Strawberry Cheesecake Bars

Strawberry flavor is not an afterthought in these delicious Cheesecake Bars. It may seem impossible but these bars have more intense flavor than a strawberry! There are several easy steps used to coax out and concentrate every bit of flavor from the strawberries. While this process takes a little time, each step is easy and detailed in our printable recipe.

Ingredients
For the crust:

• 12 sheets of chocolate graham crackers
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

For the strawberry filling:

• 2 pounds fresh strawberries, plus more for topping
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
• pinch of salt
• 1 3/4 teaspoons unflavored gelatin, (1-ounce package)
• 20 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 16 whole strawberries
• 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or chocolate chips

Instructions
To make the crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Cut a length of parchment paper to fit a 9x9-inch baking pan allowing the paper to come up to the top on two opposite sides.  Cut another sheet to fix in the opposite direction.  Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the graham crackers and sugar and process until finely crushed. Add the melted butter and pulse until well mixed. Firmly press the mixture onto the bottom and sides of the prepared pan. Bake for 8 minutes at 350F. Remove from the oven and cool. Once cool, put the pan in the refrigerator will preparing the filling.

To prepare the filling:

1. Clean 2 pounds of strawberries and remove the hulls. Cut each in half or quarters. Process half of the strawberries in a food processor until pieces are 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick – about 10 short pulses. Repeat with the remaining strawberries. Be careful not to over-process the strawberries.
2. For full instructions : www.savingdessert.com

Share this post