Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Thick buttery graham cracker crust topped with lemony strawberry-swirled cheesecake! Chill them for a tasty summer dessert!
Servings:12 servings
Ingredients
- 12 graham cracker sheets
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ cup butter, melted
Cheesecake Layer
- 16 ounces cream cheese, softened (2 8-ounce bricks)
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 1-2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Strawberry Swirl
- ⅓ cup chopped strawberries
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons water, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with foil and lightly grease with cooking spray.
- First prepare the crust. In a food processor (or good quality blender) pulse graham crackers and sugar until fine crumbs form. Add melted butter and pulse again until mixture comes together. Press into the bottom of prepared pan and bake 10 minutes.
- Next prepare the cheesecake layer. In a medium-large bowl cream together cream cheese, sugar, egg, lemon juice, and vanilla until smooth. Pour mixture over crust.
- To make the strawberry swirl, add strawberries and sugar to a blender or food processor and pulse until finely pureed. (add 1-2 tablespoons as water until mixture is easily spreadable)
- Drop spoonfuls of the strawberry mixture over the top of the cheesecake layer. Use the tip of a knife to swirl the strawberry mixture into the cheesecake mixture - a figure 8 pattern works great! (Careful not to insert the knife too far so that you don't disturb the crust at the bottom)
- Bake for 25-35 minutes until cheesecake is set. Allow to cool for 20-30 minutes, then transfer to fridge to chill at least 30 minutes or until ready to serve. Store chilled in airtight container or covered with plastic wrap.
Notes
For the lemon juice, use 1-2 tablespoons based on how strong you want the lemon flavor to be. I prefer a lighter lemon taste so 1 tablespoon works great but you could add up to 1 more tablespoon of lemon juice if you are a lemon lover!
Nutrition
Calories: 248 kcal, Carbohydrates: 25 g, Protein: 4 g, Fat: 15 g, Saturated Fat: 8 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 56 mg, Sodium: 230 mg, Potassium: 104 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 17 g, Vitamin A: 545 IU, Vitamin C: 3 mg, Calcium: 63 mg, Iron: 1 mg