Description
These Easy Memorial Day Berry Cheesecake Bars are the best little holiday dessert when you need easy ideas that feel festive without a lot of fuss. A quick graham cracker crust and simple cheesecake filling bake into creamy bars with juicy berries on top. They’re sweet and fresh enough to feel healthy-ish and they work for brunch, a potluck or a party.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups Honey graham cracker crumbs
- 6 tablespoons melted Unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup divided Granulated cane sugar
- 16 ounces softened Full-fat brick cream cheese
- 1/3 cup Sour cream
- 2 Large eggs
- 1 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon Fine sea salt
- 1 cup hulled and sliced Fresh strawberries
- 3/4 cup Fresh blueberries
- 1/2 cup Fresh raspberries
- 1 tablespoon Powdered cane sugar
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F and mix honey graham cracker crumbs with melted unsalted butter and 2 tablespoons granulated cane sugar for 45 to 60 seconds. Press the crumbs firmly into the pan with the bottom of a measuring cup and push extra crumbs into the corners. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until the edges smell toasty and look a shade darker. Pull it at minute 10 because go longer and the crust can taste dry under the filling.
- Keep the oven at 350°F and beat the full-fat brick cream cheese with the remaining granulated cane sugar for 2 minutes. Scrape the bowl down once and beat again for 30 seconds so no thick lumps hide on the sides. Add sour cream, large eggs, pure vanilla extract and fine sea salt. Mix on low for 45 to 60 seconds until the filling looks glossy and slow-moving. Miss the low speed and the filling traps too much air, then it cracks while baking.
- Pour the cheesecake filling over the warm crust while the crust is still about 120°F and spread it for 60 to 90 seconds. Drag the spatula from the center to the edges so the layer stays even but not too polished. Scatter fresh strawberries, fresh blueberries and fresh raspberries over the top in loose patches. Press only a few berries halfway in. You should still see white cheesecake between berries, because crowding the top makes the center bake slower.
- Bake at 350°F for 24 to 28 minutes. Rotate the pan at minute 14 and look for puffed edges with a center that jiggles like set gelatin when you nudge it. The berries should look glossy and a few raspberry edges may sink into the filling. Pull the pan before the center looks firm, because go past 28 minutes and the cheesecake turns grainy at the edges. (My first batch baked 6 minutes too long and sliced clean, but the texture wasn’t as creamy.)
- Cool the pan at room temperature for 45 minutes, then chill at 38°F for at least 2 hours. Run a thin knife along the edges with one steady pass before lifting the slab out. Slice into 12 bars with a warm knife and wipe between cuts. The crust should hold while the cheesecake looks creamy and the berry juices streak lightly. Skip the chill and the bars slump as soon as you cut them.
- Let one sliced bar sit at 65°F for 8 to 10 minutes before serving so the filling softens slightly. Dust with powdered cane sugar from 8 inches above and stop after one light pass. The top should look snowy in spots with berries still showing through. Add too much sugar and it melts into wet patches on the berries within minutes.
Notes
Pro Tips:
- Don’t overmix after the eggs go in because the bars can puff too much in the oven.
- Slice strawberries thinner than 1/4 inch so they soften without flooding the filling.
- Chill the bars fully before cutting because warm cheesecake smears against the knife.
- Dust with powdered cane sugar right before serving so it stays pretty.
Storage: Store the bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Keep the powdered cane sugar off until serving because it melts into the berries as it sits. You can freeze the baked bars without the sugar topping for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and add fresh berries if the original topping looks too soft.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (of 12)
- Calories: 262
- Sugar: 24g
- Sodium: 3367mg
- Fat: 14g
- Carbohydrates: 34g
- Fiber: 1g
- Cholesterol: 62mg