Chocolate-Cherry Cheesecake Bars

These Chocolate-Cherry Cheesecake Bars are the perfect dessert for your next gathering. Anchored with a classic graham cracker crust, these bars have a sweet-tart center filled with juicy antioxidant-rich cherries. This is then topped with a silky chocolate-cheesecake layer that will be lucky to make it to the bars, since it’s so good on its own. Keep reading for our expert tips, including some kitchen shortcuts. 

Tips from the EatingWell Test Kitchen

These are the key tips we learned while developing and testing this recipe in our Test Kitchen to make sure it works, tastes great and is good for you too! 

• Instead of crushing your own graham crackers, you can simply use 1 cup of boxed graham cracker crumbs.
• You can swap the plain graham crackers for chocolate or use another kind of chocolate cracker for a double-chocolate version.
• For a variation, try making this recipe with strawberries or raspberries.
• Lining a pan with parchment paper with extra hanging over the sides is the easiest way to remove the cheesecake bars. However, be sure to wait at least 4 hours until the cheesecake firms up before attempting to remove the bars.

Nutrition Notes

• Cherries are loaded with inflammation-calming antioxidants that have been linked to a healthier heart. They’re also a great way to add fiber and vitamin C to your diet. 
• Dark chocolate isn’t just a tasty addition to this dessert. Regularly eating dark chocolate has been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease and better cognitive function. It also contains iron, and the vitamin C in the cherries will help your body better absorb it.
• Graham crackers used to be made of whole grains, but today’s varieties have been refined. With that said, they’re low in saturated fat, and you’ll get a little bit of fiber and plant protein in them. Plus, when not used as part of a recipe, you can top them with healthy additions, like nut butters and fruit.
• Cream cheese doesn’t add a lot of nutrition to these bars, other than fat, sodium and small amounts of vitamins and minerals, like vitamin A. But eating a little bit of fat has been shown to increase satiety, so you might be more satisfied with this dessert than with something more carb-forward, like cake or cookies.