Cheesecake Bars

5 from 9 votes

Enjoy smooth and creamy vanilla Cheesecake Bars with a sweet graham cracker crust. Top them with fresh berries, berry sauce, caramel, or caramelized sugar for a delicious twist. Enjoy!

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Chilling Time8

Total Time9

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheesecake bars

Servings: bars

Author: Chelsea Lords

Cost: $7.82

Equipment

Ingredients

Cooking spray

Crust

1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
1/3 cup light brown sugar lightly packed
1/4 teaspoon salt

Filling

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese full-fat, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup sour cream full-fat, room temperature
3 large eggs room temperature
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1 large lemon optional
1/4 teaspoon salt
Berry sauce optional, see note 1
Toppings as desired see note 2

US - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375℉ and place the oven rack in the middle position. Line an 8 x 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Leave enough of an overhang to pull out the bars and lightly spray with cooking spray. Melt butter and set aside to cool to room temperature. Zest lemon with a zester to get 1 teaspoon zest. Juice the lemon using a citrus juicer to get 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, add the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar, and salt. Stir until completely combined and then press the crust firmly and evenly into the prepared pan. I like to compress the crust with the bottom of a flat measuring cup. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, remove, and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 325℉.
In a large bowl, combine the room temperature cream cheese, sugar, and flour. Using a hand mixer, beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1–2 minutes. Beat in a constant circle going the same way. Use a spatula to scrape the edges and then add in the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and salt. Beat on low speed until it's just combined and smooth. Be careful not to overmix. Again, beat the mixture in a constant circle going the same direction.
Use a spatula to scrape every bit of the batter onto the slightly cooled crust. Smooth the top into one even layer. Bake for 37–43 minutes at 325℉ or until the filling is set but ever-so-slightly jiggly in the center. The cheesecake will continue to cook as it cools. After the bars are baked, turn off the oven, open the oven door and let the cheesecake stand in the open oven for 30 minutes. Slowly reducing the temperature reduces the risk of cracks. After 30 minutes, transfer the Cheesecake Bars to a wire cooling rack. After 1 hour, cover tightly and refrigerate until the bars are completely chilled through, 6–8 hours.
Use the overhang to lift the Cheesecake Bars out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut into squares and serve with berry sauce or refrigerate, without sauce added, until ready to serve. To get clean slices, run a knife under hot water for a few seconds, wipe to dry, make 1 slice, and repeat.

Video

Notes

Note 1: Berry Sauce Recipe:

2 (16-ounce) packages frozen triple berry medley, slightly thawed
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup granulated sugar

Pour just over 2/3 of each bag of (slightly thawed) frozen berries into a medium pot. Store the rest of the berries in a small bowl in the fridge.
To the pot, add in lemon juice and sugar and bring the berries to a very gentle boil over medium heat. Cook the berries until they are very syrupy, about 4–6 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the berries to slightly cool and then transfer to a blender; pulse the berries to get a smooth puree.
Pass that puree through a fine-mesh strainer and use the back of a wooden spoon to push the mixture through. You should just be left with seeds in the strainer, and that's what you'll discard.
When ready to serve this sauce over the Cheesecake Bars, stir the reserved berries into that smooth sauce and spoon right on top of the bars. You want to top the bars right before eating, so if you won't be eating it immediately, store the berry sauce in the fridge separately.

Note 2: You can top these bars with berry sauce detailed above, fresh berries, or caramel sauce. See blogpost for more ideas!

Nutrition: The nutritional information is for the Cheesecake Bars only, not any of the optional toppings.

Storage: Cheesecake Bars can sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours; after that, refrigerate. Store leftovers in an airtight container or individually wrapped in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze, wrap bars tightly in plastic wrap and place in an airtight container for 2–3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and let sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes before serving.

Nutrition