Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
Strawberry Cheesecake Bars are an easy-to-make dessert filled with fresh strawberries, creamy cheesecake filling with a buttery graham cracker crust. These little bars are a crowd pleaser!
Ingredients
For the crust
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup (113g) butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons sugar
For the filling
- 1 cup (100g) sugar
- 2 8-oz (450g) bricks of cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups (400g) fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
For the crust
- Line a 9 x 13 baking dish with foil, leaving enough for overhang. (You will be using the foil as a handle to pull the bars out of the pan once they are done baking.)
- Add graham crackers, sugar and melted butter to a medium mixing bowl. Mix ingredient together.
- Set aside about 2 tablespoons of the crumbs for garnish later.
- Pour remaining graham cracker crumbs into the baking dish and press down with your hands or a small measuring cup. (I like to use a measuring cup because it really packs the crumbs down.)
- Refrigerate crust until ready to use. (You do not need to prebake the crust. Normally, people prebake a crust, but with a graham cracker crust, it will hold together by chilling or freezing. In this recipe, it will also be baked.)
For the filling
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat cream cheese on medium until light and fluffy.
- Add the sugar and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Add eggs and beat until combined.
- Add vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- Spread mixture evenly into baking dish over the graham cracker crust.
- Arrange sliced strawberries evenly over the filling.
- Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs over the top.
- Bake for 28-30 minutes. (Center will be soft set and will become firmer upon cooling.)
- Remove bars from oven and let cool in baking dish on a wire cooling rack. Once bars reach room temperature, refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight if you have the time.
- Remove bars from refrigerator. Grasping both sides of the foil, lift bars out from the pan and slice into 16 slices with a sharp knife.
Notes
Strawberry cheesecake bars can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Strawberry cheesecake bars can be frozen but must be cooled completely at room temperature and then fully set and chilled in the refrigerator overnight. Bars can be frozen for 1-2 months in an airtight container or sealed freezer bag.