Cheesecake Recipes

Strawberry Cheesecake Crumble Bars

A sweet and creamy dessert with a buttery crust and a crumble topping.

~Ingredients:

-Crust and Crumble Topping:

1 1/2 Cups all Purpose Flour.

2 2/3 Cups Brown Sugar.

3 3/4 Cups Cold Unsalted Butter, cubed.

-Strawberry Preserves:

4 Cups Strawberries, hulled.

1 Tablespoon plus 1/2 Teaspoon  freshly squeezed Lemon Juice.

1 Cup Sugar.

-Cheesecake:

8 Ounces Cream Cheese, softened.

1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar.

1 Teaspoon Vanillla Extract.

1 Large Egg Yolk.

~Directions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper, leaving a overhang on the sides for an easy lift.

Step 2: Making the Crust: Stir the flour and the brown sugar in a large bowl. 

Step 3: Rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers. Your dough is done when (a) there are no more chunks of butter, (b) starts to resemble coarse crumbs, (c) holds its shape when pressed in your palm.*

Step 4: Take half of the dough and press it evenly on the lined pan. If needed, take more dough to cover the bottom of the pan entirely. Just be sure to set aside at least 1/4 for the crumble topping.**

Step 5: Bake the crust for 20 minutes. Let it cool for about 20 minutes.

Step 6: Making the Strawberry Preserves: Put the strawberries and lemon juice in a large saucepan. 

Step 7: Cook the strawberries and lemon juice, stirring occasionally, over low heat until the juices of the strawberries are released, this will take about 40 minutes. 

Step 8: Stir in the sugar.

Step 9: Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. 

Step 10: Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture reaches 210 degrees on a candy thermometer, which will take about 15 minutes. 

Step 11: Let the mixture cool completely. After it is completely cooled, skim the foam on the surface with a spoon.

Step 12: Making the Cheesecake Batter: Beat together the  cream cheese and the granulated sugar in a bowl until it is smooth and there are no more lumps. 

Step 13: Add the egg yolk and the vanilla extract, beat until well combined. 

Step 14: Don't forget to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as you mix.

Step 15: Pour the batter on the cooled crust and spread evenly. 

Step 16: Add spoonfuls of strawberry preserves on top of the batter. 

Step 17: Crumble the remaining dough on top of the strawberry preserves.

Step 18: Bake for 30 minutes or until the strawberry preserves are bubbling and crumble topping turns golden brown.***

Step 19: Let it cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before cutting into squares. It may be difficult to cut the crust so use a large knife.

Step 20: Store leftovers in the fridge. Consume within a week.

-Notes:

*You may use a pastry cutter or fork but we prefer to use our hands, this way we can make sure everything is mixed properly. A little hand exercise won't hurt right? =)

** We used approximately 3/4 of the dough for our crust.

***Rotate your pan at 25 minutes if the edges starts to brown on one side. Ours was done in 30 minutes then we toasted the crumble for another 5 minutes.

Enjoy!

Please leave us a picture in the comments below if you make it!

~Hailey and Hannah :)