Thick and creamy cheesecake bars on top of an Oreo cookie crust and stuffed with Snickers Bars.
Today’s recipe was inspired by the genius behind The Cheesecake Factory’s Snickers Bar Cheesecake. Whoever you are, I’d like to shake your hand for creating the most devilishly decadent dessert in the entire world.
If you haven’t had it yet, you can only imagine. It’s Snickers bars + creamy dreamy cheesecake. Need I say more?
If I had to eat only one candy bar for the rest of my life (can we make that scenario happen please?), it would probably be a Snickers bar. They’re the perfect package. Milk chocolate, caramel, fluffy nougat, and salty peanuts. By the way, did you know that Snickers is the world’s most popular candy bar? I’m not surprised!
What we have today is truly a simple recipe. Baking a cheesecake into bar form is so much easier than the real thing.
Start with an Oreo cookie crust. The Oreo cookie crust is quite thick—you want something very sturdy to hold up all of the heavy cheesecake batter. It tastes more like a layer in the bar rather than a puny little crust that will get lost under all the filling. It’s the same crust I use for my white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars. The Oreo cookie crust contains two things: Oreos and melted butter. Grind up 22 whole Oreos (with the cream center) in your food processor or blender and mix with 5 Tablespoons of melted butter. That’s it.
Baking the cookie crust for about 10 minutes as you make your filling is important because it helps the crust set shape.
The filling is quite basic. I know I’m going to use it over and over again for more cheesecake bars in my baking future. It’s a new “go-to” recipe. 16 ounces of softened cream cheese, 1 large egg, sugar, and vanilla extract. Yep, only 4 ingredients, plus Snickers. 13 fun-size Snickers went into my filling, which is about 1.5 cups. The amount of Snickers bars is very forgiving. Add more or less, depending on your taste. 1.5 cups gave me the perfect ratio of creamy cheesecake filling to gooey, melty Snickers inside.
Before baking, I topped the bars with milk chocolate chips. Just to give them a little something extra. Top with more Snickers, a different kind of chocolate chip, or leave plain. You could also drizzle the bars with melted chocolate after they are done baking. Always room for more chocolate, right?!
The hardest part about today’s recipe? Waiting 3 hours for the bars to chill before digging in.
I swear, the day I made these, time stood still for those 3 hours.
When the bars are ready, it’s time to EAT! You don’t even have to be hungry to eat one. In fact, you could be stuffed to the brim with absolutely no more room in your stomach, ready to completely burst—and one of these cheesecake bars will still taste incredible.
There is truly no other convincing I can do here. My work is done. I mean, just look at them.
These need to come with a warning label.
If you love baking with candy (who doesn’t?), try these Butterfinger cookies, too!
PrintSnickers Cheesecake Bars
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes
- Yield: 16 bars
- Category: Bars
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Thick and creamy cheesecake bars on top of an Oreo cookie crust and stuffed with Snickers bars.
Ingredients
Crust
- 22 regular Oreo cookies (not Double-Stuf)
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 16 ounces (452g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 13 fun-size Snickers, chopped (about 1.5 cups total)*
- optional: 1/3 cup milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out (makes cutting easier!). Set aside.
- Make the crust: In a food processor or blender, pulse 22 Oreos (including the cream filling) into a fine crumb. You should have about 2 cups (packed) crumbs, or 250g. Pour crumbs into a large bowl. Add the melted butter and stir to combine. The mixture will be thick and quite wet. Try to smash/break up any large chunks. Pour the mixture into prepared pan. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom to make a compact, thick crust. Bake for 10 minutes, and then cool for 10 minutes before spreading the filling on top. Leave oven on.
- Make the filling: Beat cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla extract together with a hand or stand mixer until smooth and creamy, about 3 full minutes. Fold in the Snickers and spread the mixture over your slightly cooled crust. Top with chocolate chips.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the cheesecake has set up and the edges are lightly browned. Allow to cool for 30 minutes on the counter and then completely in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Lift the parchment paper out of the pan and cut the cheesecake into squares.
- Store bars in a covered container for up to 10 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-Inch Square Pan (this one or this one are great options, too) | Parchment Paper | Food Processor | Glass Mixing Bowl | Silicone Spatula | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
- Snickers: Add more or less Snickers, depending on your taste. 1 and 1/2 cups of chopped Snickers equates to 13 fun-size, 20 bite-size, or 3 large bars.
- Larger Batch: Filling recipe can easily be doubled and baked in a 9×13-inch pan, but the bake time will vary—about 45–55 minutes. For a 9×13-inch Oreo cookie crust, use 30 Oreos + 8 Tablespoons (115g) butter (doubling the crust is too much). Crust pre-bake time remains the same. If you make these in an 8-inch square pan, follow the recipe above as written, and extend the bake time by a few minutes.