Gluten Free Snickers Cheesecake

This Gluten Free Snickers Cheesecake is a decadent dessert with a gluten free oreo crust, creamy brown sugar cheesecake filling, topped with homemade salted caramel sauce and of course, plenty of chopped-up mini snickers candy bars.

This gooey and creamy treat is the perfect dessert - you don't need any special occasions to whip up this recipe. It also makes a great gift to bring to a dinner party or potluck.

You may think this dessert will be a little labor intensive but it is made with simple ingredients and will take less than one hour to bake. It will actually take longer to cool this cheesecake than to bake it.

This small cheesecake is baked in a loaf pan (8.5 x 4) and will give you 4-6 pieces depending on how big you cut the pieces. The great thing about this small cheesecake is the fact that it chills within hours and you can serve it after just 2-3 hours in the fridge.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten-Free Oreos: The crust for this Snickers Cheesecake is made with Gluten free Oreos (regular stuffed). Chocolate sandwich cookies are widely available but other brands like Kinnikinnick KinniTOOS or Glutino Chocolate Vanilla Creme Cookies work just as fine. You can also use my gluten-free shortbread crust (Found here).

Cream Cheese: In this cheesecake recipe I use full-fat blocks/bricks of cream cheese. My brand of choice if Philadelphia which is gluten-free according to the Kraft-Heinz website. I always recommend checking the packaging or the manufacturer’s website to ensure the products used are celiac safe.

Snickers Candy Bar: Snicker Bars are a very popular candy bar with caramel and peanuts covered with milk chocolate. If you love peanuts and caramel you will love this Snickers Cheesecake. I use Mini Snicker Bars in this recipe but clearly, the regular-sized ones work just as fine.

Sour Cream: A little sour cream in the cream cheese helps to balance the sweetness. I use full fat but this will also work with low fat. You may also use yogurt or creme fraiche.

Kitchen Tools needed to make a Small Cheesecake

Loaf Pan: This small gluten free snickers cheesecake is baked in a standard loaf pan (8-½ x 4-½ x 2-½ inches). If you use a larger loaf pan, the cheesecake will be thinner and will also bake more quicker. I do not recommend using a smaller loaf pan since the crust will be too thick and the filling too tall. (I do not test my recipes in glass or silicone bakeware)

Mixer: Since this is a small batch of cheesecake, your KitchenAid Mixer may have issues mixing the ingredients. This should not be an issue if you have a smaller model but a 5-quart mixing bowl may be too big. I use a hand mixer for this recipe. Alternatively, you can also make the cheesecake filling in a food processor.

Blender or Food Processor: I use my food processor to ground up the Oreo Cookies (cookies and cream filling). You can also crush them in a ziplock bag with the help of a rolling pin.

You will also need: a small bowl for the cheesecake crust, a flexible heatproof spatula, a whisk, a small pot (for the salted caramel)

Step by Step Instructions to bake Snickers Cheesecake

The recipe for this small cheesecake is very simple and comes together in a pinch.

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 325F and arrange the wire rack in the oven in the middle. Line a standard loaf pan (8.5 x 4.5 inches) with parchment paper. Make sure to leave some overhang on the sides of the pan to remove the snickers cheesecake without any issues.

Step 2: Crush up the oreo sandwich cookies (cookies and filling) into crumbs and mix them in a small bowl with the melted butter. Press them into the bottom of the prepared loaf pan. I recommend using the back of a spoon or an offset knife for this.

Step 3: Bake the gluten free oreo cheesecake crust at 325F for 12 minutes. Remove from the oven (lower the oven temperature to 300F) and allow for it to cool for a couple of minutes.

Step 4: While the cheesecake crust is baking, combine the room temperature cream cheese and brown sugar in the bowl of your mixer and mix until light and fluffy (around 2 minutes). Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides with a flexible spatula. Make sure there are no large lumps of cream cheese batter. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and mix to combine. Beat in the eggs and the egg yolk one at a time, just until combined; do not overmix once you’ve added the eggs. Turn off your mixer and with a flexible spatula fold everything together (this is to make sure everything has been incorporated fully)

Step 5: Sprinkle the prebaked crust with chopped-up Snickers and top with the cheesecake batter.

Step 6: Bake the snickers cheesecake at 300F for 24-26 minutes or until the dessert is set around the edges but still slightly jiggles in the middle.

Step 7: Turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 30-45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely at room temperature before transferring it to the fridge.

How to make Salted Caramel Sauce

This recipe makes a generous amount of salted caramel sauce to use as a topping for this small gluten free snickers cheesecake. You may be tempted to cut it in half but let's be honest, there is no such thing as too much caramel. You can use Leftover Caramel Sauce to make Gluten Free Salted Caramel Meringue Cookies or Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting.

Please be careful when making caramel sauce - caramel burns can be very painful. I recommend measuring out all your ingredients before starting.

Step 1: In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and warm water. Carefully bring the mixture to a simmer without stirring. Allow to simmer on medium heat under supervision until it reaches a copper/iced tea color - this depends on your stove. This can take anywhere from 5 minutes to 10 minutes.

Step 2: Remove the pan from heat and carefully add the room temperature heavy cream little by little. Please be careful because the mixture will bubble up and may splatter. Once all the liquid has been added, add the butter and whisk vigorously until it is combined.

Step 3: Return the salted caramel sauce to the stove on low heat for a minute bring back to a low simmer and whisk to combine. IF your caramel looks broken or gritty, you can save it with a squeeze of lemon juice (like a teaspoon or less!). Whisk in the vanilla and kosher salt.

Allow your caramel sauce to cool completely at room temperature before topping the Snickers Cheesecake. Store any leftover caramel sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Decorating a Gluten Free Snickers Cheesecake

You have two options when it comes to decorating this snickers cheesecake. Option 1 is to slice it before decorating each individual slice or you can decorate the entire baked cheesecake. No matter which option you choose, the cheesecake and the caramel sauce must be cool before decorating. A cold cheesecake is easier to cut than one that barely had any time to set up.

Top the cheesecake with a caramel layer and then top with chopped-up mini snickers bars. If you would like to take this baked dessert to the next level, top it with some melted chocolate or chocolate sauce and salted peanuts.

Pro Tips for making a Small Cheesecake

Room Temperature Ingredients: It's important to have the cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream at room temperature before making the cheesecake batter. I recommend placing the unwrapped block of cream cheese on a microwave plate and nuke it at 50-70% power for 10-15 seconds on each side. As for the eggs, place them in a bowl of warm water until ready to use.

Don't overmix the filling: If you mix the eggs too long, the incorporated air will cause the cheesecake to rise too quickly while being baked and then collapse.

Allow the cheesecake to cool slowly: Cooling the cheesecake for 30 minutes in the oven will prevent cracking of the surface.

Hot, clean knife: use a hot, clean Chef's knife to cut the Snickers Cheesecake. I like to dip my knife in a pitcher of hot water, dry it with a clean towel, and then cut my cheesecake. Make sure to clean the blade between each cut.

FAQ for Gluten Free Snickers Cheesecake

Can I double this recipe?
Yes, you can bake this recipe for Gluten Free Snickers Cheesecake in an 8x8 pan. To double the recipe, please use TWO whole eggs and ONE egg yolk. And increase the baking time to 32-36 minutes.

How long can cream cheese and cheesecake sit out?
Food safety experts recommend that 2 hours is the maximum amount of time that cream cheese and a baked cheesecake should sit at room temperature. Other experts recommend no longer than 4 hours. I highly recommend storing this small cheesecake in the fridge and only allowing for it to sit at room temperature for up to 4hrs.

How should I store a cheesecake?
To store this cheesecake place it in an airtight container and store it in your fridge for up to 5 days. You may also freeze the undecorated cheesecake up to 3 months. Thaw it in your fridge overnight or let it sit at room temperature (up to 4hrs).