Cheesecake Bars

I tried another new recipe ... this time I can easily share the recipe with you cause I found it online. :)

I tried Bakerella's Cheesecake Bars recipe.

My thoughts .... the chocolate ganache TOTALLY made this dessert for me.  I used a good (ie no Nestle, Hershey, Bakers ....)  dark chocolate instead of semi-sweet.  I think I used a 60% dark chocolate or maybe 70% ... can't remember.  Pretty sure on the 60% though.  I definitely didn't miss the semi-sweet chocolate and I'd definitely use a dark chocolate again.  The cheesecakiness of the recipe was good, but not the greatest cheesecake I've ever baked.  But before I turn you off from the recipe, it really was good.  I also really liked the flavor of the crust.  My only complaint was that it got a bit soggy in less than 48 hours in the fridge which seems kinda soon esp if you are supposed to refrigerate overnight (always a must with cheesecake!).  All the cheesecake recipes I've ever made instruct me to bake the crust for about 8 minutes before putting the filling on top of the crust.  I think I might try that next time to see if the crust holds up a little better.  Any thoughts?  I used some leftover cookies & put them on top (as Bakerella instructs) of about 1/2 the bars ... next time I think I'll put them on top of ALL the bars although a lot of people seemed to go for the non-topping ones.  I personally liked them better with the cookies on top.

I cut my cheesecakes into bite-size pieces (about 1x1") and took them to a Relief Society activity, sent a bunch to work with my hubby, had some family over for a game night & used them as a treat, and there's still a bunch left in my fridge.  These would be perfect for an event where you like to have finger-foods or you'd just like to have small treats.  I'm sure they'd be great as larger bars, too!!

Overall, I give this recipe a 9 out of 10. :)

P.S.  I was a bit worried about where I'd be able to find the Biscoff cookies for the crust, but I found them at my local Super Wal-Mart on the cookie aisle ... easy peasy.

UPDATE:  Checked my cocoa ... it's 72% dark chocolate!