oreo cheesecake bars

Cheesecake scares me.

Or rather, I should say that making cheesecake scares me. It’s up there with pie crusts, caramel, and royal icing decorated cookies on the list of things I’d like to (but am a tiny bit afraid to) attempt. The waterbath, springform pan, and cracking surface make me nervous.

These cheesecake bars are my way of easing into it. But this recipe turned out to be so incredibly delicious that I might never need to try for the full-fledged cheesecake!

But not really. I will conquer the cheesecake one day.

I rarely make a recipe twice, and almost never do I make something twice in a row. But I did for these. These bars are super easy, portable, and received rave reviews.

Here’s how to make them:

Crush Oreos and mix with butter

Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan to form a crust, and bake for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat the 4 packages of cream cheese and 1 cup sugar with mixer until blended.

Add 1 cup sour cream…

And 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well.

Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating after each just until blended.

Chop remaining cookies.

Gently fold the oreos into the batter.

Pour over the crust, and bake for 40 minutes.

Oreo Cheesecake Bars

from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

36 Oreo Cookies, divided
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
4 packages (8-ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 large eggs
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
4 ounces white chocolate

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with foil, with ends extending over sides. Finely crush 24 Oreo cookies. Melt 1/4 cup butter; mix with crumbs. Press onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, beat the 4 packages of cream cheese and 1 cup sugar with mixer until blended. Add 1 cup sour cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla; mix well. Add 4 eggs, one at a time, beating after each just until blended. Chop remaining cookies. Gently stir into batter; pour over crust.

Bake the cheesecake for about 35-40 minutes or until the sides are set and the center is almost set. Cool completely on a wire rack in the pan.

When the cheesecake is completely cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. When chilled, remove the cheesecake using the foil overhang and cut the cheesecake into bite-sized pieces. Place the cheesecake bites on a wax or parchment paper-lined baking tray. Melt the semisweet chocolate and white chocolate in separate bowls (I use the microwave on 50% power, stirring frequently). Pour the melted chocolate into a ziploc bag, one for the semisweet chocolate, one for the white chocolate. Snip a small corner off the corner of the bag and drizzle the chocolate over the cheesecake bars. Chill the bars until ready to serve. Alternately, the drizzled bites can be frozen in an airtight container for up to a month. Let them defrost in the refrigerator and serve chilled.

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