The Best Cheesecake Bars

Cheesecake has a reputation for being hard to make. It’s a pretty deserved reputation – if you’ve ever tried to follow a recipe for a full round cheesecake, you’ve probably ended up in a mess of weird oven temperatures, water baths, propping the oven open…only for the cheesecake to still crack. While round cheesecakes are impressive when you do get them right, I prefer to hedge my bets by making cheesecake bars. I prefer their taste over regular cheesecake because they have a higher crust to filling ratio, so they’re more balanced. And they are much easier to make! In fact, my recipe for cheesecake can be entirely made in a food processor. You start by pulverizing the graham crackers and mixing the crust, then you blend the cheesecake filling ingredients in there as well. If you don’t mind some graham cracker crumbs in your cheesecake filling, you don’t even need to clean the food processor in between. All in all, I could probably assemble this whole cheesecake in under 30 minutes.

Ingredients

• Graham Crackers
• Sugar
• Butter
• Cinnamon
• Creme Fraiche or Sour Cream
• Vanilla Extract
• Lemon Juice
• Eggs

Tips

• Creme fraiche is like a thicker, less sour sour cream. Imagine it as a cross between clotted cream and sour cream. It adds a nice lushness to the cheesecake, but it can be difficult to find. If you can’t find it, feel free to substitute sour cream.
• It is okay if the cheesecake browns a bit in the oven, but keep an eye on how set it is. It is done when it is still a little bit soft in the middle – avoid overbaking.
• You can customize these bars by mixing in something or adding a topping! You can also sub the graham crackers for another type of cookie. For instance, I’ve made these with Oreo crust and Oreos mixed in. Or you could swirl them with jam, or Nutella, or whatever you want.

Cheesecake Bars

An easier cheesecake recipe!

Prep Time: 30 min	Cook Time: 45 min
Total Time: 75 min	Serves: 12

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust:

• 24 full sheet graham crackers
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 12 tbsp melted butter
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Cheesecake Filling:

• 32 oz cream cheese in blocks, at room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Using a food processor or blender (or by hand), pulverize graham crackers to fine crumbs.
3. Combine graham crackers, melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Should form moist crumbs.
4. Press graham cracker crumbs into an even layer in a 9x13 baking pan and press down firmly. The bottom of a cup is a helpful tool fo this.
5. Bake crust for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, using a hand mixer or food processor, cream together cream cheese, creme fraiche, and sugar until fluffy and free of lumps.
7. Blend in eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice until smooth. Try not to over mix!
8. Pour batter over the crust and bake in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until just set but still a bit soft in the center (it will firm up as it cools).
9. Let cool and enjoy!

Notes

This recipe is vegetarian.