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These Almond Joy Cheesecake Bars are a quick and delicious dessert that has all the great flavors of an Almond Joy bar. These heavenly bars combines a layer of cheesecake with the irresistible flavors of coconut, chocolate, almonds and topped off with chocolate chips! This mouthwatering dessert is perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth cravings.
When it comes to desserts, simple yet decadent is truly the best way to go. These Almond Joy Cheesecake Bars make an excellent dessert that you can have on hand at any time because they can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator until you are ready to devour them! This recipe contains not only coconut and almonds but also chocolate which complement each other beautifully in these cheesecake bars.
If you love cheesecake recipes, try out these recipes: Lotus Biscoff Cheesecake, Pecan Pie Cheesecake, Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake and Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Bars.
Why you’ll love this Almond Joy Cheesecake Recipe
- Simple: Anyone can easily whip this Almond Joy Cheesecake bars! My easy step by step recipe will guide you through every step.
- Irresistible: These cheesecake bars are hard to pass and so delightful. The combination of creamy cheesecake, coconut, chocolate, and crunchy almonds all in one bite give an explosion of flavors that will leave your taste buds dancing with joy.
- Make Ahead: Almond Joy Cheesecake Bars are perfect for making in advance. Prepare them a day ahead of your special occasion or event, and let them chill in the refrigerator.
Ingredients for Almond Joy Cheesecake
Cheesecake Crust
- Graham Crackers: The graham cracker is used as a crust to form the foundation of the bars, providing a delicious crunch at the bottom. Use the original Graham Crackers.
- Butter: The melted butter binds the crushed graham crackers together. Use full fat butter and not alternatives. Use unsalted butter.
- Cocoa Powder: In order to make out crust chocolate, we need to add cocoa powder. I used unsweetened cocoa powder.
Almond Joy Cheesecake Filling
- Cream Cheese: softened cream cheese serves as the base of the cheesecake layer, delivering a velvety and rich texture to the filling.
- Granulated sugar: Sugar sweetens the cheesecake layer, balancing the flavors and enhancing the overall dessert.
- Eggs: Eggs contribute to the creamy consistency of the cheesecake filling, helping it set during baking.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla extract adds a delicious aroma to the dessert. Use pure vanilla extract for best result.
- Sweetened shredded coconut: Shredded coconut infuses the bars with tropical flavors and gives a chewy texture.
- Chocolate chips: Chocolate chips bring extra sweetness and richness to these bars. I use semi-sweet but you can use milk chocolate.
- Chopped almonds: Chopped almonds provide a satisfying crunch and nutty flavor. Be sure to use unsalted toasted almonds.
- Coconut Extract: Amplifies the flavor or coconut in the dessert. If you don’t have it, you can skip it.
How to Make almond Joy Cheesecake
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, add the crackers (break them up a little before) and pulse until they are completely crushed.
- In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, cocoa powder and melted butter. Combine well together and press this mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan to create the crust.
- In a separate bowl, beat softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add egg and vanilla. Mix to combine well.
- Preserve some of the chocolate chips on the side for topping.
- Gently fold in the sweetened shredded coconut, mini chocolate chips, and chopped almonds. Fold until well combined.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust and spread it evenly and top with the preserved chocolate chips.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours (or overnight) until fully chilled and set.
- Once chilled, use the parchment paper to lift the cheesecake out of the pan. Place it on a cutting board and slice into bars. Top with some shredded coconut and crushed almonds.
- Serve and enjoy.
Tips to Make the Best Almond Joy Cheesecake Recipe
- Prep Efficiently: Gather all your ingredients and utensils before starting the baking process.
- Smooth Crust: When you process the Graham cracker cookies, make sure it’s completely smooth and you do not have any chunks
- Even Crust: Press down the graham cracker crumbs evenly and firm to ensure it’s evenly distributed to ensure you have a stable base.
- Room Temperature Cream Cheese: Softened cream cheese blends more easily, ensuring a smoother filling.
- Gentle Mixing: Once the egg is added, mix any other ingredients just until combined. Overmixing can lead to cracks or and bubbles, resulting in an uneven filling.
- Chill Thoroughly: Allow the bars to cool completely at room temperature before refrigerating. Chilling for at least 3 hours and up to overnight will help the filling to set well.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Absolutely! These bars are a fantastic make-ahead dessert. Prepare them a day in advance and refrigerate for even more flavorful results.
If you like your cheesecake to be less sweet, you can use unsweetened coconut. I used sweetened because I used semi-dark chocolate. If you use unsweetened coconut, you can also use milk chocolate chips instead.
To achieve that creamy and luscious cheesecake texture, make sure to bring your cream cheese to room temperature before starting the recipe. Avoid overmixing the batter after the eggs are added and allow to cool completely.
Yes absolutely. If you are not a fan of almonds, feel free to swap them with pecans, hazelnut or walnuts.
Alteration Methods:
- Healthier Option: For a lighter version, use low-fat cream cheese, reduce the amount of sugar, and opt for dark chocolate chips. Choose unsweetened shredded coconut as well.
- Gluten-Free Crust: Replace graham cracker crumbs with gluten-free alternatives like gluten-free graham cracker crumbs.
- Nut-Free Alternative: You can omit the almonds if you are allergic to nuts. You can also try my Coconut Cheesecake Bars, which contains no nuts.
- Replace Almonds: If you are not a fan of almonds, you can use walnut or pecans.
Easy Cheesecake Recipes to Try
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake
- Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
- Mini Chocolate Cheesecake
Almond Joy Cheesecake Bars are a crowd pleaser. Whether you’re just making it for the family, celebrating a special occasion, or simply treating yourself, these bars are an excellent choice for dessert if you love the combination of chocolate and coconut flavors. And the best part is, you can make them ahead of time for added convenience.
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Almond Joy Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
The Crust
- 1½ sleeve Honey Maid Graham Crackers, or 14 sheets
- ½ cup melted butter
- ¼ cup cocoa powder, unsweetened or sweetened, to taste
Cheesecake
- 16 oz. cream cheese, full fat or low fat
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. coconut extract
- ½ cup chopped almonds
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips, ¾ for batter, ¼ for topping
- ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut, + more for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, add the crackers (break them up a little before) and pulse until they are completely crushed.
- In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, cocoa powder and melted butter. Combine well together and press this mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan to create the crust.
- In a separate bowl, beat softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Add the egg and vanilla. Mix to combine well. Reserve some of the chocolate chips on the side for topping.
- Gently fold in the sweetened shredded coconut, mini chocolate chips, and chopped almonds. Fold until well combined.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust and spread it evenly and top with the preserved chocolate chips.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature.
- Refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours (or overnight) until fully chilled and set.
- Once chilled, use the parchment paper to lift the cheesecake out of the pan. Place it on a cutting board and slice into bars. Top with some shredded coconut and crushed almonds. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
- Prep Efficiently: Gather all your ingredients and utensils before starting the baking process.
- Smooth Crust: When you process the Graham cracker cookies, make sure it’s completely smooth and you do not have any chunks
- Even Crust: Press down the graham cracker crumbs evenly and firm to ensure it’s evenly distributed to ensure you have a stable base.
- Room Temperature Cream Cheese: Softened cream cheese blends more easily, ensuring a smoother filling.
- Gentle Mixing: Once the egg is added, mix any other ingredients just until combined. Overmixing can lead to cracks or and bubbles, resulting in an uneven filling.
- Chill Thoroughly: Allow the bars to cool completely at room temperature before refrigerating. Chilling for at least 3 hours and up to overnight will help the filling to set well.
This cannot possibly be true, though. I used a 9×9 pan and a box and a half of crumbs nearly filled up the entire pan after being pressed down. Looking at the pictures of the finished recipe, the crust is quite a bit thinner than the cheesecake layer.
I apologize for the confusion. Each box has 3 sleeves. You need 1.5 sleeve. which is 14-15 sheets. Each sleeve has 9 sheets. You can basically add more or less depending on how thick you like the crust and adjust the butter quantity.
I don’t think it’s meant to say 1 and 1/2 box of graham crackers.
Yes it is 1 1/2 box. In each box there are 3 packs. I used 4 1/2 of those packs. Once you crush them, they will shrink a lot.
Delicious but would put more coconut in next time.
I love coconut.
Yes extra coconut is always great! Thanks for the review.