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Skinny Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

Which means we’ll be having two!

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If you’ve got a thing for cream cheese, welcome to the club. We’re fully addicted to that creamy goodness and believe that pretty much anything can be improved by the addition of cream cheese. Yes, we’re obsessed. We love a classic cheesecake as much as the next person, but every once in a while we need to switch up our cheesecake game and do something a little different. Which is why we’ve got these skinny chocolate cheesecake bars for you!

We made these in an eight-inch baking dish, because really, who needs to be messing with a springform pan and water bath? Plus, we made a couple tweaks to make this a good amount lighter than your traditional cheesecake. (Which just means more cheesecake squares for us, right?!) Low-fat cream cheese is just the beginning here. We also used chocolate teddy graham crackers for the crust, which are lower in fat and sugar than the go-to oreo crust, plus only 1/3 cup sugar in the cheesecake filling itself, leaving you with a rich, tangy chocolate cheesecake that you won’t be able to get enough of. Greek yogurt as a swap-in instead of more cream cheese adds in protein and healthy fats, plus adds to the light tang that keeps this bad boy from being overly sweet, and dark chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet means richer flavor and less sugar. Win-win!

Make ‘em for you and the family as a sweet treat throughout the week (if they last that long), or bring them to any gathering you’ve got coming up. People will love them just as much as we do, and you can brag about how they’re delicious and better for you than regular cheesecake. Nothing not to love about them!

Yield(s): Serves 9-12

1 hour 10 minutes

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Ingredients
  • Crust:
  • 8 chocolate graham cracker cookies, ground into crumbs (or 2 cups teddy graham cookies)
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons butter
  • Filling:
  • 1 (8 oz.) package low-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 350º F and line an 8x8-inch baking dish with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together graham cracker crumbs and butter until mixture resembles damp sand, then press into prepared baking dish.
  3. Place in oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325º F.
  4. In a large bowl or mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar together for 2-3 minutes, or until fluffy and combined.
  5. Beat in melted (and slightly cooled) chocolate until incorporated, then mix in yogurt and flour.
  6. Once flour is fully mixed in, beat in egg and vanilla extract.
  7. Pour batter onto cooled graham cracker crust, then place in oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until center of cheesecake is just set.
  8. Remove from oven and let cool 30 minutes to 1 hour, then transfer cheesecake bars to fridge and let chill for 2-8 hours.
  9. Slice, serve and enjoy.

Recipe adapted from Live Well Bake Often


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