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Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Bars with Chocolate Ganache

These lightened up vanilla cheesecake bars are the perfect holiday treat!
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Additional Time3 hours
Total Time4 hours 5 minutes
Course: Cheesecake, Cookies + Bars
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cheesecake bars, vanilla cheesecake bars
Servings: 9 bars
Author: Danae Halliday

Ingredients

Crust

  • 6 graham crackers
  • 2 tablespoons butter melted
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cheesecake Filling

  • 8 ounces low fat cream cheese, softened
  • 6 ounces plain Greek yogurt, full fat or low fat
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste, or the seeds of 1 vanilla bean

Chocolate Ganache:

  • 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream, add an extra tablespoon if the ganache is too thick

Instructions

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Bars

  • Preheat oven to 350° F. Line an 8x8 baking pan with foil or parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
  • In the bowl of a food processor (or in a freezer bag roll over the crackers with a rolling pin) pulse the graham crackers and cinnamon until they are finely ground. Add in the melted butter and pulse until combined.
  • Press the graham cracker crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared 8x8 baking pan.
  • Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned and set. Remove the crust from the oven and lower the temperature to 300° F. While the crust cools, prepare the filling.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand-held mixer, beat the cream cheese, Greek yogurt and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
  • Add in the eggs, salt, flour, and vanilla bean paste and beat until combined and smooth. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and place it in the oven to bake for 30-35 minutes or until it is set, but still jiggles a little in the center, don’t overbake. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
  • Once the cheesecake bars have cooled cover them with plastic and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Drizzle with the chocolate ganache before serving.

Chocolate Ganache

  • Add the chocolate chips and heavy cream to the top of a double boiler over simmering water (making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t come in contact with the water). Melt the chocolate stirring occasionally until the mixture becomes warm and smooth.
  • Drizzle the ganache over the cheesecake bars with a spoon or use a pastry bag with a small round tip.

Nutrition

Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 328mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 14g