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These Creme Brulee Cheesecake Bars are part cheesecake, part cookie, and are all good!

stack of cheesecake boars with toffee bits on top

Before we start today, I’d like to thank you all for the overwhelming outpouring of support after my post on Friday night. I never ever in a million years think I’d get so many comments, messages, and emails, many of which had me in tears. So, thank you for your support, for your advice and kind words, and for sharing your experiences with me. I heart all of you, and I’m so glad we have each other.

Now, it’s kind of hard to segue from body-image issues into delicious creme brûlée cheesecake bars, but hey, that’s life, right? Actually, working on this blog, building relationships with all of you, and baking make me happy. When I’m doing this job; when I’m in the kitchen creating, I’m enjoying myself quite a bit, regardless of how I feel when I eat what I’m making.

So, we’re still going to talk sugar, okay? Because that’s what I do. I ply you with sugar and talk your ear off. It’s who I am, and I think I’m pretty good at it!

It’s a job, and someone has to do it! 🙂

stack of cheesecake boars with toffee bits on top

Last week I posted on Facebook about cheesecake. I asked what kind I should make, and one of the suggestions was creme brulee. And man, my mouth watered for that!

Now, I still have a cheesecake up my sleeve, but when I started thinking about what would make a good creme brûlée cheesecake, I found these bars. And I wanted to make my version of them.

The reason I asked about cheesecake in the first place is because I had an idea, one that I still have to try. I took a baby step with these bars: I used some Chobani Greek Yogurt mixed with the cream cheese.

I am in love with greek yogurt lately. I eat it every day in a breakfast smoothie, and I’ve been trying to substitute it for oil or butter more often in baking. Cheesecake was just the next logical step. And guess what?

It totally worked. According to this Chobani graphic, you can substitute greek yogurt equally for cream cheese. I used 4 ounces of cream cheese and 1 cup of nonfat plain greek yogurt for these bars. And the texture of the cheesecake is exactly how I would have expected it to be.

It kind of blew my mind a little.

The base of the bars is a variation of my sugar cookie recipe. I actually have a new one for you soon, one that Jordan helped me make. It includes a box of vanilla pudding, which I think makes every cookie 100x better immediately. The cookie base is pressed into a 9″ square pan and topped with the cheesecake filling.

A quick note about your pan. I used a 9″ square metal cake pan, that I’d lined with foil and spray, as I always do. The bottom of the bars cooked too much (not a really noticeable amount and they taste fine, but they’re too done for me). Normally I use a glass pan and for some reason reached for a metal pan. I have noted in the recipe that you should use a glass pan for best results.

Once the bars are baked, you immediately top them with some crushed toffee bits. The heat of the bars melts the toffee bits to the top, and gives it a little caramel crunch, much like you would get when eating a creme brulee. These are SO good. The cheesecake is creamy and perfect. Paired with the cookie base and toffee crunch, these are one of my new favorites!

stack of cheesecake boars with toffee bits on top

I think I need to ask Facebook what they want more often. Y’all have some awesome ideas!! 🙂

stack of cheesecake boars with toffee bits on top

Creme Brulee Cheesecake Bars

4.50 from 4 votes

Ingredients
 

  • For the cookie base
  • 1/4 cup butter softened
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 box 3.4 ounces instant vanilla pudding mix (not sugar-free)
  • 1 cup flour
  • For the cheesecake and topping
  • 4 ounces low-fat cream cheese you can use regular fat too, softened
  • 1 cup non-fat plain Chobani Greek Yogurt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1/2 cup toffee bits semi-crushed
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9” square glass pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. I do not suggest using a dark or coated pan for these bars!
  • Make the cookie base: Beat butter and sugars with a mixer until fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla, and baking soda. Mix in pudding mix and flour. Press into prepared pan.
  • Make the cheesecake: beat cream cheese and yogurt until no lumps remain. Beat in egg, sugar, vanilla extract, and flour. Mix until smooth. Pour and spread over cookie base.
  • Bake bars for about 27-30 minutes. They will lose their sheen around the edges, but still wiggle a little in the middle. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle with toffee bits. Let cool to room temperature and then chill until set, at least 3 hours or overnight. Slice into bars.
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate

Non-Alcoholic Baileys Cheesecake Pie

Peanut Butter Cookie Cheesecake Bars

Sweets from friends:
Brownie Stuffed Cheesecake with a Peanut Butter Cookie Crust by Back for Seconds
Mini Heath Bar Cheesecakes By Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
Favorite Cheesecake by Something Swanky

While Chobani sent me product to play with, this post is not sponsored. I just love their product, and wanted to share!

Last Updated on May 13, 2020



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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76 Comments

  1. I made these bars using 1 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup of sugar. They are just a smidge on the tangy side. I used one cup of toffee bits. Same bake time I do like them they are light and delicious. Not really the cheesecake flavor. I will make them again using an all cheesecake filing just because I’m curious. Thanks for the recipe.

  2. I dont like yogurt. What can I use instead? Sour cream or more cream cheese and in what amounts.
    I just made your creme brûlée bars and they are awesome and easy
    I messed up and grabbed a 10” pan it worked perfectly at the same bake time. Thanks
    Helyn.

  3. Fantastic bars! Few changes I made: I used a ten inch springform pan w/t foil, used cheesecake flavored pudding, added toffee bits to the filling and used more cream cheese and less yogurt (needed to get it out of my fridge!) I only cooked it for 25 min and it came out perfect, very impressed with the flavor. Love using the yogurt instead of cream cheese (found via Pinterest).

  4. Might want to add… COVER in fridge – noticed in comments that someone asked and you said… “A simple plastic wrap or Tupperware will be fine!”

  5. On counter cooling right now – then to the fridge – to hopefully enjoy tomorrow evening but… reading over the comments “after I made them” [oops!] – just a bit worried – substituted some sour cream for the Greek yogurt – I have read before on substitutions and that’s what I did [oh no!] – only had a 6 oz Greek yogurt so used rest with sour cream but… comments are saying it is cream cheese for Greek yogurt — just hope that I didn’t mess up this recipe.

    Doubled recipe – put into 9×13 – baked 47 minutes – [with opening door 3 times then adding more time] – definitely would have been less baking time if door had remained closed — will let you know tomorrow evening on how this turned out — I am NOT a “pro” at baking or “blogger” but just had to give them a try! 🙂

    1. I bet they’ll be fine! In normal cheesecakes I use cream cheese and sour cream, so subbing some for the yogurt should work out! Let me know! Enjoy!!

    2. Wanted to let you know… [tried to respond by email but got returned]
      • was baked too long but still eatable
      • will def make again, like recipe says [in smaller pan]
      • Top was little crumbly/dry — wasn’t sure how jiggly it should have been before removing from oven.
      • Is there a reason for foil in pan? — kinda thinking next time I won’t put so I can see crust baking -but- let me know of reason for it.
      •• Thanks… 🙂

      1. Foil is definitely not required – I just like being able to remove the entire slab of whatever I’m making for cutting. It makes for pretty pictures and pretty slicing, but you can just make them straight in the pan if you like!

        What email did you use? I know that I’m out of town right now, so any emails got sent a “out of office”. The email is crazyforcrustblog @ gmail.com – is that the one you used?

        Thanks for your comment!

  6. This looks delicious. I’m thinking about making this with a graham cracker crust to make it a bit healthier. How do you think that would work?

  7. Can’t wait to serve these tomorrow. They are cooling from the oven now. When I put them into the refrigerator should they be covered?

    1. Just saw this! I’m so sorry; I’ve been out of town. I always cover things in the fridge, just to cut down on them drying out. A simple plastic wrap or tupperware will be fine!