Cottage Cheese Cheesecake Bars with Chocolate Drizzle

Yield: 12 inch thick bars

• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins
• Cooling Time: 2 ½ hours
• Total Time: 3 hours, 25 mins

Ingredients: For the chocolate drizzle:

• 1/4 cup Bake Believe^® Dark Chocolate Baking Chips
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil

For the crust:

• ½ cups of almond flour
• 2 tablespoons powdered Swerve
• ¼ cup melted butter

For the filling:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup cottage cheese (processed until smooth)
• ½  cup of powdered Swerve
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 325°F and line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, powdered Swerve, and melted butter for the crust. Stir until the combined.
3. Press the crust mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
4. Bake the crust in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
5. In a food processor, blend the cottage cheese until smooth.
6. In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, cottage cheese, powdered Swerve, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
7. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust, spreading it evenly.
8. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the cheesecake is set but still slightly jiggly in the center.
9. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely in the baking dish.
10. Once cooled, refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight, to allow the cheesecake to firm up.
11. Once the cheesecake has chilled, prepare the chocolate drizzle. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the 1/4 cup Bake Believe^® Dark Chocolate Baking Chips and coconut oil together in 5-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until smooth and melted.
12. Remove the chilled cheesecake from the baking dish and place it on a cutting board and cut into 1 inch thick bars.
13. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the top of the cheesecake in a decorative pattern.
14. Place the cheesecake bars back in the refrigerator for a few minutes to allow the chocolate drizzle to set.
15. Serve right away or keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Enjoy!