Easy Cranberry Cheesecake Bars
This cheesecake bar recipe is light and creamy, and swirled with a homemade cranberry sauce. It makes the perfect holiday or Thanksgiving dessert!
Ingredients
For the cranberry sauce
- 16 oz bag frozen whole cranberries, fresh works too
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1/4 cup orange juice
For the graham cracker crust:
- 9 graham crackers, crushed or about 1 1/2 cup crumbs
- ⅓ cup butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
For the cheesecake batter:
- 16 oz cream cheese , 2 blocks, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 ½ tsp all purpose flour
- 2 eggs, large
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the cranberry sauce:
- In a medium sized pot combine the 16 oz cranberries, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp orange zest, and 1/4 cup orange juice. Stir then bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Lower the heat to a simmer, and cook until the cranberries burst and the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Mash them up so they are not so lumpy.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
For the graham cracker crust:
- Preheat your oven to 350° F and pulverize the graham crackers into crumbs if you need to. In a medium size bowl melt the 1/2 butter in the microwave, then add in the crumbs and 2 tbsp sugar. Mix together. The mixture should resemble wet sand.
- Spray an 8″ x 8” baking pan with baking spray and press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom and sides.
- Bake for 10 mins until it smells like heaven from your oven and the crust is golden brown.
For the cheesecake:
- Lower your oven temperature to 325° F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a medium sized bowl add the 2 blocks cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup sour cream, and 2 1/2 tsp flour.
- Mix on low-medium speed for 1 minute.
- Continue mixing on low-medium speed, then add 1 egg at a time, mixing for a few seconds in between additions. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Start the mixer again on low speed and add in the milk and vanilla. Continue to mix for 2 more minutes.
- Pour the batter into the 8”x8” pan on top of the graham cracker crust.
- Dollop teaspoon-fulls of the cranberry sauce all over the top of the cheesecake batter and use a skewer or knife to make swirls in the batter.
- Bake for 30 minutes until the edges of the bars are golden and the middle it still slightly jiggly.
- Turn off the oven, open the door and allow the bars to cool inside. Remove and place in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Notes
Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature to ensure that the batter isn't lumpy.
The cheesecake bars are done when the edges are set but the middle is still a little jiggly.
Serving: 1bar, Calories: 346kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 83mg, Sodium: 246mg, Potassium: 151mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 26g, Vitamin A: 787IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 77mg, Iron: 1mg
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