Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

I promised to have the recipe for these Strawberry Cheesecake Bars up last week, but life has been life-ing, OK? Better late than never, right? Besides, I provided my inspiration and available recipe by linking to The Squeaky Mixer in my captions each time I talked about these, so you had an option to hold you over! Thanks for waiting tho: I think these are worth it.

If I had to compare the flavor and texture of these Strawberry Cheesecake Bars to something else, I’d say they taste very much like the JELL-O brand boxed no-bake strawberry cheesecake mix you can find in the baking aisle of the grocery store. You guys know I love cheesecake, but I’m a no-bake girly. These bars are baked, but the cheesecake is still super light and fluffy. The crust on these bars also extra thick, because why not?

Strawberry Cheesecake Bars Ingredients

Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Strawberry Cheesecake Bars recipe:

• Graham crackers, salted butter: Recipe calls for a whole box of graham crackers because I love me some crust! Feel free to half the ingredient amounts called for if you’re more conservative.
• Light brown sugar, sugar, vanilla extract: Brown sugar for the crust, granulated sugar for the cheesecake and compote. Vanilla in the cheesecake, too. Dark brown sugar is fine for the crust.
• 
Cream cheese, sour cream, heavy whipping cream, large eggs: The main components of the cheesecake for our Strawberry Cheesecake Bars.
• 
Strawberries, lemon juice, cornstarch: For our compote. Don’t skip out on the cornstarch, it’s there to thicken the berries after they’ve released the juices.
• Vanilla candy melts: The drizzle! You could also use melted white chocolate, but I think it’s too sweet, personally. You do you.

How to Make Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Strawberry Cheesecake Bars recipe:

• Start on the Strawberry Cheesecake Bars. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a 9×13″ baking dish with parchment paper. Begin by making the crust: mix together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and light brown sugar. Mix well, until the mixture resembles wet sand, and will stick together when you squeeze it in your palm. Pour into the prepared baking dish and use the bottom of a measuring cup or a spatula to smooth the crumb mixture into an even layer, and press it down into the bottom of the pan. Use the tip of a spoon to press down along the edges of the pan, too. Set the crust aside.
• Build the Cheesecake. In the bowl of your stand mixer affixed with the whisk attachment – or a large mixing bowl if you’re using a hand mixer – add the cream cheese, sour cream, heavy whipping cream, vanilla extract, and granulated sugar. Mix on medium speed just until the ingredients are combined, then add in one egg. Mix well, incorporating the egg completely before adding the next. Repeat this process with the final egg. After the eggs are beaten in, increase the speed to high and beat the mixture for one more minute, until slightly aerated with no large lumps. Pour the cheesecake mixture into the baking dish and spread it out over the crust in an even layer. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 40–45 minutes – until the edges are deeply browned and pulling away from the sides of the pan. The center should still be jiggly if you tap or shake the pan. Don’t overbake the Strawberry Cheesecake Bars! Allow the cheesecake to come to room temperature, then transfer it to the refrigerator to chill while you make the strawberry compote.
• Make the Strawberry Compote. Add the strawberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice to a small saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir together until the cornstarch has been incorporated. Cover with a lid and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the berries have softened, and the liquid has become thick and syrupy. Pour the compote into a small bowl and allow it to cool.
• Finish the Strawberry Cheesecake Bars. Once the cheesecake has chilled completely, remove it from the fridge. Grab the parchment paper and gently transfer the cake from the pan to your work surface. Peel the parchment paper away from the sides, then use a long knife to slice off just the browned edges of the cheesecake. Turn the cheesecake vertically and slice down the center into two long rectangles. Turn it back horizontally, and cut these two rectangles into 7 bars each, giving you 14 total. Now, use a butter knife or the tip of a small spoon to scrape out the very center of each bar, leaving a long trench down the middle of each one. Don’t dig too deeply. Refer to the videos on my social media for help if you need it. Spoon the strawberry compote into the wells you made, taking care not to overfill or drip any on the surface of the bars. Once all the bars have been filled, add your candy melts to a microwave safe bowl and zap them in 30 second intervals, stirring between each one, until it’s melted and runny. Use a spoon, fork, or knife to drizzle the candy melt side to side across the surface of each cheesecake bar. Let harden. Dassit!

Obligatory Pinterest Graphic –

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