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Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

These delicious cheesecake squares are a riff off of Natasha's Kitchen (check out that great food blog!). I've tweaked the ingredients to my liking; they're rich, flavorful and just a bit decadent. All great for the Memorial Day BBQ we attended!

Make sure you make then enough in advance to chill in the refrigeerator for at least several hours.


Graham Crust:

7 oz graham crackers

1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp sugar

1 stick butter (1/2 cup), melted


Cheesecake:

4 bars cream cheese (32 oz), softened to room temperature (important!)

1-1/4 cup sugar

5 large eggs, room temperature (important!)

Zest of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp sour cream

Juice of 1 Lemon (2-3 Tbsp)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

12 oz fresh raspberries


Preheat oven to 350F.  Oil a 9x13-inch baking pan and line with parchment paper for easier removal of cooked & cooled cheesecake.


Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until grainy. Pour into a 4 cup measuring cup. You should have 2 cups. Adjust accordingly. Stir in the salt and sugar and then incorporate the melted butter evenly. 

Pour crumbs into the baking sheet, and use the back of a large spoon or spatula to push down the crust to make an even layer.


Bake crumbs for 8-10 minutes. When baked, remove from oven and cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325.


Meanwhile, place the softened cream cheese and sugar into a stand mixer’s bowl (or if you are using a hand-held mixer, use a sturdy bowl). Blend on high speed for 3-5 minutes, or until you have a smooth creamy mixture. 

Add the zest, lemon juice, vanilla and sour cream and continue blending over medium speed until well mixed. Add eggs one at a time and blend to mix in each well.


Fold in two thirds of the raspberries, reserving the remaining for garnish. 

Pour cheese mixture onto the crust and smooth out.  Rap the pan lightly on a wooden cutting board a few times to remove bubbles.


Bake cheesecake for about 45-55 minutes until the cake is starting to brown around the edges, but is still quite wobbly in the center.

Remove cheesecake from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature (this could take up to 2 hours). When completely cooled, wrap with foil and chill in the refrigerator, ideally overnight.


Using the extended lip of parchment paper, carefully remove the cheesecake from the pan. Cut into about 2-inch squares, cleaning the knife after each slice!


Garnish with remaining raspberries and lemon zest.

Makes about 12 cheesecake squares.

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Comments

  1. Nancy LJune 1, 2026 at 2:35 PM

    This are a oh my goodness delicious cheesecake bars!!

    ReplyDelete

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