Perfect Cheesecake Bars

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Perfect Cheesecake Bars are proof that good things come in small packages. These guys serve up your classic NY Style Cheesecake in a smaller, fun-sized portion! They’re totally perfect for any get together or late-night snack attack.

I don’t know if it’s the sudden warm weather, or the rare glimpses of sunshine poking through the clouds lately, but something has got me craving party food.

I’m yearning for a good cookout right now.

Or maybe I’m just craving a party because I want to stand close to a person I’m not married to or that I didn’t make.

I need a fresh audience, people.

For now, I’ll just party in my mind and I’m bringing these Perfect Cheesecake Bars.

Why do we love these little cheesecake bars?

Well, because they are so darn delicious!! And super easy to make.

They taste exactly like your classic NY Style Cheesecake, but just delivered in a more casual and fun little bundle!

So that brings us to the second reason why we love these little guys oh-so much– their size.

The size of these bars is perfect for a dessert table or social gathering.

They can easily be held in one hand and they don’t require a knife and fork to eat.

Also, you’re getting the same great cheesecake flavor, but just in a smaller portion.

So now you can have two pieces! Or three…

…or six.

They’re mini so it’s fine.

Lastly, this is a great way to get started with homemade cheesecake.  If you’ve always wanted to make a cheesecake but were a little intimidated by the process, these cheesecake bars are the perfect way to get your feet wet.

It’s so much easier to tell when they’re done, they have a shorter bake time, and they’re super easy to get out of the pan.

P.S-They also make an ADORABLE gift for someone! Each bar sits nicely in a cupcake wrapper and can be easily transported!

Can I make these ahead?

You sure can!

You can make these cheesecake bars up to two days ahead!

They actually taste better the longer they sit.

But don’t let them sit much longer than a day or two. After day three or four the crust starts getting a little soft.

They can also be frozen before they’re cut.

After you’ve baked them and let them cool, wrap the pan tightly in foil and then plastic wrap, and pop them in the freezer.

The night before you’re going to serve them, take them out of the freezer and pop them in the fridge to thaw.  Once thawed, cut them up and serve.

How to make Perfect Cheesecake Bars From Scratch

Makes 12 bars.

Prepare the pan:

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Grease an 8″x 8″ glass baking dish with butter or cooking spray.  Take two pieces of foil and line the inside of the dish, overlapping one sheet horizontally and one vertically.  You’re making a cross with the foil.  Make sure there is a little overhang of foil on each side of the glass pan for easy cake removal.

Spray or grease the foil layer too.

For The Crust

Graham Crust Ingredients:

• 1 pack (9 crackers) of graham crackers
• 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Instructions:

In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers and sugar together until combined and the crackers are coarsely chopped.  Drizzle in the melted butter and pulse until the crackers are ground into fine crumbs, and evenly moistened.

Dump crumbs into the foil lined baking dish.

Using the bottom of a clean drinking glass, press down the crumbs until evenly packed and distributed at the bottom of the dish.

Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until the edges are just starting to brown.

Remove from the oven and turn the temperature down to 325°.

For The Filling

Cheesecake Ingredients:

• Two  8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened and at room temperature
• 5 tablespoons of sour cream
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 eggs, room temperature

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese at medium to medium low speed until smooth.

Add the sour cream and beat until the cheese and sour cream mixture are smooth and well combined.

Add in the sugar.  Mix for 30 seconds and then scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Next, add the vanilla and the lemon juice and mix on medium low until just incorporated.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each egg.

Once eggs are added to the batter, do a final scrape of the sides and bottom of the bowl, and give a final mix on low for about 10 seconds.

Pour batter onto the prepared crust.

Place the glass 8″x 8″ pan into a slightly larger pan–like a 13″x 9″ or a roasting pan.

Make a water bath by filling the 13″x 9″ pan with enough hot water to match the level of cheesecake batter in the 8″x 8″ baking dish.

Carefully place into a 325° oven.

Bake for 45-50 minutes.  The edges of the cake should be puffed and the middle slightly jiggly.

Shut off the oven.

Leave the oven door cracked for 1 minute, then shut the door and let the cake sit in the oven for another hour.

After an hour, remove the cake from the water bath, let cool completely and then refrigerate for at least 8 hours, but preferably overnight before slicing.

Removing and cutting the cheesecake:

Using the overhanging pieces of foil, carefully remove the cake and set onto a cutting board.

You can remove the foil from the cake at this point too.

Dampen a kitchen towel with warm water and set aside.

Using a large kitchen knife, trim the edges of the cake to even up the sides.

Cut cheesecake into twelve bars. Use the damp towel to wipe the knife clean in between each cut.  This makes for neater squares and a less messy cut.

Serve and enjoy!

How to cut your cheesecake bars cleanly

To get nice clean cuts on your bars, you’ll need a large knife–a chef’s knife works great– and you’ll also need a kitchen towel, dampened with hot water.

Also, before slicing, make sure your cheesecake is super cold and set.  A cheesecake that isn’t completely firmed up will make a huge mess.

When you go to cut your squares, make sure to use the warm, damp, kitchen towel to wipe the knife blade clean after each cut.

This will remove any cheesecake build-up and keep your next slice super clean.

If you notice your cheesecake is starting to get too warm, pop it back in the fridge or the freezer for a few minutes to firm up.

Repeat the slicing and wiping steps until all your bars are cut!

How to keep your cheesecake bars from cracking:

If you’ve ever made cheesecake before, you might have found yourself asking, “why did my cheesecake crack?”.

I hear ya! I’ve asked myself the same thing and what I found out over the years is that the cake is likely too dry!

This could be for many reasons like overbaking, not enough fat in the batter, or the oven environment was just too dry. 

Below is a list of foolproof ways to keep that cake from cracking:

• Use full fat products.  Don’t use light sour cream or low-fat cream cheese. These guys contain a lot of water and that water evaporates while baking, drying your cake out faster.
• Avoid overbeating your eggs.  I read somewhere that overmixing your eggs can lead to cracks, so I usually add eggs after all the other ingredients are in the mix. 
• Use a water bath. I can’t stress this enough. Cheesecakes need gentle, even baking and a water bath provides that. If the cake is baking in uneven, dry heat, your top will crack.
• Let the cake sit in the oven as the temp drops. This ensures there won’t be a temperature shock to the cake. This will also help the sides and center of the cake cool down together, letting the cheesecake easily pull away from the side of the pan. Immediately removing the cake from the hot oven would result in uneven cooling and lots of tug of war between the center and sides of the cake. Thus leading to cracks.
• Do not overbake the cake. Overbaking the cake will dry it out and that leads to cracks. So how do you know when cheesecake bars are done? Look for puffed edges and a quarter sized, moist, dip in the center of the cake. Not a huge dip, just a slight depression. The cheesecake bars should still be a little jiggly in the middle too.  Between the carryover cooking and sitting in a warm oven (turned off) for an hour, the bars will continue cooking. So it’s important to turn off the oven when they look slightly underdone. Don’t worry, the cheesecake won’t be jiggly once it’s completely cooled and set.

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