Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

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With a creamy chocolate chip filling and decadent chocolate ganache on top, this chocolate chip cheesecake is easy to make and absolutely delicious.

Forkful of chocolate chip cheesecake.

 I swiped this easy chocolate chip cheesecake recipe from my Mama’s book of recipe clippings and I gotta tell y’all, this is now one of my favorite cheesecake recipes ever.

Now, you only need five simple ingredients you probably already have on hand: vanilla extract, cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, an egg, and chocolate chips. Most cheesecake fillings involve simple ingredients. Of course, any cheesecake I make is gonna involve simple ingredients or I’m not making it. I save my “complicated stuff” brain cells for raising teenagers, navigating life, and juggling schedules. I don’t have the time or inclination for complicated cooking. 

Place that “simple” cheesecake filling in a graham cracker crust and after baking and cooling, we’re going to top it with a creamy chocolate ganache. Yep, chocolate lovers are going to fall head over heels for this homemade chocolate chip cheesecake. 

If you love this as much as me, you’re going to need to immediately make a batch of these chocolate chip cheesecake bars. You can thank me later!

Labeled ingredients for chocolate chip cheesecake.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Graham cracker pie crust
  • Vanilla
  • Cream cheese at room temperature (here’s our easy-peasy recipe for homemade cream cheese).
  • Sweetened condensed milk
  • Egg
  • Semi-sweet chocolate chips (or whatever kind of chocolate chips you have on hand).

How to Make Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

In a large bowl, place the softened cream cheese, condensed milk, egg, and vanilla extract.

In a large bowl, place the softened cream cheese, condensed milk, egg, and vanilla extract.

Beat ingredients.

Beat cream cheese mixture like a rug after a dust storm (or, you know, on medium speed).

Toss chocolate chips in flour.

Sprinkle your flour over the chocolate chips and toss them a little bit to coat.

Add choc chips to mixing bowl.

Dump the chocolate chips into the cheesecake batter.

Mix ingredients together.

Stir ’em up a little bit with a spoon.

Pour cheesecake batter into pie crust.

Pour the cheesecake batter into the graham cracker crust.

Baked chocolate chip cheesecake.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or so until set.

Note: the chocolate chip cheesecake will be a little bit puffy when you take it out of the oven but it will settle down and look like this after a few minutes. 

Let this cool completely before adding the ganache topping.

Microwave choc chips and heavy cream to make ganache.

How to Make Chocolate Ganache Topping

In a small bowl or small saucepot, place the heavy cream and chocolate chips for the ganache.

Now, traditionally folks make this on the stovetop and you can certainly do that.

To make it on the stovetop

Place ingredients in a small saucepot over low heat and stir constantly until chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth and creamy. Immediately remove from the heat.

To make it in the microwave

Note: I have stopped sharing microwave recipes and such on SouthernPlate because I find that so many folks have vastly varying wattages in their microwaves and it really requires personal judgment and a careful eye to watch things cooked that way. Having said that, if you feel like doing it the easy way, join me in the next step.

Chocolate ganache

Heat this in the microwave for about 30 seconds and stir, stir, stir.

 Please do this on the stovetop if you have an older microwave or don’t feel comfortable using your personal judgment to know when to stop heating.

Heat it another 30 seconds. Stir, stir, stir.

Repeat one more time. Stir, stir, stir.

By this time, our bowl is already very warm and if there are little bits of chips that have not yet melted, just keep stirring because between that and the warm bowl, they will melt soon.

Once the chocolate ganache is all smooth and creamy, do this…

Pour ganache over chocolate chip cheesecake.

Pour ganache over the pie and spread it around a bit to cover the top.

Refrigerate cheesecake for several hours.

Now cover this and put it in the fridge for several hours.

Set chocolate chip cheesecake.

When ready to serve, remove your chocolate chip cheesecake from the fridge, slice, and dig in!

Chocolate chip cheesecake.

If you want to go that extra step, add some whipped cream and extra chocolate chips on top.

Inside a slice of chocolate chip cheesecake.

Look at those chocolate chips!

Slice of chocolate chip cheesecake with ice cream and chocolate syrup.

 You simply must make this soon! It is SO GOOD!

Storage

Store cake leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also freeze leftovers for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.

Recipe Notes

  • Sprinkling the chocolate chips with flour and tossing them about gives them a coating that can cling to the cake batter a bit and keep them from sinking to the bottom of the pie. Mini chocolate chips also won’t sink as quickly as regular chocolate chips. This also works well for berries and such when making a berry pie.
  • Adapt this cake recipe to suit you. You can use miniature chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, caramel bits, or peanut butter chips.
  • Instead of the chocolate ganache, you can simply top your chocolate chip cheesecake with whipped cream (here’s my homemade whipped cream recipe) and some decorative chocolate chips. Another option is serving a slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some chocolate sauce as I did above. YUM.
Slice of chocolate chip cheesecake.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

With a creamy chocolate chip filling and decadent chocolate ganache on top, this chocolate chip cheesecake is easy to make and absolutely delicious.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cheesecake, chocolate
Servings: 8
Calories: 507kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 graham cracker crust
  • 1 package cream cheese at room temp
  • 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or whatever chocolate chips you have

Chocolate Ganache

  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions

  • Place the softened cream cheese, egg, vanilla extract, and condensed milk in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour this cream cheese mixture into the pie crust.
    1 graham cracker crust, 1 package cream cheese, 1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 egg, 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Bake at 350 for 25-28 minutes, or until set in the center. Allow to cool completely.
  • To make the ganache, combine the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a small saucepot over low heat. Stir constantly until melted and well blended. Pour over the top of the cheesecake and allow it to cool.
    1/2 cup chocolate chips, 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • Cover and refrigerate for several hours before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 507kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

You might like these other dessert recipes:

 Frozen Turtle Pie

Strawberry Cream Pie

Triple Chocolate Brownie Pie

 Frozen Oreo Pie

Fried Chocolate Pies

Caramel Banana Pie

“It takes as much energy to wish as it does to plan.”

~Eleanor Roosevelt

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81 Comments

  1. I was trying to think of something to take to small group bible study tonight and this is perfect! Thank you!

    ~giggle~~giggle~~giggle~

  2. Someone is annoyed by your giggling?!? Ummmm, have they listened to you talk on a video yet? It’s REAL! Christy is a giggler…and we love it! If you were a grump and wrote “giggle” it would be a problem, but you’re just letting us into your kitchen, and you giggle in your kitchen. : ) Keep up the good work…”giggle”!

  3. Nothin’ like a chocolate chip cheesecake to make me giggle and go, “BOOM!” Can’t wait to try this. Looks like ya hit it outta the ballpark, once again! Wondering if you’ve ever had Goodman’s imitation vanilla. Cheap n good, just like we like it! *giggles*

  4. Giggle, giggle, yum! (Ever read the book, “Giggle, Giggle, Quack”? It’s kind of like that.)

  5. The trick with the flour works well with things you put in cake batter also ie nuts , choco chips, etc.

      1. How ’bout you make your own vanilla. Then you won’t have to cut back on the quality vanilla or the cost. Use a split vanilla bean to a pint of plain brandy (Don’t use vodka. Brandy gives it a nice, mellow slightly sweet flavor.) Let it sit in the back of the pantry until it gets to be a medium-to-dark honey color. Decant into a smaller bottle for use, just ‘cuz it’s less messy that way. We use a fifth of Jacques Cardin brandy and about 4 Madagascar vanilla beans per batch. Makes enough for gifts and several months of baking. When the bottle is empty, blot your vanilla beans dry, cut in half, and put them in your sugar cannister. There will still be enough vanilla in there to make good vanilla sugar.

        1. I know a few people who do that and love it! I love my imitation just as much 🙂 But that’s one of the great things about all of us, we’re different but still a family 🙂 Thanks for the instructions, I bet some folks will definitely take up doing this thanks to you!

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