sides are set and the middle is still wobbly, about 50 minutes. I like to bake it until the center reaches about 160 F. The cake will firm up as it cools.
- Remove the cheesecake from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack. Run a knife along the sides of the pan (or between the cake and the foil if using) to help prevent cracking. Cool the cheesecake to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- After the cheesecake has cooled, prepare the ganache. Pour the ganache over the top of the cheesecake (The ganache should be pourable, but not very warm.) and refrigerate for another hour.
- Lift the cheesecake out of the pan. Cut into 16 squares, 2 inches by 2 inches each. For the neatest slices, wipe knife with a warm, wet cloth between each slice. Alternatively, rinse knife under warm water between each slice.
To decorate (optional):
- Reserve some of the ganache for piping,
- Using a piping bag and a star tip, pipe a rosette on the top of each bar. Top with a fresh raspberry
For the Raspberry Puree:
- Thaw the raspberries and mix with sugar. Let macerate in bowl (or the blender) for 30 minutes.
- Puree in blender until smooth.
- Press through a fine mesh strainer using a rubber spatula to remove the seeds.
- Add lemon juice and stir to combine.
- This will make the ⅓ cup (113g) necessary for the ganache. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
For the Chocolate Raspberry Ganache:
- Finely chop the chocolate and put in a medium bowl.
- In a saucepan, combine the cream and raspberry puree (or jam). Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Pour the cream mixture over the chopped chocolate and let rest for 1 minute.
- Whisk the cream mixture and melting chocolate until it is smooth and glossy.
- Set aside at room temperature until needed.
- If you will be reserving some ganache for piping, refrigerate it until it hardens enough to pipe.
Notes
- I use semisweet chocolate or a combination of semisweet and bittersweet chocolate with lightly sweetened raspberry puree so the ganache isn’t too sweet. You can also use seedless raspberry jam in place of the puree. Since it’s sweeter, you might want to cut back on the sugar in the chocolate, using the combination of semisweet and bittersweet.
- I use a baking pan with a removable bottom which comes in handy for easily and cleanly removing the cheesecake bars from the pan. I line only the bottom with a square of baking parchment.
- If you don't have a removable bottom pan, you can line the baking pan with aluminum foil with the edges overhanging the pan so that the cheesecake lifts out neatly.
Nutrition
Enjoy, friends!
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Beverly says
Can the recipe be doubled? I need to make dessert for a large group and I would like to double it in a 9 X 12 pan. What do you think??
Kelly says
Hi Beverly, Yes, the recipe can be doubled. It may need a little longer baking time.
Callmeafoodie says
I used lower-fat cream cheese as well as half semisweet and half dark chocolate
Kelly says
Awesome to hear they're great with lower-fat cream cheese! Thanks so much!