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Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake Bars

These sweet and decadent Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake Bars are a delicious treat layered with a tangy chocolate and cream cheese center with buttery pecans for crunch.

stack of chocolate pecan cheesecake bars on a plate

The Best Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

I’ve always been a fan of cheesecake bars. They’re easy to make and hit the perfect combination of crunchy on top, gooey in the center and tender on the bottom. These bars get their rich flavor from a creamy chocolate filling and crunch from a buttery pecan topping. You can’t go wrong with the timeless combination of chocolate and pecans, and these wonderful bars are proof!

ingredients in small bowl for baking: eggs, flour, chocolate and pecans

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make these decadent chocolate cheesecake bars:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Brown sugar: Make sure you pack the brown sugar well when you’re measuring it.
  • Butter: Use unsalted butter that’s softened for smooth mixing. (See How to Soften Butter for more info.)
  • Pecans: Use raw pecans for the bars.
  • Cream cheese: Make sure your cream cheese is softened to room temperature for easy mixing.
  • Sugar
  • Eggs: These add protein and fat to provide structure and tenderness to your bars.
  • Chocolate: I like semisweet chocolate for these bars, but you can use a different kind of chocolate if you prefer.
  • Vanilla: This is a must-have counter-flavor to balance the rich chocolate.
  • Corn syrup: I use light corn syrup to sweeten the pecan layer.
three plates with three chocolate pecan bars

How to Make Pecan Cheesecake Bars

Follow these steps to make all of the luscious layers for your pecan cheesecake bars:

Prepare for baking: Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Spray it with nonstick spray for easy removal.

Make the crust: In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and 3/4 cup of brown sugar. Work the softened butter into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or fork. Then stir in a half cup of the chopped nuts. Transfer the crust mixture into the prepared baking dish and press it into an even layer. Bake the crust for 10 minutes.

Make the cheesecake layer: In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until light and smooth. Add one egg and beat to incorporate. Stir in the melted chocolate and vanilla. Pour the chocolate mixture over the baked crust and bake for another 15 minutes.

Make the pecan layer: In a new bowl, whisk together the remaining brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, and three eggs. Fold in 1 & 1/2 cups pecans until combined. Pour the nut mixture over the cream cheese layer, and spread it into an even layer. Bake the cheesecake bars for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the center is set. Let the bars cool fully in the pan.

Tips for Success

Here are a few simple tips to perfect your bars:

  • Use room temperature ingredients. It’s best to use all room-temperature ingredients so that everything blends together evenly. Butter is a bit of an exception, as it needs to be not quite to room temperature. See How to Soften Butter for more info.
  • Remove the crust from the oven when it’s just golden brown on top. It will continue to cook all the way through when you finish baking the bars.
  • Let the bars cool at room temperature in the baking dish before slicing. The cheesecake layer needs time to fully set after baking.
baking sheet of cooked pecan bars

Serving Suggestions

Serve your chocolate cheesecake pecan bars at room temperature with a tall glass of cold milk or cup of tea. You could also add a scoop of ice cream on the side or a dollop of whipped cream!

overhead of a cheesecake bar with pecans on a plate with a spoon

Storage and Freezing

To prepare for storage, make sure the bars are fully cool. Then wrap them tightly in plastic or place them in an airtight container. Store leftover cheesecake bars in the fridge for up to one week. You can warm them for 30 seconds to a minute before serving if you like.

Or pop them in the freezer for up to three months. Defrost frozen bars at room temperature for a few hours before serving.

Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake Bars

Yield 24 2-inch Bars
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

These gooey and decadent Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake Bars are a delicious layered treat with cream cheese, melted chocolate, and buttery pecans.

stack of chocolate pecan cheesecake bars on a plate

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups (180g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 cups (300g) firmly packed brown sugar, divided into 3/4 cup (150g) portions
  • 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups finely chopped pecans, divided into 1/2 cup and 1 & 1/2 cups
  • 16 ounces (454g) cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 4 large eggs, divided
  • 4 ounces (113g) semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
  • 1/3 cup (75g) unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 13″x 9″x 2" baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Grease or spray the lining.
  2. Combine the flour and 3/4 cup brown sugar. Use a pastry blender, a fork, or your hands to mix in the softened butter until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped pecans.
  3. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
  4. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, combine the cream cheese and granulated sugar until smooth. Add 1 egg and beat until combined.
  5. Stir in the chocolate and vanilla extract. Pour over the baked crust. Bake 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
  6. Whisk together the remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar, corn syrup, melted butter, and 3 eggs. Stir in 1 & 1/2 cups chopped pecans. Pour over the cream cheese mixture.
  7. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the center is set. Cool completely in the pan. Cut into squares and serve.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Paula Deen.

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    46 Comments on “Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake Bars”

  1. I can only imagine how good and gooey this is. All Paula Deen desserts are – you just have to try and forget how many sticks of butter are being used!

  2. oh myyyyyy… these look AMAZING! I am going to make these… first thing tomorrow – nothing wrong with these for breakfast, right?

  3. The picture is simply incredible. Everything you could possibly want is there….almost

  4. leave it to Paula to take it to the next extreme.

  5. YUM! My husband would love these!

  6. Oh, those look sinful. Just in time for Thanksgiving, too. I am with you on the one-time recipe trend–even if they turn out well, there are always so many more to try! Who has time for repeats?

  7. Yum! I like that the recipe is made in a 9 x 13 pan so the servings can be custom cut…small…or for me…a rather large square :

  8. Holy cow!! These are going into my must make pronto folder. Yay!!

  9. Yum, what a great holiday recipe!

  10. Good to have you blogging again — you have been missed but you came back with another great, must try immediately recipe. Thanks for all you put into Bake or Break.

  11. Good to see you again! I am loving these already and I haven’t even got to taste them!

  12. Complete food porn! Yummy!

  13. This was certainly worth the wait! Cookie bars are so much fun to make.

  14. Yum!!! All the things I love appear to be in these!

  15. You were missed; welcome back!

  16. WHOA. Awesome. What an incredible way to return to your blog!

  17. These are totally me! chocolate, cheese and butter. Oh yeah!

  18. These look terrific! I followed the link and searched the site but the recipe is not found – how do I find it? Thanks!

  19. Been missing you! These look great! Chocolate, pecans, and cream cheese!! Yum!!

  20. WOW – great looking bars…. these are being created very shortly… thanks so much!

    zesty

  21. AMAZING. I’m making these. They look so yummy.

  22. Oh my word………I have to make these sinfully droolworthy looking bars…….like NOW!!! Thanx so much :o) xxx

  23. You formally have made my day! Home is torn apart due to a leak and all I want to do is bake around the bustle. Thank you I will let you know what my family thinks although I can already say right up my alley!

  24. Thanks, everyone! I’m glad to be back. 🙂

    Di, there’s a link underneath the post’s title that should work for you. Here’s another: Chocolate Pecan Cheesecake Bars.

  25. I full-on gasped out loud when that picture loaded. Ye gods.

  26. What an array of pure blissful desserts!

  27. Love you blog – just subscribed. Also just started a food blog myself. These bars look amazing – in fact all your recipes do! Thanks!

  28. Those are fantastically decadent – they’re going on my must-bake list!

  29. This recipe is one of those “must make” bars for the holidays. Duly tagged. They look amazing.

  30. I’m with you, that combo is always perfect, no matter how you mix, create it, make it.
    You know if ever there is going to be a ‘food porn’ tv channel, clearly you need to be the sponsor.

  31. I must say that I love this blog. Really, is one of my favorites. I just started one blog of cooking and fashion. And I want mine to be as good as BoB.

    xoxo

    Vianna

  32. There are no words. Wow. I cannot wait to make these! Thank you, and welcome back 🙂

  33. Chocolate…Cheesecake…Pecans…Say no more!

  34. I made this recipe for my boyfriend to enjoy while I am out of town during thanksgiving. He nearly died of pleasure. He is a huge critic of my baking. No cookie is crumbly enough, no bread is moist enough. But these bars. They were “perfect.”
    Thank you!

  35. These look sinfully delicious!!

  36. Ok, I just made these bard.

    What can I say, I don’t know, I can not find a word that describe how utterly sinful and decadent they are.

    I am cutting them so I get 48 pieces out of the pan, they are very rich and a small piece is a nice tease:)))))

  37. My husband does not care for chocolate cheesecake or pecan pie, but I went ahead and made these anyway. Yeah, I’m a good wife like that. Somehow these bars transcend chocolate cheesecake and pecan pie… both of us loved these!

  38. These bars look wonderful. I recently started a cheesecake recipes web site and I have a section on cheesecake dessert bars.

    Your pictures really add to your site which looks great. I am slowly taking pictures and trying to add them to my own site.

    I’m really glad a friend found Bake or Break and told me about it. I plan to check back frequently.

    Debbie

  39. omg These things look heavenly…

  40. I have a double batch in the over right now 🙂 They’re a birthday present for a friend who’s a cheesecake fan, but I don’t have time to make a cheesecake….”

  41. I made these and they were delicious. They went right to my hips. I don’t get the trick to lining the baking pan with foil. It was terrible to cut the squares. Yikes, if you happen to bite the foil!

  42. These look great. I’m wondering if the cheesecake layer could be pumpkin flavored instead of chocolate flavored…

  43. I have to say that, although they smelled heavenly, the taste was not what I expected. Rather ordinary. Never mind, there are other wonderful recipes on your site!

  44. Can I use a different type of nut for the crust?
    Say hazelnut or walnut?

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