Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

By bakers_delight85

Ingredients

• For the bottom layer:
• 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup ground pecans
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• For the topping:
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 3 ounces high-quality semisweet chocolate (such as Callebaut, Lindt, Valrhona, or Ghiradelli), melted and cooled

Details

Servings 20

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F; grease a 9 x 9-inch baking pan.
Make the bottom layer: In a medium-size bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, flour, sugar, and ground pecans. Add the melted butter and stir well. Firmly pat the mixture in an even layer over the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes, until the top is dry and the edges are brown. Let the pan cool on a wire rack.
Make the topping: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until very smooth. Add the egg, egg yolk, vanilla, sour cream and melted chocolate and beat well. Spread the topping evenly over the cooled layer in the pan.
Bake for 28 to 32 minutes longer, until the top is dry and resilient to the touch; a toothpick inserted in the center of the pan will have soft batter on it. The top may develop a crack or two, just like homemade cheesecake. Let the pan cool completely on a wire rack. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan, then cut into 20 bars (4 bars by 5 bars), wiping the knife blade between cuts.