Strawberry Crunch Cheesecake Bars
A baked cheesecake bar on a graham crust, finished with strawberry jam and a golden crumb crunch.
Equipment
- 9 by 9 inch baking pan
- Baking sheet
- Mixing bowls
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 cup graham cracker crumbs plus 1/2 cup more
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter melted, for the crust
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar for the crust
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar for the filling
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup strawberry jam
- 1 tbsp water
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter cold and cubed
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh strawberries for topping
Instructions
Cooking
- Make the crust. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9 by 9 inch pan with parchment. Mix the crumbs, melted butter, and 2 tbsp sugar, press into the pan, and bake 8 to 10 minutes.
- Mix the filling. Beat the cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla until smooth, then beat in the eggs one at a time and the cream.
- Bake the cheesecake. Lower the oven to 325 degrees F, pour the filling over the crust, and bake 25 to 30 minutes until the center reaches 160 degrees F.
- Make the crunch. Rub the flour, brown sugar, and cold butter into coarse crumbs and bake on a sheet at 350 degrees F for 12 to 15 minutes until golden.
- Chill and layer. Cool the bars for 30 minutes, chill 4 hours, then spread on the jam warmed with the water and add the crunch.
- Slice. Cut into 9 bars with a sharp knife and scatter the fresh strawberries on top.
Notes
Substitutions: Use raspberry jam, or swap the cream for sour cream.
Tips: Bake the crunch topping so the flour is cooked and the topping stays crisp.
Storage: Refrigerate covered up to 5 days, or freeze up to 2 months without the topping. Do not leave out longer than 2 hours.