Soft, buttery bars topped with cheesecake and swirled with strawberry jam! The best of all worlds in these fast, easy, and AMAZING bars!!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time30 minutesmins
Cooling Time3 hourshrs
Total Time3 hourshrs40 minutesmins
Course: Bars & Blondies
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cheesecake bar recipes, easy cheesecake bars, recipe for strawberry cheesecake bars, strawberry cheesecake bars
Servings: 12
Calories: 252kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
½cupunsalted butter1 stick, melted
1large egg
1cuplight brown sugarpacked
1tablespoonvanilla extract
1cupall-purpose flour
½teaspoonsaltor to taste
4ounces1/2 cup brick-style cream cheese, very well-softened (lite okay)
¼cupgranulated sugar
⅓cupstrawberry jam or preserves
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
To a large, microwave-safe bowl add the butter and heat on high power to melt, about 1 minute.
Wait momentarily before adding the egg so you don’t scramble it. Add the egg, brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
Add the flour, salt, and stir until just combined, don’t overmix.
Turn batter out into prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula; set aside.
To a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and beat on high-speed with a handheld electric mixer (or whisk vigorously by hand) until smooth and combined, about 1 minute.
Turn the cream cheese mixture out into the prepared pan and using a knife or spatula, form an even, smooth, flat layer.
Add the jam in small dollops distributed evenly over the pan (just eyeball 1/3 cup) and then using a spatula or knife, spread and swirl the jam into the cream cheese.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until done. The edges should be set and while the center will be glossy and a bit loose, it should still be set to an extent and not overly jiggly. The toothpick test is unreliable because the bars will be done but the moist cream cheese layer will make the toothpick look wet. Bars firm up as they cool.
Allow bars to cool in pan for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving.
Notes
Storage: Bars will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. I’m comfortable storing desserts baked with cream cheese at room temp but if you’re not, store in the fridge, noting the fridge has a tendency to dry things out.