Small Batch Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
You will love these raspberry cheesecake bars, with their crumbly crust and the creamy, luscious filling. The lemon zest and abundance of raspberries give the bars a wonderful freshness, and balance out the sweetness perfectly. Plus, they are super easy to make!
Author: Theloopywhisk/Photo credit to theloopywhisk.com
Ingredients
- For raspberry reduction:
- 1 cup (225 g) fresh or frozen raspberries
- For crushed cookie crust:
- ¾ cup (75 g) crushed gluten free cookies of choice (such as gluten free digestives or rich tea biscuits, or gluten free graham crackers)
- ⅓ stick (40 g) unsalted butter, melted
- For cream cheese filling:
- 10½ oz (300 g) cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)
- 2 medium eggs, room temperature
- ¾ cup (150 g) caster or granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp (45 g) sour cream or yogurt
- ½ tsp vanilla paste (I love vanilla bean paste because it gives a very intense flavour and you only need a small amount, but you can also use 1 - 2 tsp vanilla extract)
- zest of 1 lemon
- You will also need:
- ~10-15 fresh raspberries
Instructions
- For raspberry reduction:
- In a small saucepan, cook the raspberries on medium-high heat until they have released their juice and part of the liquid has evaporated.
- Pass the raspberry mixture through a sieve to remove the seeds and skin.
- Return the raspberry juice to the saucepan and cook further until it has decreased in volume and become thicker (more viscous).
- Allow to cool.
- For crushed graham cracker crust:
- Pre-heat the oven to 355 ºF (180 ºC) and line a 6 x 6 inch (15 x 15 cm) square baking tin with baking/greaseproof paper.
- You can scale up the recipe with no problems, but you will have to increase the baking time slightly.
- Mix together the crushed cookie crumbs and melted butter, then press them into the lined baking tin to form a firm, even layer.
- Bake at 355 ºF (180 ºC) for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
- For cream cheese filling:
- Reduce the oven temperature to 320 ºF (160 ºC).
- Mix all the cream cheese filling ingredients together until smooth, then transfer the filling on top of the baked crushed cookie crust.
- Drizzle the raspberry reduction on top of the filling, and create a swirl pattern with a skewer or toothpick. Gently sprinkle the fresh raspberries on top.
- Bake at 320 ºF (160 ºC) for about 55 - 60 minutes, or until the filling is light golden brown around the edges and the middle is still slightly wobbly when you shake the baking tin.
- Allow to cool at room temperature, then transfer into the fridge for at least 1 hour before removing the cheesecake from the baking tin and serving (preferably refrigerate overnight). This recipe makes 9 cheesecake bars.
- Storage:
- The raspberry cheesecake bars keep well in a closed container in the fridge for 3 - 4 days.
