These Discontinued Philadelphia Snack Cakes Were A '90s Kid's Dream

There are certain snacks from childhood that you may not have eaten in decades, yet you can remember exactly the way they looked, tasted, and made you feel. Sadly, many of the treats that we remember fondly can no longer be found. This nostalgia fuels our desire for a taste of simpler times, and has us wondering why these snacks ever had to leave in the first place. For instance, Philadelphia Cheesecake Snack Bars are one of the many foods from the 90s that we really miss. 

These tasty, portable refrigerated treats had a graham cracker crust and a spongy cream cheese filling on top. Certain flavors like the strawberry cheesecake and white chocolate raspberry cheesecake had a river of jam running down the center of the bar, creating the perfect bite of fruity cheese bliss without the hassle of making or buying an entire cake. 

Other flavors that were sold during the snack's heyday included classic cream cheese and chocolate chip topped with a chocolate drizzle. The treat arrived on shelves in 1999 and remained a fan favorite until Philadelphia's parent company, Kraft, discontinued the snack in the mid-2000s. And while its disappearance has been the subject of much ire and speculation, we might finally know why these treats had to say goodbye.

Discussions on Reddit in the r/nostalgia subreddit hit millennials with major flashbacks after one user posted a photo of Philadelphia Cheesecake Snack Bars. Users recalled finding them at the back of their fridge where their parents were hoping they would be hidden, because the treat was beloved by the whole family. Another commenter claimed that these snacks tested their restraint, writing, "My mom stopped buying them because I couldn't eat less than two at a time." And one user asked what we have all been wondering for years: "I would love to know why they quit making them. I KNOW it wasn't because people didn't find them insanely delicious."

While Kraft initially gave no reason for discontinuing this iconic treat, the most common reasons for a snack product to be discontinued is due to low sales or high manufacturing costs. Clearly, this treat was loved by many, leaving us to believe that it may have been a costly to make and ship it. Years after the company's decision, My Urban Treats reached out to Kraft Marketing Director Bazak Oguz with this exact question, to which the director replied, "Philadelphia Snack Bars were discontinued due to challenges within manufacturing capabilities."

While many are wishing that this discontinued snack food would make a comeback, others have taken matters into their own hands. Crafty creators all over the internet have attempted to recreate Philadelphia Cheesecake Snack Bars with the hopes of enjoying a taste of their childhood. One creative baker on TikTok, who got pretty close to perfecting the sweet treat we recall so fondly, shared that these bars are "one of the snacks that really lived on in my brain."

@lilypcrumbs

90s kids and early 2000s kids, I am once again asking for your support. philadelphia cheesecake snack bars. Please please tell you remember these. I missed them so much. Recipe will be on my website today!! Toodles. #ReadySetLift #nostalgicbakedgoods #90skids #90scommercial #90ssnacks #cheesecake #bernadoodlepuppy @philadelphia

♬ original sound – Alex G-lilypcrumbs

Other fans of the discontinued bars have found an alternative on the modern snack market. Fiber One cheesecake bars look similar to the 1990s snack, with the same recognizable strawberry ribbon running down the center of the bar. However, reviews on Amazon are extremely mixed concerning the snack's flavor and texture. From the looks of the 150-calorie bar, it is clearly much drier than the moist bite of cheesecake we remember as kids. 

While we appreciate the attempt at copycat recipes, nothing has quite filled the hole that Philadelphia Cheesecake Snack Bars left behind. But for the simplest substitute of all, you could always cut a regular cheesecake into smaller rectangles and top with quick and easy jam, chocolate, or other ingredients to DIY your own snack-size bars.