Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Bars

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Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Bars

One great recipe can sometimes inspire another. We have had a few cheesecake cookie bars featured over the past few years and I particularly like the ones that combine a shortbread like base and crumble topping. With the success of a recent chocolate shortbread recipe experiment, I decided that a cherry cheesecake version of these cookie bars could work well. I drizzled them with a little chocolate for presentation purposes only, they certainly don't need it, so omit it if you prefer. This type of cheesecake square, like the others here at Rock Recipes, freezes quite well making them an excellent choice for early, pre-holiday baking. This batch went very quickly into my freezer after I sampled one...so lusciously delicious!

Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Bars

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Bars - a scrumptious mix of chocolate shortbread crumble, creamy vanilla cheesecake and juicy cherries. Throw on a little chocolate drizzle too if you like.

Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: Aproximately 60 minutes
Total time: About 1 1/2 hours
Yield: About 3 dozen cookie bars. 

Ingredients

• 3 cup flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cup cold butter
• FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING
• 2 cup (1 pound) cream cheese
• 1 cup white sugar 
• 2 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups fresh or frozen cherries, quartered
• FOR THE CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE (Optional)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp whipping cream

Directions

1. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa and butter until crumbly (or simply cut the butter through the flour,cocoa and sugar with a pastry knife or two butter knives held between your fingers)
2. Save a 1 cup of this crumble mixture to sprinkle over the top later.
3. Press the rest of the crumble mixture into the bottom of a greased or parchment lined 9x13 inch rectangular baking pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes while preparing the cheesecake filling.
5. Beat together the cream cheese, white sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract until smooth.
6. Beat in the egg.
7. Spread the cheesecake mixture evenly onto the pre-baked cookie base.
8. Sprinkle the chopped cherries evenly over the cheesecake batter.
9. Press together the the reserved cookie crumble in your fist, break off small pieces and sprinkle over the surface.
10. Bake at 325 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes or until the cheesecake is set at the center.
11. Let cool completely in the pan before cutting and serving.
12. You can drizzle the squares with chocolate too id f you like. Just melt together the chocolate chips and whipping cream in a double boiler. Spoon into a piping bag (or Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off) and drizzle a thin stream over each cookie bar.
13. Refrigerate in airtight containers. Freezes well too. 

Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Bars