Strawberry Cheesecake Bars (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Strawberry Sauce
01 -
1½ cups (200g) fresh strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters
02 -
2 tablespoons (25g) white sugar
03 -
2 teaspoons (5g) cornstarch
04 -
2 teaspoons (10ml) fresh lemon juice
→ Crispy Topping
05 -
½ cup (71g) plain flour
06 -
3 tablespoons (42g) salted butter, melted
07 -
2 tablespoons (25g) white sugar
08 -
1 tablespoon (15g) tightly packed light brown sugar
09 -
1 tablespoon freeze-dried strawberry dust (from about ⅓ cup/10g of freeze-dried strawberry slices)
→ Base Layer
10 -
1½ cups (170g) crumbs made from Digestive biscuits or graham crackers (about 10 biscuits)
11 -
4 tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter, melted
12 -
2 tablespoons (30g) tightly packed dark brown sugar
→ Creamy Cheesecake Layer
13 -
1 block (250g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
14 -
⅓ cup (65g) white sugar
15 -
1 teaspoon (5ml) real vanilla extract
16 -
1 large egg, room temperature
17 -
2 oz (56ml) melted white chocolate that’s been cooled a bit
18 -
⅔ cup (160ml) chilled strawberry sauce
19 -
2 teaspoons (6g) plain flour
20 -
1 teaspoon powdered freeze-dried strawberries
# Instructions:
01 -
In a small pot, cook strawberries with sugar for 3 minutes until they soften. Mix lemon juice and cornstarch to make a paste, then stir into strawberries and cook until thick. Cool fully, then refrigerate to chill.
02 -
Cover an 8x8-inch square pan with parchment paper, leaving extra on the sides for easy lifting. Preheat oven to 350°F.
03 -
Stir together flour and sugars in a bowl. Add melted butter and mix until little clusters form. Rest the mix for 10 minutes. Spread on a lined baking sheet, bake for about 15 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until golden brown. Let it cool, then toss with powdered strawberry.
04 -
Blend the Digestive biscuits and brown sugar into fine crumbs. Mix with melted butter until evenly combined. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and a little up the sides of the pan. Bake 10-12 minutes until golden brown, then lower heat to 325°F.
05 -
Blend cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg, then add cooled white chocolate. Finally, blend in strawberry sauce, strawberry powder, and flour until smooth.
06 -
Pour cheesecake filling over the baked base. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the center has set. While still warm, sprinkle most of the crisp topping on top and press gently. Bake for 3 more minutes to set the topping.
07 -
Leave to cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle on the leftover topping, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing.
# Notes:
01 -
You can bake the crumb topping and base at the same time.
02 -
Don’t overbake crumbs with strawberry powder—they might turn dark.
03 -
Graham crackers work perfectly instead of Digestive biscuits.