Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars are the recipe that Maria makes every summer gathering and every holiday celebration when she wants to create the most completely extraordinary and the most genuinely crowd-stopping individually portioned cheesecake dessert that perfectly recreates the most beloved and the most deeply nostalgic Philadelphia Snack Bar experience — with its most beautifully creamy and the most silky smooth cream cheese filling baked over the most buttery graham cracker crust, topped with the most gorgeous deep red sticky strawberry sauce simmered slowly on the stovetop until the most beautifully concentrated and the most vibrant individual fruit character.
And finished with the most elegantly thin and the most beautifully drizzled white chocolate stripe — but with the most completely extraordinary homemade quality and the most genuinely superior individual flavor that surpasses every store-bought version. She bakes the most buttery graham cracker crust, pours the most silky cream cheese filling, simmers the most gorgeous strawberry topping, and drizzles the most beautiful white chocolate finish.
Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars are the most easy and deeply extraordinary baked graham cracker crust cheesecake bars made by pressing 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs sugar and butter into 8 or 9-inch pan filling with two packages cream cheese sugar sour cream vanilla and eggs baked at 350°F for 25 to 35 minutes cooled 4 hours then topped with fresh strawberry sauce and white chocolate drizzle. Come follow us on Pinterest where we share beautiful cheesecake recipes and easy dessert favorites from our kitchen every single week.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars Recipe
This Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars recipe is the most completely extraordinary and the most genuinely accessible individual cheesecake bar that delivers the most beautifully creamy and the most silky smooth baked cheesecake experience without the most intimidating full cheesecake preparation — no water bath required, no springform pan needed, and a most beautifully simple assembly sequence that produces the most completely professional and the most genuinely impressive individual result.
The slow-simmered fresh strawberry topping is the single most transformative element that elevates these bars from the most simple cheesecake to the most completely extraordinary copycat Philadelphia Snack Bar. Simmering the strawberries slowly with sugar, water, lemon juice, and cornstarch for a full 15 minutes produces the most deeply concentrated and the most beautifully deep red individual sauce that bottled strawberry jam or canned pie filling can never replicate. Our Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake makes a beautifully equally strawberry and equally cream-cheese companion for a complete and wonderful strawberry cheesecake collection.
Ingredients Needed for This Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars Recipe
For the Graham Cracker Crust:
- 1½ cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
- 6 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
For the Cheesecake Filling:
- 2 packages (8 oz each) Full-Fat Brick-Style Cream Cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- ¼ cup Sour Cream
- ½ tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 large Eggs, room temperature
For the Fresh Strawberry Topping:
- 1½ cups Fresh Strawberries, chopped
- 5 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 3 tbsp Water
- 1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
- 2 tsp Cornstarch
For the White Chocolate Drizzle:
- ½ cup White Chocolate Chips
How to Make This Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 by 8 or 9 by 9-inch pan with a parchment sling and spray with baking spray.
Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter until most evenly combined. Press most firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan using a flat measuring cup or tamper to pack most compactly.
In a large bowl, use hand beaters to combine the room-temperature cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla on medium speed until the most smooth. Scrape the bowl thoroughly. Add the eggs and combine on low speed until just combined — do not overmix, cara mia.
Pour the filling over the crust. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until the center is almost set but still shows the most slight jiggle. Remove and cool on a wire rack to room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Refrigerate in the pan for 3 to 4 hours.
While the bars bake, make the strawberry topping. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring all the strawberry sauce ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat to the most low simmer and continue cooking, stirring often, for approximately 15 minutes until the sauce is the most thick and a most deep red color. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Once the bars have chilled, slice into 8 to 10 even bars with a large sharp knife wiped clean between each cut. Spoon the strawberry topping most generously over each bar. Melt the white chocolate chips in 20-second microwave intervals until smooth, transfer to a small bag, cut a tiny corner, and drizzle most elegantly over each bar.
How to Serve This Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Serve chilled directly from the refrigerator for the most completely creamy and the most properly set individual bar that holds its most beautifully defined layers. The combination of the most buttery graham cracker base, the most silky cream cheese middle, the most deep red sticky strawberry topping, and the most elegant white chocolate drizzle in every individual bar creates the most completely extraordinary and the most genuinely reminiscent copycat Philadelphia Snack Bar experience.
For the most authentic original Philadelphia Snack Bar presentation, use a metal measuring spoon to create a long well down the center of each bar, fill with the strawberry topping, and drizzle the white chocolate across the full bar. Our Berry Cream Cheese Muffins make a beautifully equally cream-cheese and equally strawberry companion for a complete and wonderful strawberry cream cheese collection.
How to Store This Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Store covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days. Make the bars and the strawberry topping ahead and store separately in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, adding the topping within a few hours of serving for the most fresh and the most vibrant individual presentation. Freeze untopped bars for up to 2 to 3 months.
Tips to Make This Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Do not overbake the cheesecake bars. The most critical technique for the most beautifully creamy and the most silky smooth individual filling texture is pulling the bars from the oven when the center still shows the most slight jiggle — the carryover cooking during the cooling period finishes setting the most perfectly smooth individual center. Overbaked bars produce a rubbery and gritty individual texture rather than the most beautifully silky and the most properly creamy result.
Simmer the strawberry sauce long and slow for the full 15 minutes for the most beautifully deep red color and the most concentrated and the most vibrant individual fresh strawberry flavor. A sauce simmered for less time produces the most washed-out color and the most watery and the most under-developed strawberry flavor.
Helpful Notes for This Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Cut clean individual bars by using a large sharp knife and wiping the blade clean between each cut. Unwiped blades drag filling from one cut to the next, producing the most jagged and the most messy individual cross-sections rather than the most cleanly defined and the most beautifully smooth individual bar presentation.
The parchment sling — parchment paper with overhanging edges on two sides — allows the most effortless and the most cleanly lifted removal of the entire bar slab before slicing. This technique prevents the most common issue of uneven or broken individual bars when cutting directly in the pan.
Variation of This Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Maria made a version using a mixed berry topping — combining strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries — for the most completely extraordinary and the most vibrant multi-berry Philadelphia cheesecake bar. Teresa tried adding a quarter teaspoon of lemon zest to the cheesecake filling for the most completely extraordinary and the most bright lemon strawberry Philadelphia cheesecake bar.
For a chocolate version, substitute the strawberry topping with warm hot fudge sauce and the white chocolate drizzle with drizzled milk chocolate for the most completely extraordinary and the most deeply indulgent chocolate Philadelphia cheesecake bar. Our Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake makes a beautifully equally strawberry and equally cream-cheese-forward companion for a complete and wonderful strawberry cheesecake collection.
FAQs About This Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars Recipe
Why does the cheesecake filling need sour cream?
Sour cream contributes the most essential additional moisture and the most subtle tang that produces the most beautifully creamy and the most properly smooth individual cheesecake filling texture. Without sour cream, the filling is the most noticeably drier and the most less velvety individual result. Sour cream also balances the most natural richness of the cream cheese for the most beautifully nuanced and the most perfectly balanced individual flavor.
Can I use canned pie filling instead of making fresh strawberry topping?
Yes — canned strawberry pie filling substitutes for the homemade topping for the most convenient and the most time-saving result. However, the homemade slow-simmered fresh strawberry topping produces the most dramatically superior individual flavor with the most naturally vibrant color that bottled pie filling cannot replicate. The slow-cooked fresh version is the most strongly recommended for the most genuinely extraordinary individual bar.
How far in advance can I make these bars?
The bars and topping can each be prepared up to 2 full days in advance and refrigerated separately. Add the strawberry topping within 2 to 3 hours of serving for the most properly fresh and the most beautifully glossy individual presentation. Do not add the white chocolate drizzle until immediately before serving for the most properly set and the most beautifully elegant individual finish.
Conclusion
These Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars are the most completely extraordinary and the most deeply satisfying individual cheesecake bar that makes every gathering and every holiday feel genuinely and completely special through the most buttery graham cracker crust and the most silky cream cheese filling and the most vibrantly deep red fresh strawberry topping and the most elegant white chocolate drizzle in every single beautifully individual and completely irresistible Philadelphia cheesecake bar.
We hope they bring the same deeply joyful nostalgic copycat cheesecake bar delight and the same completely delighted gathering to your kitchen that they have always brought to ours. Make them, share them, and come back to tell us all about it. With all our love, Maria, Lucia, and Teresa
Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars The Most Easy Baked Graham Cracker Crust Creamy Cheesecake Fresh Strawberry Topping White Chocolate Drizzle
- Total Time: 5 hours including cooling and chilling
- Yield: 8 to 10 bars 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The most extraordinary baked Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars made by preheating oven to 350°F lining 8×8 or 9×9 pan with parchment sling spraying combining 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/4 cup sugar and 6 tbsp melted butter pressing firmly into pan using hand beaters to combine 2 packages room temperature cream cheese 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup sour cream and vanilla on medium until smooth adding 2 room temperature eggs on low just combined pouring over crust baking 25 to 35 minutes until center slightly jiggly cooling on rack 1 to 2 hours refrigerating 3 to 4 hours making strawberry sauce by boiling 1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries sugar water lemon juice and cornstarch then simmering 15 minutes until thick and deep red cooling slicing into 8 to 10 bars wiping knife between cuts spooning strawberry topping over each bar then drizzling melted white chocolate chips. A completely perfect copycat Philadelphia snack bar recipe.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar for crust
6 tbsp Unsalted Butter melted
2 packages 8 oz each Full-Fat Brick-Style Cream Cheese room temperature
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar for filling
1/4 cup Sour Cream
1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
2 large Eggs room temperature
1 1/2 cups Fresh Strawberries chopped
5 tbsp Granulated Sugar for topping
3 tbsp Water
1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
2 tsp Cornstarch
1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 8×8 or 9×9 pan with parchment sling. Spray with baking spray.
2. Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press firmly into pan.
3. Beat room temperature cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, and vanilla on medium until smooth. Scrape bowl.
4. Add eggs. Combine on low just until incorporated. Do not overmix.
5. Pour filling over crust.
6. Bake 25 to 35 minutes until center almost set but slightly jiggly.
7. Cool on wire rack 1 to 2 hours. Refrigerate in pan 3 to 4 hours.
8. Make strawberry sauce: bring all topping ingredients to boil. Reduce to low simmer. Cook 15 minutes stirring often until thick and deep red. Cool completely.
9. Slice into 8 to 10 even bars. Wipe knife clean between each cut.
10. Spoon strawberry topping over each bar.
11. Melt white chocolate chips in 20-second increments until smooth. Transfer to bag. Cut tiny corner. Drizzle over bars.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Cheesecake Bars, Copycat
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 298
- Sugar: 32g
- Sodium: 188mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 63mg
Keywords: Philadelphia cheesecake bars, easy baked Philadelphia cheesecake bars recipe graham cracker fresh strawberry white chocolate, best copycat Philadelphia snack bars cheesecake, strawberry cheesecake bars white chocolate drizzle
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