Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Picture and recipe from handletheheat.com

Who ever said cheesecake was hard to make? Okay, full on cheesecakes are a little more tricky, but not overly so, and these cheesecake bars? One of the easiest recipes I've ever made. I actually made it last year and it was quite the hit with my classmates. These cheesecakes bars are easy and really pretty quick to put together- if you have a last minute thing you need to bring something to- this might be a useful recipe. Okay, maybe it's not the quickest thing, you have to chill it in the fridge for three hours, but it is really quick to put together- if you have an extra few hours, yeah, totally try these. They're delightful. 

Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars Recipe

IngredientsCrust:10 whole graham crackers
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) melted unsalted butter
Cheesecake:2 (8-ounce) packages 1/3-less fat cream cheese (room-temperature is best) 
1/2 cup white sugar
2 fresh lemons, zested and juiced
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoon flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
Raspberry swirl:1/2 cup fresh raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar
Directions
Crust:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 by 8-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang.

2. Smash graham crackers in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin until finely crushed. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted butter and the graham cracker crumbs until the butter is evenly distributed.  

3. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan.

4. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and fragrant. Let cool.


Cheesecake:

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, (You can hand mix, it will just take a whole lot longer) beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until well combined and smooth.

2. Next, beat in the lemon zest, lemon juice, eggs, and vanilla until combined.

3. Add in the flour and salt and beat until just combined. (Don't over mix) 

4. Spread the mixture over the crust.

Raspberry swirl:
1. In a food processor or blender, puree the raspberries until smooth.

2. Press through a fine mesh strainer, discarding any seeds and pulp that remain. (This will take a while, but it's worth it, trust me)

3. Stir in the sugar.

4. Dollop the unbaked cheesecake with spoonfuls of the raspberry puree. Use a skewer to make swirls.

For the baking part:

1. Bake for 30 minutes, or until set at the edges but ever so slightly jiggly in the middle.

2. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

3. Cover and chill the cheesecake in the fridge until very cold, at least 3 hours. The cheesecake can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.

4. Before serving, use the foil to remove the cheesecake from the pan. Cut into 15 squares. Serve chilled.

​Thanks for reading, hope y'all enjoy the recipe
​-Anj