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Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

These irresistibly tart Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake bars come together easily, but require time to chill - so plan ahead! Both fresh and frozen fruit work well in this recipe.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Cooling and Chilling Time3 hours
Total Time4 hours 5 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Servings: 12 Bars
Author: Don Herman

Ingredients

Crust

  • 9 Sheets Graham Crackers (about 35 grams) crushed
  • 10 tbsp Butter melted
  • 2 tsp Sugar

Cheesecake

  • 16 oz Cream Cheese softened (2 8 oz packages)
  • 1/2 Cup Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 tsp Lemon Extract
  • 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Zest
  • 2 lg Eggs

Raspberry Puree

  • 6 oz Fresh or Frozen Raspberries
  • 2 tbsp Sugar

Instructions

Crust

  • Preheat oven to 325F
  • In large bowl, stir together crushed graham crackers, sugar and melted butter until mixture resembles wet sand. Press mixture into the bottom of 8X8” square cake pan, pressing firmly with a spatula.
  • Bake crust for 8 to 9 minutes; set aside to cool.

Cheesecake

  • In large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and lemon extracts until creamy. Add lemon juice, zest and eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Raspberry Puree

  • In blender or food processor, combine raspberries and sugar, pulsing until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
  • Spread cheesecake batter over cooled crust. With a large spoon, drizzle lines of raspberry puree across the cheesecake from one side to the other. With the end of the spoon, drag cross-wise through the lines to form a decorative swirl.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes until cheesecake is set (it will still jiggle slightly in the middle.) Remove from oven and cool completely on a rack (at least 1 hour). Cover with wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. Cut into bars and serve chilled.