Fun and Easy No Bake Cream Cheese Bars
I made cream cheese bars recipe on a whim recently. It’s because there was a national chocolate chip holiday! Yes, there is apparently a national holiday for anything and everything. So in this cream cheese bar recipe there are a mix of mini and full size chocolate chips. It’s a lovely surprise. I love a no bake recipe, so I crafted this to be a “no bake chocolate chip cream cheese rice puff bars” in a flash.
No bake options are the best as it’s starting to warm up outside. Most of these items you might find hanging out in your pantry. Let’s be honest, you always have a pack of cream cheese and chocolate chips in your kitchen. Rice puffs may be optional but I like the texture it provides in this otherwise creamy crunchy bar. It gives it a nice foundation for it to all sit on.
Layer bars are so fun to make, because you can be creative as to what you want to put in it. You can make this flavor into anything you want to, especially as it uses plain cream cheese. Cream cheese is a great canvas to make into new flavors. This time though it’s going to be simple, it’s going to be filled with chocolate chips. The top is then coated with a very simple hard shell which adds another layer of crunchiness which I absolutely adore.
These make 8 bars, but you can make into smaller bite sized pieces if you wanted to. Honestly, when you eat one piece and you will want another piece, so you might as well make into 8 bars. It is too good not to just have one bite! Check out the full recipe, I swear it’s an easy one!
No Bake Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Rice Puff Bars
A three layer no bake bar, perfect for outings, simple dessert and easy for parties!
- 8×8 pan
Bottom layer (rice puffs)
- 2 cups toasted rice puffs
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp nut butter (I used cashew butter)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
Middle Layer (cream cheese)
- 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil (room temperature)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips (mix of mini and/or full size)
Top Layer (hard chocolate shell)
- 4 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp coconut oil (melted)
Layer the bottom of the 8×8 pan with plastic wrap or parchment paper, as it will be easier to remove once the layers are set.
Bottom Layer (rice puffs)
Use fresh rice puffs if you can, otherwise toasting these in a pan for a few minutes will help make them crisp up again.
In a medium bowl, melt in the microwave nut butter, coconut oil and maple syrup until well combined.
Pour in rice puffs and mix together the wet ingredients until all the rice puffs are covered.
Pour in the rice puff mix and pat it down evenly in the 8×8 pan, set aside.
Middle Layer (cream cheese)
In a medium bowl, mix together room temperature cream cheese, room temperature coconut oil, lemon juice and vanilla extract.
Mix very well so there are no cream cheese lumps left.
Fold in all chocolate chips, then pour this layer on top of the rice puffs evenly.
Top Layer (chocolate shell)
In a small bowl, whisk melted coconut oil with cocoa powder until you have a nice ganache consistency for the shell. This goes right on top of the cream cheese layer.
Once all layers are assembled on top of each other, place the pan in a fridge for at least 30 minutes or more, until the chocolate shell has hardened.
This can be cut into 8 bars and enjoyed through the week.
It’s important to note that when making the cream cheese layer, you must use room temperature cream cheese and room temperature coconut oil. If the coconut oil is a little warmer, that’s even better. This is because a slight cold change when mixing with coconut oil, it will harden and will create lumps in your bars. So mixing the same temperature ingredients is the key!
Happy no-baking and enjoy this easy recipe!
Love,
Rina
