Chocolate ricotta cheesecake bars

Lighter than traditional cheesecake, these ricotta cheesecake bars are chock-full with grated chocolate and finished with a drizzle of chocolate ganache.

Ricotta cheesecake doesn’t always make it on my bake-list. I don’t know why. Or maybe I do. The price of fresh ricotta may have something to do with it. Or the fact that most ricotta cheesecake recipes call for a little flour added to the cheesecake batter.

For a year now I’ve been trying to make a flour less ricotta cheesecake. Since ricotta has more moisture than good old cream cheese, it has been quite a challenge.  But I’m not one to give up that easy. It may have taken me a year, but I’m successful today! A flourless ricotta cheesecake made with only few ingredients and chock full of grated chocolate.

Finish the cheesecake with a drizzle of ganache and you’ve made yourself a lighter cheesecake that can be enjoyed any time of the day.

To make this ricotta cheesecake you’ll need a couple of Oreo cookies or any cream filled chocolate sandwich cookies and a little melted butter for the crust.

Probably you have noticed I do not like adding sugar to the cheesecake crust. I prefer the sweetness just in the cheesecake. Of course you can add 1-2 teaspoons of sugar to the crust if you have a bigger sweet tooth than me.

Pulse the cookies in a food processor until finely chopped, mix with the butter and press evenly on the bottom of a 13X9″ baking pan. Yup, it makes enough to feed a crowd!

For the cheesecake batter you need ricotta, sugar, eggs, vanilla and grated chocolate.

I prefer using fresh ricotta in my cheesecake. It produces a silkier results but I have made the exact same recipe with regular store-bought ricotta and had amazing results. Use whatever you have.

I love using Imperial Sugar (or Dixie Crystals) in my recipes, especially in the ones I have to give a quick mix to the ingredients. Since cheesecake doesn’t need to be mixed for a long time to prevent air being incorporated into the batter, I highly recommend using Imperial Sugar or Dixie Crystals. It’s so fine, it blends instantly with the rest of the ingredients!

Ricotta cheesecake is usually lighter than a traditional cheesecake, but to make it even lighter I used a mix of whole eggs and egg whites. 3 whole eggs and 2 egg whites. If you do not want to have any leftover egg yolks, you can use 4 whole eggs. It will work just as fine.

When it comes to chocolate, I used unsweetened baking chocolate. I found it balances perfect with the creaminess and sweetness of the cheesecake. A mix of both unsweetened and semi-sweet chocolate can be used as well, just don’t use only semi-sweet. The end results will be too sweet.

If you’re still craving chocolate after trying these chocolate ricotta cheesecake bars, I’m sure you’ll find something else at this year’s chocolate party to satisfy your desires!

 

How to participate in the Chocolate Party

1. {mandatory} Make one or more of your favorite chocolate recipe(s) and share with us for a chance to win one of the 4 great prizes offered by our sponsors. You can also add recipes that have been previously shared on your blog. (5 recipes maximum).

If you do not have a blog, just email me roxana(at)roxanagreengirl(dot)com your recipe with your own photo (it can be a photo snapped with your phone, as long as it is your photo) and I will create a page with your recipe.

2. {mandatory} Once your recipe is published, add your link to the widget at the bottom of this post. On October 1st, 4 winners will be chosen at random from all the recipes submitted.

3. {mandatory} To be eligible to win one of the amazing prizes offered by our generous sponsors you must add the following in your post :

Bring your favorite chocolate dessert to Roxana’s home baking #chocolateparty and win amazing prizes from Imperial Sugar®, Gold Medal Flour®, Safest Choice™ Pasteurized Eggs and KitchenAid®

4. {optional} Add the party logo (or any of the collages in this post) to your blog post or sidebar. Or both!

5. {optional} Use the widget below to spread the word and keep up with our sponsors’ social media updates.

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Let’s get this party started!!!

** Disclaimer: The prizes for this year’s chocolate party (open to US residents only) are sponsored byImperial Sugar®, Gold Medal Flour®, Safest Choice™ Pasteurized Eggs and KitchenAid®. As always, all opinions are 100% my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help me bring this blog to you week after week. I appreciate it! **