Fresh Cherry Cheesecake Bars
Fresh Cherry Cheesecake Bars are a wonderful treat to celebrate the end of summer. Layer a delicious graham cracker crust with a smooth cream cheese filling and top that with fresh cherries and an almond crumble topping. Bake it all and after a few hours of chill time, you’ve got a creamy dreamy dessert bar!
Begin by making the graham cracker crust. Crush the graham cracker sheets (if you can’t find pre-crushed crumbs…they’ve been elusive in the last few years). It’s so easy to do. Just put the graham crackers in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush the crackers.
Combine the crumbs with melted butter, sugar and salt and press into the bottom of an 8×8-inch pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
To make the filling, mix the cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch together in a stand mixer. Add almond and vanilla extracts and sour cream and combine. Finally, add in the eggs. Be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixer bowl so that there are no lumps.
I like prepping the cherries before starting this recipe, but if you haven’t already done it, pit and half the cherries. I love this gadget for pitting the cherries. It does 6 at a time and really makes quick work of this task!
Make the crumble by combining all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Drop in the butter cubes and use your (clean) fingers to work it into a crumble mixture.
To assemble the bars, pour the cheesecake batter over the crust. Drop the cherries in an even layer over the filling. Sprinkle the crumble on top and bake for 35-40 minutes.
Shut the oven off, crack open the door and let the bars stay inside the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven to drop to room temperature, for about 30 minutes, and then refrigerate to chill for a few hours or until completely set.
Slice and enjoy!
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Fresh Cherry Cheesecake Bars
Makes: 9-12 slices
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Bake Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1 & 1/4 cups ground graham cracker crumbs (9 sheets)
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Cherry Cheesecake:
- 16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 large eggs
- 2 & 1/4 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved
Almond Crumble:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 4 tbsp butter, cold and cubed
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust:
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease and line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper. Combine all of the ingredients and press into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
Cherry Cheesecake:
While the crust bakes, make the filling. In a large mixing bowl using a hand or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, and cornstarch. Scrape down the bowl and mix again, just until smooth. Mix in the extracts and sour cream. Once combined, scrape down the bowl and mix again.
Lastly, mix in the eggs until smooth. Scrape down the bowl to make sure there are no lumps. Set aside. Prep the cherries at this time if you haven’t already.
Almond Crumble:
Combine all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Drop in the cubes of butter and use your fingers to work it into the crumble mixture. Stop when the ingredients appear evenly moistened with some pea-sized lumps of butter throughout.
Assemble:
Pour the cheesecake batter over the crust and spread even. Drop the cherries on top in an even layer, covering as much of the cheesecake as possible.
Sprinkle the crumble on top and bake for 35-40 minutes. It’s done when the crumble is golden and there’s a slight wobble in the center of the cheesecake.
Then shut off the oven, crack open the door, and leave the cheesecake inside for another 10 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill for a couple hours or until completely set.
This is optional, but I suggest freezing the bars for about an hour before slicing as this helps create cleaner cuts. Serve chilled and enjoy!
Recipe by Butternut Bakery Blog
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