Chocolate Chai Greek Yogurt Cheesecake Bars
Sink your teeth into these decadent Chocolate Chai Greek Yogurt Cheesecake Bars. They're truly the perfect fall dessert!
Servings: 9
Ingredients
Crust
- 9 graham crackers full sheets
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter* cold
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
Cheesecake
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 egg white
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Chocolate Chai Swirl
- 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon chai spices 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
For the Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray an 8x8-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray or line it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place the graham crackers, butter, and cocoa powder into a food processor. Process everything together until the mixture turns into a crumble, about 3-4 minutes.
- Transfer the graham cracker crumb mixture into the prepared pan. Use your fingers or a spatula to tightly press it into an even layer in the bottom of the pan.
- Bake the crust for 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
For the Cheesecake
- While the crust bakes, wash and dry the food processor. Add the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, and maple syrup to the food processor. Blend until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and add the egg white and vanilla. Blend until smooth.
- Remove 1/2 cup of the cream cheese mixture from the food processor and set aside.
- Pour the remaining cream cheese mixture (in the food processor) onto the crust. Use a spatula to spread it in an even layer. Set aside.
For the Chocolate Chai Swirl
- Place the chocolate chips and coconut oil into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in intervals of 10 seconds, stirring in between each, until the chocolate chips are melted.
- Add the 1/2 cup of reserved cheesecake batter, melted chocolate chips, and all of the chai spices to the food processor. Blend until smooth.
- On top of the layer of plain cheesecake, create a checkerboard design (horizontal and vertical lines) with the chocolate chai cheesecake mixture. Don't worry if the lines are not perfect!
- Use a toothpick to swirl the chocolate cheesecake mixture and plain cheesecake mixture together to create a marble top.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove bars from the oven and let cool completely at room temperature. Once cool, transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours before cutting into bars.
Video
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id="ifG4rCkZ" upload-date="2020-09-06T09:00:00.000Z" name="Chocolate Chai Greek Yogurt Cheesecake Bars" description="Sink your teeth into these decadent Chocolate Chai Greek Yogurt Cheesecake Bars. They're truly the perfect fall dessert! "]
Notes
- Storage: Store any leftover cheesecake bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezing Instructions: Once fully cooled, cut the pan of bars into squares, place in a single layer on a baking sheet, and freeze until fully frozen. Remove the bars from the freezer, wrap individually in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, and place into freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Butter: For best results, use cold butter in the crust. Hardened coconut oil also works!
Nutrition
Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g