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Cherry Cheesecake Bars

With a thick delicious crust and a tasty cherry swirl, these Cherry Cheesecake Bars are a hit with friends and family.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Cooling Time:3 hours
Total Time3 hours 45 minutes
Course: Bars, Cheesecake, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 9
Calories: 474kcal

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar

For the cheesecake filling and cherry swirl:

  • 16 ounces cream cheese softened
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • ¼ cup heavy cream room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 ½ cups cherry pie filling reserve ½ cup for the swirl

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9x9-inch baking pan or line with parchment paper.
  • In a small mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and granulated sugar until fully moistened.
  • Firmly press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared baking pan with the back of a spoon or your hands to form a crust.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together until smooth.
  • Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
  • Stir in the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and almond extract until well combined.
  • Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the crust.
  • In a small bowl, mash ½ cup of the cherry pie filling with a fork until there’s only small pieces of cherry.
  • Spoon dollops of the mashed cherry pie filling over the cheesecake layer. Use a knife or skewer, gently swirl the cherry pie filling into the cheesecake mixture, creating a marbled effect (be careful to not over swirl or it won’t look marbled).
  • Place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center is slightly jiggly (it should not be soupy in the center). It will continue to set as it cools.
  • Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool completely at room temperature.
  • Once cooled, refrigerate the cheesecake bars for at least 2 hours, or until firm.
  • Once chilled, cut into bars and serve topped with a dollop of cherry pie filling.

Notes

  1. Using room temperature ingredients helps things combine well.
  2. You will want to make sure that you are adding your eggs one at a time, we want to make sure each egg is fully combined.
  3. Do not skip letting these cool to room temperature, this will help prevent cracking when you place in the refrigerator.
  4. These can be frozen, see above on how to do that.
  5. Other flavors can be made, see above on some ideas.
  6. The best way to cut these bars is to use a sharp hot knife.
  7. You do not have to pre bake the crust before making these bars!
  8. Easily double this recipe to make a 9x13-inch pan of bars.

Nutrition

Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 275mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 1223IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 1mg