Instructions

For the crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper (use enough parchment paper that the edges fold outside the rim of the pan).
2. Melt butter in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
3. Add crust ingredients to a small mixing bowl and, using hands, knead ingredients together until fully incorporated.
4. Pour crust ingredients into prepared baking pan and, using hands, press crust down into an even layer.
5. Bake for 8 minutes.
6. Remove pan from oven, reduce heat to 325 degrees, and set pan aside.

For the filling:

1. Add filling ingredients to a mixing bowl and, using an electric mixer, mix together all ingredients until well-combined.
2. Pour filling over crust in pan and spread into even layer using a spatula.
3. Return pan to oven and bake for 1 hour, 10 minutes.
4. After cook time has elapsed, turn the oven off, open oven door 1 inch, leaving the pan inside for 1 hour.
5. After 1 hour, cover the pan with foil and transfer the pan from oven to refrigerator.
6. Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours.

For the chocolate:

1. Place a baking rack atop a lined baking sheet. Spray baking rack with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Remove baking pan from refrigerator and carefully remove cheesecake from pan by pulling up on edges of parchment paper.
3. Cut cheesecake into desired bar size (I cut mine to yield a total of 10 bars).
4. Using double boiler method on a stovetop, melt chocolate ingredients over medium-low heat. Stirring occasionally until ingredients are fully combined.
5. Transfer chocolate to a shallow bowl.
6. Using two forks, place individual cheesecake bars into a bowl of melted chocolate, flipping as necessary so as to evenly coat each side of the bar.
7. Transfer chocolate-coated cheesecake bars to a prepared baking rack.
8. Refrigerate bars until chocolate hardens, about 1 hour.
9. After the chocolate has hardened, using a fork or butter knife, gently press upwards from underneath each individual bar as they may have become slightly stuck to a baking rack.