I woke up this morning in a strawberry mood. Sometimes you just need to satisfy whatever craving comes around so I made these out of this world strawberry cheesecake bars. Rich and dreamy and so easy to make. Just finished off two and that did the trick! Yum …so creamy and smooth and sweet and just downright decadent. Wonder what my next craving will be.
Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
Graham Cracker Crust
2 cups crushed graham crackers or use already made
1 stick butter, melted (1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
Preheat oven to 325 F degrees.
Line a 8 x8 baking dish with parchment paper, letting edges hang over the side. If you don’t have parchment paper, just spray dish with nonstick spray.
Combine the graham cracker crumbs with the butter, brown sugar and mix well. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and press down hard to create an even layer. Use the back of a measuring cup or the bottom of a glass or jar.
Bake the crust until beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool before pouring in mixture for cheesecake.
Cheesecake
2 (8 ounce each) bricks cream cheese (softened)
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 eggs
Using a hand mixer, mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add in eggs one at a time and mix until combined. Add in vanilla extract. Scrape down bowl as needed and continue mixing until mixture is smooth and creamy.
Pour filling on top of crust and use a rubber spatula to smooth out the batter.
Bake in 325 oven for about 35-40 minutes. When done, the center should be slightly jiggly but the very edge around the cheesecake should just start to turn golden. It’s okay if there are some cracks in the cheesecake. They will minimize as the cheesecake cools, and the strawberry topping will cover.
Take cheesecake out to cool for about an hour and then cover and place in fridge to cool completely. This will take about 4-6 hours (or more) to completely chill.
Strawberry topping
1 ½ cups fresh strawberries, chopped
5 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch
While the cheesecake bars are baking, make the strawberry sauce. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring all the sauce ingredients to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking, stirring often, until the sauce is thick and a deep red color, about 15 minutes.
Once the strawberry mixture resembles a jam-like consistency, remove from heat and set aside. Allow to fully cool before topping the cheesecake bars.
White Chocolate Drizzle
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
4 teaspoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Combine white chocolate chips with milk and vanilla. Microwave on 70 percent power for 1 minute. Stir. Repeat, if necessary, for 10 to 20 seconds until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
Assembly
Once cheesecake has cooled, remove from refrigerator. Slice into squares. Drop a dollop of the cooled strawberry topping on top of each bar and with the back of a spoon, spread from edge to edge. Drizzle white chocolate on top.
Store in airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to three days.
So delicious!
