These light and airy chocolate cheesecake bars are the perfect healthy dessert for both chocolate and cheesecake lovers.
Rich, smooth, and completely delicious…
To lighten up the original recipe, I secretly swapped 2/3 cup of cream cheese for yogurt, cutting the fat and calories without sacrificing any of the creaminess.
Surprisingly, no one ever noticed a difference!
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I made the recipe for a friend’s rooftop party, and two full batches were completely gone within the first hour, before half the guests had even arrived.
Rooftop parties are one of my favorite things about summer in Washington, D.C.
Three years after my last-minute decision to move here, I’ve never regretted it.
The weather will cool down a little at night, and pretty much any rooftop in the city boasts an incredible view, whether it’s of the Capitol, the White House, or the Washington Monument.
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Above is an iphone photo of the cheesecake bars at the party, along with a batch of my original Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars.
I thought it might be fun to show the chocolate mousse cheesecake bars in “real life” as opposed to just in a photoshoot setting.
This is how they looked after being packaged up and transported to the party – not too bad!
Please excuse the less-than-beautiful serving plates. Real life is messy.
Besides being easy to transport, the cheesecake bars are also quite simple to make: You just combine the ingredients in a blender, smooth the filling into a pan, and put them in the oven.
I like to add a second pan of water on the very bottom rack of the oven, because it adds moisture, which keeps the tops of the cheesecake bars from cracking.
But even if you forget the water—which I’ve done before—they still taste just as good!
I used a simple graham cracker crust here, which I’ve written into the instructions of the recipe, but you can substitute your favorite crust if you prefer.
It also works if you want to make them crustless, although they are a little more delicate that way and should probably be eaten with a fork.
The recipe was inspired by my Vegan Cheesecake and this Keto Cheesecake Recipe.
Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese or coconut butter
- 2/3 cup yogurt or coconut cream
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup sweetener of choice
- 1/2 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot (omit if using coconut butter)
- chocolate chips as desired
Instructions
- *If using coconut butter instead of the cream cheese, there's no need to bake. Just combine all ingredients, smooth into a pan–with or without a crust–and chill until firm.Preheat oven to 350 F. Fill a large baking pan about halfway up with water. Place it on the oven’s lower rack. Line an 8-inch baking pan with parchment. Beat all ingredients (except chips) in a blender, food processor, or hand blender just until smooth. (Overbeating introduces air bubbles that could burst and cause cracking.) Stir in chocolate chips now, or save them for later if you prefer. (Optional crust: process 5 graham cracker sheets with about 2 tbsp oil, then spread in the lined pan. Or use any of the crust recipes mentioned earlier in this post.) Spread batter into pan, and place on the center rack, above the water pan. Bake 25 minutes, then do not open the oven, but turn the heat off and let sit an additional 5 minutes. This helps the cheesecake cool gradually so it doesn’t crack. Take out the still-undercooked bars. Let cool at room temperature 1 hour. Then refrigerate overnight, during which time they will firm up quite a bit. Slice into bars the next day, wiping the knife between cuts. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers in a covered container.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
Have you made this recipe?
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More Healthy Chocolate Dessert Recipes:
Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pascal says
Hi…can you please help with a yogurt (non dairy) substitute? I’d love to stay in the lower calorie range, but can’t do yogurt at all!
Julie Dove says
She mentioned coconutmilk yogurt (try Coconut Dream or So Delicious). Or you can use Silk soy or almond, Almond Dream, or any nondairy yogurt from Whole Foods.
Claire says
I live so close to you and agree about the rooftops. Wishing I had been to the one with these cheesecake bars!
Nina says
I can’t wait to make these. They look so delicious.
Nina says
Sorry, I forgot to add how much I love the oatmeal cupcakes to go. I make a batch and then individually wrap them. I can grab one each morning, heat it in the microwave for a minute, and enjoy a healthy breakfast. Yum.
Natasha says
I just took it out of the oven, but they look more like a frosted crust than a cheesecake. Help!
A H says
Did you use exact recipe ingredients? No mis-measurement? I’ve not had any problems with making these, the many times I’ve done so. Maybe check Katie’s FAQ at the top of her blog for other suggestions.
Natasha says
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! KATIE, I JUST SERVED THESE TO MY FAMILY AND THEY ARE AMAZING!!!!
Mama E says
I have to say that my family does not like all of your recipes (even I did not lik ethe chickpea brownies, but my chickens did ;0), but we do like many, if not most of them (you know, kids & guys sometimes need more convincing ;0).
That said, THIS recipe is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!
We didn’t have yogurt so we used sour cream w/ a little water added to thin it out to yogurt consistency & also added a tad more sugar to take the edge of tartness off. We made a double batch in a 9×13 dish & we polished it off in a few days.. we have a large family, but still… these were TOO GOOD not to devour ;0).
Nicola says
Cannot wait to try these!!!
Mele Pearl says
Is it possible to substitute all of the nondairy cream cheese for coconut yogurt instead for this recipe? I’ve seen the ingredients in nondairy cream cheese, and they contain a lot of toxic chemicals. Is there even something else besides coconut yogurt that can be a substitute for the nondairy cream cheese? Ever since I went vegan and organic, I’ve been missing cheesecake. This would really help me out.
Jason Sanford says
You cna sub coconut butter – and then you won’t even have to bake them! Or try out this recipe: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2016/06/02/mini-cheesecakes-coconut-bounty-bar-vegan/
Jennifer says
Made this with regular cream cheese, no crust. Baked in ramekins. Amazing.
Leah says
Do you think this would work as a regular cheesecake in a springform pan?
Jason Sanford says
I’d just go with this one. It is so good! https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2018/02/05/brownie-cheesecake-recipe/
Lindsay says
I used cashewgurt and this came out amazingly. SO delicious.
Kate says
Katie Girl, I’ve emailed you before and I LOVE you to death and make at least one of your recipes a week, but my one complaint is that your portion sizes are for skinny people like you (and me). I always have to make at least 2x your recipe to make enough for my family
Sustainableliving01 says
Great recipe! I’m cooking for a household that needs low sugar but wants high-sugar taste, and these fit the bill!
Manvi says
Can I use honey for sweetener?
Also, is whole milk curd good for this recipe?