Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

To be honest, I don't have much of a sweet tooth. Baked goods are not usually the way to my heart (a wedge of triple cream brie, however...). But I saw a random Instagram photo of some raspberry cheesecake bars and for some reason, I absolutely had to have them immediately.

Come to find out, these are so delicious that they can be used as an incentive or bargaining chip with roommates and/or significant others. Oh, you don't want to clean the mold out of the shower? No problem.. I guess I'll take the raspberry cheesecake bars to work where they can be enjoyed by my coworkers exclusively. Don't want to walk the dog tonight, honey? That's ok. I'll just hide the cheesecake where you will NEVER find it. Such as the depths of my stomach.

You'll find things will get done very quickly as soon as cheesecake is involved.

As I've said about  previous baking endeavors, I'm pretty lazy and impatient. But these lil guys were low-impact on the state of my kitchen cleanliness and took only 40 minutes total including prep! The worst part was waiting for them to chill in the fridge for three hours. Slow torture via baked good.

Read on for the recipe and more photos!

This recipe is split into two parts: graham cracker crust and cheesecake filling!

Crushed graham crackers mixed with brown sugar and melted butter form the delicious crust. I added a little bit of cornstarch, which makes the crust a little chewy instead of totally crunchy. Not going to lie, smashing the graham crackers against my counter in a ziplock bag was my favorite part. Second favorite part was getting to use the butter I made last week in this recipe!

I use a hand-me-down hand mixer that my parents received as a wedding gift almost 30 years ago. It looks a little worn out, but it's what my dad always used to make me buttermilk pancakes on Saturday mornings when I was a kid, so getting to use it in my grown-up apartment always makes me feel warm inside. I also used organic eggs from my hometown in Massachusetts! My parents always send me back to New York with a cooler full of homegrown produce - one of the best parts of visiting home.

 

After thoroughly licking the beaters, I transferred the cheesecake mixture to the baking pan and swirled some raspberry preserves over the top. Like I said earlier, after they come out of the oven, the bars need a little time in the fridge to cool. My roommate Erin actually stayed up an extra two hours to wait for them to be done, a true testament to her faith in my baking ability. She's a good friend.

Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
Makes 9-12 bars depending on size of pan

For crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs, freshly crushed
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tbsp corn starch

For filling:
16 oz. softened cream cheese
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp vanilla extract
approximately 1/4 cup raspberry preserves or jam for topping, but use your best eyeball! You might want more or less.

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Start your crust by crushing graham crackers and adding graham crackers, brown sugar, and cornstarch to a bowl and mixing lightly. Add melted butter and mix until dry ingredients are moistened by the butter.
2. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of a greased baking pan. A 9x9 pan will probably work best, though mine was a little bigger. It's also helpful to line the pan with aluminum foil so the bars will pop right out when they're done, but it's not essential Use the back of a spoon to even out the surface of the crust.
3. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes while you make your filling!
4. For the filling, add softened cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla extract to a bowl and mix on medium power with hand mixer or stand mixer until the ingredients are incorporated and there are no lumps.
5. Remove crust from the oven and distribute the cream cheese mixture over the crust. Spoon liberal amounts of raspberry preserves or jam onto the top of the mixture and swirl with the back of the spoon.
6. Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges of the cheesecake start to brown slightly. Transfer to the refrigerator and allow to cool for at least 3 hours so the cheesecake can set.

And that's it! An easy, beautiful dessert that will turn your friends and family into slobbering idiots. You can thank me later.