The Best Cheesecake Bars Recipe

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A sweet, tangy, creamy NY Style cheesecake on a buttery graham cracker crust, cut into neat little squares! It's all the benefits of a full cake in a perfect portion!

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Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 1 50

Total Time: 10 20

Servings: Bars

Author: Michelle

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

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

Cheesecake Filling

16 ounces of cream cheese, softened and at room temperature
5 tablespoons of sour cream
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs, room temperature

Instructions

Prep The Pan

Preheat the oven to 350° and grease an 8x8" glass baking dish with butter or cooking spray. Line the inside of the pan with two pieces of foil, placing one sheet across the pan and the other perpendicular to criss-cross. Leave a little foil hanging over each side to easily lift the cake out once it’s baked. Grease the foil layer too.

Make The Graham Cracker Crust

Place the graham cracker in a ziptop bag and crush with a rolling pin to get fin crumbs. Add the crumbs to a bowl and add the sugar.
Pour the melted butter over the crumbs and stir until the mixture looks 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 the crust at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are just starting to brown.
Remove the crust from the oven and turn the temperature down to 325°.

Make The Cheesecake Filling

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese at medium low speed until smooth. Add the sour cream and beat until the cheese and sour cream mixture are smooth and well combined.
Next, add in the sugar. Mix for 30 seconds and then scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Add the vanilla and the lemon juice and mix on medium low until just incorporated.
Mix in the eggs one at a time, making sure each one is fully blended before adding the next one.
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 the batter onto prepared crust.

Baking And Cooling

Make a water bath by placing the 8"x 8" pan into a slightly larger pan--like a 13"x 9" or a roasting pan. Fill 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 the pans into a 325° oven.
Bake the cheesecake for 45-50 minutes. The edges of the cake should be puffed and the center slightly jiggly, but not cracked. After the cake has baked, shut off the oven.
Open the oven door a crack for 1 minute to let some heat out. Then shut the door and let the cheesecake sit in the oven for another hour.
After an hour, remove the cake from the water bath and let it cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or preferably overnight, before slicing.

How To Cut Cheesecake Into Squares

Using the overhanging pieces of foil, carefully remove the cake from the pan and set it onto a cutting board. 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 off the edges of the cake to even up the sides and make a neat square. Then using a straight up and down motion, cut the cheesecake into twelve bars. Note: I like to cut four long strips first and then divide each of the strips into three squares.
Use the damp towel to wipe the knife clean in between each cut. This makes for neater, less messy squares. Top with a variety of toppings or serve as is with a little whipped cream. Enjoy!

Notes

Make sure your cheesecake filling ingredients are at room temperature! This helps the ingredients incorporate much smoother and you won't have any cream cheese lumps!

Cuisine Desserts

Course Sweets

Nutrition