Last week I shared 10 Simple & Delicious Strawberry Recipes for Summer with you all and today I’m sharing one more! Since we had a lot of strawberries left over after I made freezer jam, I decided to put some of those juicy, ripe berries into a creamy cheesecake. These creamy cheesecake bars are really easy to make and they are a wonderful dessert to prepare for your family or even your next get together. The best part about them is that you can make them ahead of time too!
It’s been awhile since I made a cheesecake for dessert. Usually if I am going to go through the work of making one, I do it in a spring-form pan. Not this time. I just really wasn’t in the mood and I loved the idea of making this delicious dessert even more easy to prepare.
For this recipe, go ahead and get out a 9 x 13 Casserole Dish! This works out great because most of these dishes come with a lid, so there is no messing around with plastic wrap or containers trying to cover the extra pieces of cheesecake up (if there are any 😉 ) after you serve dessert.
After I quickly made my graham cracker crust in my food processor, I took 1/2 of a quart of freshly picked strawberries, rinsed them, hulled them and chopped/mashed them up in the food processor as well. You can mash the berries with a potato masher instead if you’d like.
After pouring the crust into the dish, spreading it evenly and packing it down a bit with a fork and the back of a stainless measuring cup, it was time to make the cheesecake filling!
In my mixer, I combined the cheesecake ingredients until smooth, then added those yummy strawberries. The filling was such a pretty pink color with little red flecks of strawberries throughout!
Place your cheesecake into your preheated oven and bake. That’s it!
When the cheesecake bars are almost set, you simply remove the baking dish from the oven and let it cool completely before chilling in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
When you are ready to serve the cheesecake bars, slice them, top with a little whipped cream along with a fresh strawberry and you’re all set!
My family loved this dessert and I hope you will too! Enjoy!
Ingredients
- For The Crust:
- 2 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (roughly 2 bags from a box of graham crackers)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- For The Filling:
- 4 (8 oz.) packages Cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 quart fresh strawberries, rinsed, hulled and mashed
- For Garnish:
- Whipped Cream
- Fresh Strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
- Combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar in your food processor for the crust.
- Spread the crust into your 9 x 13 glass baking dish evenly and halfway up the sides, while pressing down firmly. I use a fork, then the back of a stainless steel measuring cup.
- Set aside.
- In your Kitchen Aid Mixer, cream the cheese with the sugar.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined after each addition.
- Add the vanilla extract along with a pinch of salt and combine.
- Stir in the fresh strawberries.
- Pour the filling into the crust and spread evenly.
- Place the cheesecake bars into the oven and bake for 55-65 minutes, or until the cheesecake is almost set, being careful not to over bake.
- When the cheesecake is almost set, remove it from the oven and let it cool completely.
- Chill, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- When ready to serve, slice, top with whipped cream and a fresh strawberry.
- Makes 15 cheesecake bars.
- Enjoy!
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Yum! Definitely making these this week for a cousins dinner
Thanks Shannon!
Hi Annie! I hope you like them:)