Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

Long ago, it became a tradition for me to put a delectable dessert up on this site in honor of my birthday. I couldn't break that tradition this year, even though I don't write here nearly as often. Even though cheesecake has become one of my favorite desserts in the last couple of years, I didn't actually make these bars for my birthday. I made them about a month ago for a dinner party, but they are festive and special enough for any kind of occasion.


One year ago: Salted, Malted Brown Butter Rice Krispie Treats
Two years ago: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake
Three years a go: Tin Roof Ice Cream Cake
Four years ago: Chocolate Cupcakes with Cream Filling
Five years ago: Yellow Cake with Chocolate Buttercream
Six years ago: Root Beer Cupcakes
Seven years ago: Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes

Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
(Adapted from Tastes of Lizzy T's and Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

Makes 9 large bars

For the crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

For the cheesecake Filling:
16 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4-1/2 cup strawberry preserves

For the streusel topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking pan with foil and spray with baking spray.

To make the crust, mix the flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Add the butter and mix until crumbly, but combined. Press the crust into the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the crust is lightly browned.

To make the cheesecake filling, beat the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla. Set the cheesecake filling aside.

To make the streusel, mix the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and oats until combined, but crumbly.

Pour the cheesecake over the crust. Dollop the strawberry preserves over the cheesecake. Use a knife or skewer to swirl the preservers into the cheesecake*. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the cheesecake.

Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a clean knife inserted in the middle of the pan comes out mostly clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator to set the bars for at least four hours or preferably overnight. Cut the bars into squares and serve.

*This is easier to do if the preserves are slightly warmed. 10 seconds in a microwave should be sufficient.

Printable Recipe

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars

I've had a cheesecake craving for about three months, so a few weeks ago, I decided to give in and finally make some. I can be picky about cheesecake, but I was intrigued by fusing it with the flavors of a beloved cookie. One or two of these bars definitely satisfied my craving and I was able to give the rest to my insatiable friends at a post-Thanksgiving get together. The warm smell of cinnamon baking is a great way to get in the holiday mood. If that doesn't work, just have a mojito or two. It's not too late to add these to your menu of holiday baking and I guarantee your friends will love these bars just as much as mine did.


I made this recipe as found on the Tasty Kitchen blog here. Next time, I would reduce the cookie layer by half and also line the pan with foil to make for easier removal.

One year ago: Buttermilk Fried Chicken
Two years ago: Braised Short Ribs with Autumn Root Vegetable Puree
Three years ago: Garlic Soup with Shrimp
Four years ago: Shrimp with Chive Butter

Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

A few weeks ago, I learned a good friend of mine had scored a VIP cabana at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club. So last Sunday, a small group of us put on our Sunday best and headed up the coast for a day of fun, food, and of course wine. It was such a beautiful day and we had a great time learning all about "posh polo".








(Oh yeah, we felt like models)

As part of the cabana package, we were allowed to bring our own food and wine (as well as partake in a champagne toast and wine tasting), so these bars were my contribution to the party. I'd been lusting after this recipe so rather than be frustrated by the fact that my oven can't hold a 9x13 pan, I halved the original recipe and pressed on. The other change I made was to add more salt than called for in the caramel sauce. The bars are great without the caramel with the tart granny smith apples being a nice foil to the sweet streusel and crust, but the salted caramel sauce makes them over the top. I was actually going to skip that step, but I am so glad I didn't. I'm so glad I had other people to eat these because I was in serious danger of finishing them all myself.


In a bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon for the crust


Add the butter and mix until crumbly, but combined


Crumbly, but combined


Press the mixture into an 8x8 pan lined with foil. Throw into a 350 degree oven for ten minutes.


Apples, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg


Mix them


Oats, flour, cinnamon, sugar, and butter


Mix until crumbly (notice a pattern?)


Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth


Add an egg


Add the vanilla


Pour the cheesecake over the crust


Top with the apples


Cover with the streusel and bake for about 30 minutes


Cream, sugar, butter, vanilla, and salt in a saucepan until bubbly and thick


Transfer to a bowl or jar and cool in the fridge


Baked bars


Holy cow




One year ago: Artisinal LA
Two years ago: Apple Cranberry Crisp with Oatmeal Streusel
Three years ago: Pumpkin Shortcakes with Apple Compote and Vanilla Honey Ice Cream



Salted Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
(Adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

Makes 9 bars

For the crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick butter, at room temperature

For the cheesecake layer:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the apples:
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the streusel topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

For the caramel sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line an 8x8 pan with foil.

To make the crust: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a fork until the mixture is crumbly, but combined. Press the mix evenly into the prepared pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth, beat in the egg, and finally the vanilla

Mix all of the apple ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Mix the streusel ingredients, until combined, but crumbly.

Pour the cheesecake filling over the warm crust and make sure the filling is spread evenly.

Spoon the apples evenly over the cheesecake then top with the streusel. Bake until the streusel is lightly browned and the cheesecake layer has set, 25-30 minutes.

While the bars are baking, make the caramel sauce by whisking together the butter, brown sugar, cream, salt, and vanilla in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to to a simmer. Cook gently, while whisking, until the mixture thickens. Transfer to a glass bowl or jar and refrigerate until cool.

Transfer the cooked bars to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature. Slice the bars. Serve each bar drizzled with caramel sauce.

Printable Recipe

Daring Bakers April Challenge: Cheesecake

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

The thing I enjoyed most about this April challenge was the freedom we were given in creating a cheesecake of our liking. I made these cheesecake cupcakes for our Easter brunch. Originally, I was going to do a red velvet cheesecake since our brunch had a Louisiana/Southern theme, but then I saw a recipe for cheesecake cupcakes topped with lemon curd so I decided to use the rest of my Meyer lemon curd and make lemon cheesecakes instead. I made very few changes to the recipe. I left out the vanilla in the crust and instead of using lemon juice in the cheese mixture, I used a few teaspoons of zest from the large batch of lemons that Raulito gave me a while ago. Also, instead of cream, I used a bit of sour cream and no vanilla. Making the cheesecake was really easy. I pressed the crust into the wrappers in the muffin tin, filled with the batter and baked. This was a straightforward challenge that I really enjoyed and I am pretty sure my friends enjoyed the results. Making little cheesecakes like this was a great way to enjoy cheesecake without too much guilt. The original recipe can be found on Jenny's site. The other Daring Bakers got really creative with their flavor combinations. Visit the blogroll to check them out!


(Couldn't decide which plate I liked better, lol)

PS, Didn't meet Curtis Stone yesterday (unfortch), but Giada was nice. More on that tomorrow.

Blushing Pom Holiday Cheesecake

As I mentioned the other day, the nice people at POM Wonderful sent me a case of juice. I have some whole pomegranates around my house and I have some cool recipes planned, but I am going to try and spread them out so as not to overload you lovely people that read my blog with pom recipes. After doing some recipe searching on the POM Wonderful site, I settled on this cheesecake as one of the recipes I wanted to try. I have never made my own cheesecake before and lately, I have been seeing some really cool cheesecake recipes in the blogosphere so I have had a little craving for it. This is really easy to make. It takes a bit of time with the chilling so I am glad I saved it for a weekend project. I greatly reduced the original recipe to make 2 mini cakes. I could not get enough of this cake though. I felt a little like Rachel and Chandler in that episode of Friends when they steal the neighbor's cheesecake. Lucky for me, I didn't have to eat cheesecake off the floor. I had a couple of cracks in one of my cakes, but I was able to cover it up nicely with the glaze. The title says that this is a holiday cheesecake, but it is ideal for anytime you have a cheesecake craving.

By the way, are you watching Gossip Girl this season?? It's so good and I can't wait for next week's episode. Last night featured music from pop darling Robyn. My friend Tony got to meet her over the weekend and you can read all about it here.


Blushing POM Holiday Cheesecake
(Adapted from Pom Wonderful)

Makes 1 9-inch cake (Or 2 4.5-inch cakes in my case)

For the Crust:
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted

For the filling:
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
5 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt

For the glaze:
6 tablespoons pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Garnish (optional)
Pomegranate arils
Mint leaves

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

To make the crust:
Stir together crumbs, sugar and butter until moistened. Press evenly into bottom of two 4.5 inch spring form pans or one 9 inch baking dish.

To make the filling:
In a large mixer bowl beat cream cheese and sugar on medium speed of electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in eggs, milk, vanilla and salt just until blended. Pour over crust in pan; spread evenly.

Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 20 to 25 minutes more, until cake is firm at sides and soft-set (jiggles slightly) in the center. Do not over-bake.

Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for up to 2 hours, then cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours before serving. (Refrigerate cake for up to 1 week.)

To make the topping:
In saucepan combine juice with sugar and cornstarch. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Cool slightly; spread glaze over cake.

Sprinkle arils on top; garnish with mint leaves if desired.