Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
These cheesecake bars are a perfect spring or summer dessert! So fruity and refreshing, yet rich. Easy to make with the help of a food processor. This recipe can be made ahead and frozen for later.
Servings: 12 bars
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Freeze Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Mixing bowl
food processor
Electring hand mixer
8" x 8" square pan
For the Crust:
- 1 package graham crackers (about 10 sheets)
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ cup butter, melted
For the Filling:
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup strawberries, sliced and de-stemmed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
Crush graham crackers into fine crumbs by placing them in a zip-top bag, and crush with a rolling pin, or whirling in a food processor
Pour into a bowl, and add sugar and melted butter
Stir together until evenly combined
Press graham cracker mixture into an 8x8 inch square pan lined with parchment paper
Refrigerate or freeze while preparing the filling
To prepare the filling, Combine fir soft cream cheese, sliced strawberries, sugar, and vanilla extract in a food process, and process until smooth. Alternatively, this can be done by mashing the strawberries by hand, and whisking ingredients together. If using this method, you will want to make sure your cream cheese is very soft.
In a separate bowl, whip chilled cream until stiff peaks form
Add cream cheese and strawberry combination, and fold together until just combined
Spread evenly over crust
Freeze for at least one hour before serving
Can be covered with heavy cling wrap and frozen for several days before serving
The 15-minute prep time includes destemming and slicing strawberries.
I like to serve these bars half frozen, so if they’ve been in the freezer for several hours, I’ll remove them about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.