Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars with Strawberry Sauce and White Chocolate Drizzle Recipe
These Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars feature a creamy, rich cream cheese filling on a buttery graham cracker crust topped with a luscious homemade strawberry sauce and drizzled with white chocolate. Perfectly balanced and easy to make, they offer a delightful treat for snack time or dessert.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours (including chilling time)
- Yield: 8-10 bars 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
Crust:
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (about 11–12 full crackers)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp butter (melted)
Filling:
- 2 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese (softened)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs (room temperature)
Strawberry Sauce:
- 1 ½ cups fresh strawberries (chopped)
- 5 tbsp sugar
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp cornstarch
Topping:
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 or 9×9 baking pan with parchment paper forming a sling for easy removal, then spray with baking spray to prevent sticking.
- Make Crust: In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until thoroughly combined. Press the mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan using a flat measuring cup or tamper.
- Prepare Cream Cheese Filling: Using hand beaters on medium speed, blend the softened cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
- Add Eggs: Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in the room temperature eggs just until combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the filling creamy and prevent cracking.
- Bake Filling: Pour the cream cheese filling over the crust in the pan. Bake for 25-35 minutes until the center is mostly set but still slightly jiggly. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature for 1-2 hours.
- Chill Bars: After cooling to room temperature, refrigerate the cheesecake bars in the pan for 3-4 hours to set fully.
- Make Strawberry Sauce: While the bars bake, combine chopped strawberries, sugar, water, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-high until boiling, then reduce to low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and turns a deep red color—about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
- Slice Bars: Once fully chilled, use a large, sharp knife to slice the cheesecake into 8-10 even bars.
- Assemble Bars: Spoon or spread the cooled strawberry sauce evenly over each cheesecake bar, pushing the sauce to the edges.
- Drizzle White Chocolate: Melt white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl in 20-second intervals, stirring between until smooth. Transfer the melted chocolate to a zipper bag with a small cut corner and drizzle over the bars. Serve immediately or keep refrigerated.
Notes
- For a more traditional Philadelphia Snack Bar look, create a shallow well in the center of the cheesecake filling before baking to contain the strawberry sauce better.
- Ensure cream cheese and eggs are at room temperature to avoid lumps and a smooth filling.
- Do not overmix eggs into the batter to prevent cracks and over-aeration.
- The strawberry sauce can be stored separately and added just before serving for fresh flavor.
- Use parchment paper with a sling to easily lift bars out of the pan for clean slicing and serving.
- White chocolate chips can be substituted with regular chocolate if preferred, though white chocolate complements the strawberry flavor well.
Keywords: Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars, Cheesecake Snack Bars, Strawberry Cheesecake Bars, Cream Cheese Bars, Easy Cheesecake Dessert
