Nutella Cheesecake Bars

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs or about 20 whole Oreos, crushed (160g)
• 3 Tbsp salted butter, melted (42g)
• 3 cups or 24 oz. cream cheese, softened (678g)
• 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
• 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream, room temperature (125g)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste (8g)
• 3 large eggs, room temperature (168g)
• 3/4 cup Nutella (230g)

Instructions

1. 1

   --- Chocolate Cookie Crust ---

2. 2

   Preheat oven to 325 F or 165 C and line an 8-inch x 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. I like to use metal (unpainted) binder clips to keep my parchment paper in place.

3. 3

   Place 1 cup of chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs (reserve the other 1/4 cup of cookie crumbs for mixing into the cheesecake batter later) and 3 Tbsp of melted butter into a medium bowl. Mix until the ingredients are fully combined and the chocolate cookie crumbs look moist.

4. 4

   Pour the chocolate cookie mixture into your prepared pan. Use the back of a spoon or the bottom of a measuring cup to press down firmly and create a compact, even crust.

5. 5

   Bake for 8 minutes then remove from the oven. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool. Be sure to keep your oven on!! Then fill a rimmed baking dish with about 1 inch of water and place it on the bottom rack of the oven (this will act as a pseudo water bath and help the bars bake up more evenly).

6. 6

   --- Nutella Cheesecake Filling ---

7. 7

   While the chocolate cookie crust bakes and cools make the cheesecake filling.

8. 8

   Place 3 cups of room-temperature cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl. Beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer with a whisk attachment at medium to medium-high speed. Mix until the cream cheese is smooth and creamy, and no lumps remain.

9. 9

   Add 1 cup of sugar and mix on medium speed until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Then add 1/2 cup of sour cream and 2 tsp vanilla extract and mix at a medium speed until combined.

10. 10

    Next, mix in 3 eggs, one at a time. Mix on a low speed until the eggs are fully incorporated. The mixture should be perfectly smooth at this stage.

11. 11

    Pour about half of the cheesecake batter (550g if you have a scale) into a separate bowl and mix in 1/4 cup (75g) of Nutella on a low speed until combined. Mix the remaining 1/4 cup of crushed Oreo crumbs into the other bowl of plain cheesecake batter.

12. 12

    Alternate pouring the Oreo cheesecake batter and Nutella cheesecake batter on the cooled Oreo crust. Heat the Nutella up in the microwave for about 10 seconds, then add spoonfuls on top of the cheesecake batter like in the photos above. Drag a knife or offset spatula through the batter to create Nutella swirls.

13. 13

    Bake the cheesecake bars for 55-65 minutes. Do a wiggle test to check if they're done (watch the center, and look for a small wiggle), rather than a toothpick!

14. 14

    Let the bars cool completely in the pan on a metal rack. Once they reach room temperature, refrigerate them for an additional 2 hours or overnight. If you notice any big cracks, you can fill them with some extra Nutella.

15. 15

    Cut the bars with a sharp, warm knife once they're fully chilled. Clean the knife after each cut to get perfect slices. Leftover bars can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.