Cheesecake! I love cheesecake. Loooove! LOVE! Like there are no words to describe how much I love to eat cheesecake; it my favorite dessert, and that’s strong words from someone who runs a baking blog and also likes brownies and bars and pies and well, dessert!
But cheesecake will always be at the top of my list. Partially because growing up, cheesecake was considered special. My mom made all of the aforementioned desserts on a regular basis, but she never made cheesecake. She passed away a number of years ago, so I can’t ask her why. I can only speculate; but I think it was probably because cheesecake is so complicated. You can’t just whip one up in a matter of minutes.
Anyway, the point is that every time we wanted to eat cheesecake then, we had to go out to eat. So cheesecake was a special occasion dessert.
And then, it happened. When I was in high school a company launched a no bake cheesecake in a box. You just had to mix everything up, layer it, stick in the fridge for a while, and bam! Cheesecake!
I remember being at the grocery store with my mom, and when I saw it on the shelf, begging and pleading with her to buy it. So we did. I can still remember sinking my teeth into it for the first time. Let me see… how do I say this politely? Yuck! Sorry, but it wasn’t cheesecake! It was some sweet concoction that tasted relatively like cheesecake, but the texture was all wrong. Cheesecake has to be baked. It’s that simple.
That’s why I am so, so excited to share these raspberry cheesecake bars with you. They definitely take time to enjoy, but they are much simpler to make than a regular cheesecake, and they require no special tools like a springform pan. But even though they are easier to make than a regular cheesecake, they are still cheesecake! The taste and texture is right on point. If you’ve ever had Carnegie Deli cheesecake (which to me is the quintessential definition of New York style cheesecake), they have a texture similar to the inside of that. In other words, they are absolute perfection.
Are you ready to make them? Let’s get started!
First, take some homemade vanilla wafers and pulverize them in your food processor along with your pecans, coconut sugar and salt.
Pro Tip: When making my homemade vanilla wafers, if you want to enjoy them as cookies or as a garnish for banana pudding, you can slice them off into rounds, but if you are going to use them as a crust, just flatten the dough out into a pan and bake. You’ll end up with one ginormous cookie, but why go to the trouble of slicing and baking them if you are just going to end up crumbling them up?
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use a large roasting pan big enough to hold a 9×13 pan and create a water bath. Or, if you don’t have a pan big enough, simply place a 9 x 13 inch pan of hot water onto the bottom rack. This will create enough humidity in your oven.
Into your pulverized wafer mixture, drizzle in melted butter and vanilla, and pulse until it is all combined.
Prepare a 9x 13 baking sheet by laying foil along it lengthwise and then again crosswise. This will come in super handy later, and you will be able to lift the bars easily out of the pan.
Pour the crumbs into the prepared pan and smooth and press to form an even layer and 1 inch up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes, until set. Remove the crust from the oven and set aside.
Next, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add sour cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest and continue to beat until combined.
Pour the filling on top of the crumb mixture. Bake the bars for 45 minutes. To help eliminate cracks in your cheesecake, next turn off the oven and leave the door closed for an additional 10 minutes. Then, open the door halfway and leave it in the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Finally, open the door all the way and leave the cheesecake in for another 10 minutes. When the last ten minutes are over, remove the cheesecake and let it cool completely.
To make the topping, add the frozen raspberries, honey, and 2 Tbsp. water to a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and cook until the raspberries began to break down and emit their own juices. I help this process along by crushing the raspberries with a potato masher. Wait until the mixture begins to thicken slightly, about 4-5 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix the arrowroot powder with 4 tablespoons water to make a slurry. Add this to the berries. Let it boil for another 1 to 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to cool.
Pour the raspberry topping over the cheesecake and place the pan into the fridge to chill and set for at least 2 hours or overnight (overnight is best). When ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the pan by lifting the cross sections of the aluminum foil up. Use a long, sharp knife to cut cheesecake into squares, wiping the blade after each cut. There is a lot of topping, and if you want to see the distinct layers underneath, you’ll need to do this extra step.
Enjoy! Today is a great day to bake!
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PinDescription
These raspberry cheesecake bars are amazing. They are rich, decadent, and taste just like your favorite New York style cheesecake. Plus, they are much easier to make than a regular cheesecake.
Ingredients
4 dozen homemade vanilla wafers
1/3 cup coconut sugar
1/2 cup Pecans
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt, divided evenly (2 1/8 tsp.)
3 8 oz. packages organic cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 whole eggs
1/2 cup organic sour cream
1 tsp. fresh lemon zest
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
3 cups frozen raspberries
1/2 cup honey
2 Tbsp. water
3 2/3 Tbsp. arrowroot powder
4 Tablespoons water
Instructions
Place the homemade vanilla wafers and pulverize them in your food processor along with your pecans, coconut sugar, and salt.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use a large roasting pan big enough to hold a 9×13 pan and create a water bath. Or, if you don’t have a pan big enough, simply place a 9 x 13 inch pan of hot water onto the bottom rack. This will create enough humidity in your oven.
Into your pulverized wafer mixture, drizzle in melted butter and vanilla, and pulse until it is all combined.
Prepare a 9x 13 baking sheet by laying foil along it lengthwise and then again crosswise.
Pour the crumbs into the prepared pan and smooth and press to form an even layer and 1 inch up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes, until set. Remove the crust from the oven and set aside.
Next, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt and continue to beat until combined.
Pour the filling on top of the crumb mixture. Bake the bars for 45 minutes. To help eliminate cracks in your cheesecake, next turn off the oven and leave the door closed for an additional 10 minutes. Then, open the door halfway and leave it in the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Finally, open the door all the way and leave the cheesecake in for another 10 minutes. When the last ten minutes are over, remove the cheesecake and let it cool completely.
To make the topping, add the frozen raspberries, honey, and 2 Tbsp. water to a saucepan. Bring it to a boil and cook until the raspberries began to break down and emit their own juices. Wait until the mixture begins to thicken slightly, about 4-5 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix the arrowroot powder with 4 tablespoons water to make a slurry. Add this to the berries. Let it boil for another 1 to 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow to cool.
Pour the raspberry topping over the cheesecake and place the pan into the fridge to chill and set for at least 2 hours or overnight. When ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the pan by lifting the cross sections of the aluminum foil up. Use a long serrated knife to cut cheesecake into squares, wiping the blade with a damp cloth after each cut. There is a lot of topping, and if you want to see the distinct layers underneath, you’ll need to do this extra step.
Notes
Inspired by The Pioneer Woman and Carnegie Deli.
Keywords: cheesecake
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