Mocha Cheesecake Brownie Bars

Brownies, cheesecake, coffee.. all are pretty great on their own, but together? Amazing. Treats that come in bar form are always fun, especially to bring to a pool party. These cute little handheld treats are great for parties because they are effortless to make and easy to eat.

 This is great recipe for those picky dessert eaters- they can get 3 delicious flavors in one bite. Brownie crusts definitely beats out graham cracker ones any day. It's also a great make-ahead dessert, as it needs to set and get chilly in the fridge overnight.

It was a nice change to bake dessert since the past few weeks of my life have consisted of bountiful quantities of breads. Don't get me wrong,  I am really enjoying scratch-made artisan breads but sweets still win.

Mocha Brownie Cheesecake Bars
(adapted from all recipes)


brownie crust
-1/4 cup butter
- 3 oz semi sweet chocolate
- 1/3 cup AP flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt


mocha cheesecake
- 1/3 cup heavy cream [ I used half & half, worked great]
- 1 1/2 tbsp instant coffee granules
- 8 oz block cream cheese, softened
-2/3 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp AP flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup mini semi - sweet chocolate chips


topping
- semisweet and white chocolate, melted over a double boiler (separately) for drizzling

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9 x 9 x 2 baking dish

To make the crust: melt the butter in a saucepan, add the chocolate and stir until its all incorporated and melted. Add the flour, sugar, egg, vanilla & salt and whisk until smooth. Pour into pan, and smooth out evenly. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool. Turn down over to 325F

For the filling: heat the cream until scalded, add the instant coffee and stir until dissolved. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth [Tip* make sure its smooth before you add other ingredients or else your cheesecake will be lumpy and you will over-mix the batter trying to remove the lumps]

Add the sugar and beat until incorporated. Add the egg and yolk, one at a time. Mix in the sour cream, flour, vanilla, and cream-coffee mixture. Beat until smooth and well blended. Fold in the chocolate chips and sitr by hand. Pour over brownie crust and  bake for 35 minutes until the filling is set. [It should not wiggle if you shake the pan] Cool slightly.

Cover and chill in the fridge overnight.

To top: drizzle chocolate over the top, cut into squares, and serve! For a nice touch, place each piece in a decorative cupcake wrapper.

Enjoy!