Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
Taste: The tangy, rich cheesecake paired with the sweet chocolate is a perfect match.
Texture: Buttery, crunchy graham cracker crust + thick, luscious, rich cheesecake, all coated in a thin, snappy chocolate coating. Heavenly!
Ease: Super easy – just a bit messy and requires some patience.
Pros: Fun bite-sized twist on a classic dessert. These will be gone in about 5 seconds flat at any party.
Cons: None!
Would I make this again? I’ve made this recipe multiple times!
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Chocolate-Covered Cheesecake Bites are the absolute perfect dessert for any party or potluck … or just an evening to yourself!
Thick and creamy cream cheese filling with the perfect amount of tang, atop a buttery, crunchy graham cracker crust, all coated in a thin, snappy chocolate coating. Sounds pretty amazing, right?
The homemade cheesecake is such a fun surprise waiting inside these little chocolate parcels. They make fantastic gifts, too! Perfect for Valentine’s Day or Christmas.
Feel free to get creative here, too. You could experiment with adding some caramel, nuts, or mini chocolate chips. You could add some citrus zest or extracts to the cheesecake. Change up the crust to use a different cookie base. Have fun with it – just be sure to freeze the bites well before dipping them in chocolate.
Let me know in the comments below if you give these Chocolate-Covered Cheesecake Bites a try!
How to Make Chocolate-Covered Cheesecake Bites
Tips for Perfectly Smooth Cheesecake
- Be sure to use blocks of full-fat, high-quality cream cheese. Do not use reduced fat or whipped cream cheese. I like Philadelphia brand.
- Be sure your cream cheese is COMPLETELY softened to room temperature.
- Beat it very well with the sugar, but once you add the eggs and flour, only beat until just combined.
- Also, be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl as well as your mixer attachment often, to prevent lumps.
Cheesecake Crust Variations
You can use the same amount by weight of digestive biscuits, vanilla wafers, Biscoff cookies, or any crunchy cookie you prefer! Please note that Biscoff cookies are a little richer than graham crackers (which are drier), so add just enough butter until it holds together when pressed.
Using Coconut Oil + Baking Chocolate for Dipping
Since coconut oil is solid at room temperature, it helps to create a solid coating for the Chocolate-Covered Cheesecake Bites. Use refined coconut oil if you prefer not to have any coconut taste.
What Type of Chocolate for Dipping Cheesecake Bites?
- Don’t use chocolate chips for dipping – chocolate chips contain ingredients that prevent them from fully melting in recipes like chocolate chip cookies – so they don’t melt down as smoothly.
- I like to use Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate bars, but any quality baking chocolate is fine – just note that using dark or milk chocolate will alter the overall sweetness of the bites.
- You can temper the chocolate, but these Chocolate-Covered Cheesecake Bites need to be stored chilled because of the dairy in the cheesecake, so tempering isn’t needed – but if you want to go for it anyway, learn How to Temper Chocolate here.
- You could alternatively use candy melts, but I don’t like the way they taste (it’s not real chocolate).
Tips for Dipping Cheesecake Bites in Chocolate
- Keep the chocolate warm. You may need to reheat it if it becomes less pourable halfway through dipping.
- Keep your Cheesecake Bites cold, keeping them in the freezer until just before dipping in chocolate. This will help the chocolate set up more quickly.
- You can use chocolate dipping tools to make your Chocolate-Covered Cheesecake Bites look super neat and professional.
What Pan Should I Use for Chocolate-Covered Cheesecake Bites?
I recommend using a light-colored metal 8×8-inch baking pan. I don’t recommend using darker metal pans, or glass, ceramic, or silicone – learn more about Glass vs. Metal Baking Pans here.
How to Store Chocolate-Covered Cheesecake Bites
Store Chocolate-Covered Cheesecake Bites in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to a month. Please note that the graham cracker crust may soften as the cheesecake bites sit.
More Cheesecake Recipes You’ll Love:
- Cheesecake Bars
- Oreo Cheesecake
- Ultimate Peanut Butter Cheesecake
- Death by Chocolate Cheesecake
- Ultimate Classic Cheesecake
Chocolate-Covered Cheesecake Bites
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 9 whole (135 grams) graham crackers
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
- 16 ounces (454 grams) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
For the chocolate coating:
- 16 ounces (454 grams) semisweet chocolate
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil
Instructions
Make the crust:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 by 8-inch square baking dish with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a food processor, pulse the crackers until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until moistened. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan using the bottom of a measuring cup or glass. Bake until fragrant, about 10 minutes (longer if using a glass dish). Place on a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Reduce heat to 325°F.
Make the filling:
- Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until completely smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl, as well as the mixer attachment. On low speed, add in the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, flour, and salt and beat until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Pour the batter over the cooled crust. Tap against the counter a few times to release air bubbles. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes (longer if using a glass dish), or until cheesecake is slightly puffed and the center is set. If the center is slightly jiggly, that's fine.
- Let cool completely on a wire rack. Freeze for 3 hours, or until very cold and firm, or overnight.
Coat in chocolate:
- Once frozen, lift the cheesecake out of the pan and gently peel away the foil. Using a sharp knife, cut cheesecake into 36 bite-size squares. If squares become too soft, freeze until chilled again.
- Place the chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Place parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on a rimmed baking sheet. Dip cheesecake squares, one at a time, in the melted chocolate. Let the excess drip off and place on prepared sheet. Repeat for all the squares then refrigerate until the chocolate is set. Serve or store the squares in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.
Recipe Notes
This post was published in 2015 and has been updated with metric weight measurements, recipe improvements, and additional recipe tips.
@James and anyone else outside of the US: I believe when she says “9 Whole graham crackers” she means 9 sheets (1 sheet actually equals 4 crackers). BTW: 10 “whole” graham crackers (sheets of graham crackers, that is) is 1.5 cups so you should be fine with 7-8 sheets. Oh also, 8 graham cracker sheets = 1 cup which is 85 grams. I dunno why she hasn’t clarified this because i’ve seen lots of people asking up there…
Tessa… Really would like some guidance like others on what 9 graham crackers are… Even a dimension of each would help. Thanks!
I have made these a few times. They are my go to pot luck dessert. Messy? I made them today with my 12 yr old niece… Fun and easy
So happy to hear that, Tammy! Thanks for sharing xo
Hi Tessa,do advise on my comment above.Thanks.
Hi Tessa,waiting to hear from you on my comment above.Please advise.
Hi Tessa,love all your recipes….you make it so simple for us….made these today, how ever my cheesecake turned out very salty and I’m wondering why…..I followed the recipe to the T….I used regular table salt as I did not have sea salt….
Further I used melted Belgian chocolate chips and added coconut oil…..my chocolate was melting( coating the fingers) within seconds of being out of the fridge.
Waiting to hear from you…happy baking till then and once again thank you for all these gorgeous recipes:)
I just made these and I had a mess. I would NOT make them again. I had to keep half of the bites in the freezer while trying to work with the other half before they got too soft to dip. After dipping about 40 of them, I gave up and smashed them back into the bottom of the pan and poured the chocolate over the top.
Oh no Vicky! 40 bites?! This recipe only makes 36. I so state in the Recipe Rundown, that this recipe is “just a bit messy and requires some patience.” Maybe next time simply drizzling the chocolate would make things easier 🙂
Can I use your chocolate cheesecake recipe to make chocolate cheesecake bites? If so, does it still need to be on a water bath?
If you’re making cheesecake bites, then you don’t need to bother with a water bath since you’ll be slicing them up anyways!
sorry … the comment above is supposed to say “really helps then coconut harden”, NOT garden!
these are really good. the coconut oil really helps the chocolate garden quickly. you can taste it in the finished product, but it’s not overwhelming.
i wish i could post a picture, because they are so pretty!
Yay! I’m actually looking into a way for everyone to post a recipe photo with their comments 🙂 Until then, if you want to email me a picture, I’d love to see and maybe share with the rest of my audience. tessa (@) handletheheat.com
What can I substitute sour cream with? It’s hard to find it in my country
Plain yogurt works!
Hey there! I am wanting to do a white chocolate coating, will the ratio of coconut oil to chips ratio be the same?