This simple yet impressive Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars dessert has all the tastes and flavors of a cheesecake, yet is baked in a cake pan. The salty pretzel crust compliments the creamy, rich texture of a cheesecake. Enjoy this delightful dessert!
Rich and creamy is the perfect way to describe these strawberry swirl cheesecake bars. Deliciously simple, the salty pretzel crust accents the sweet flavor of strawberry. Every bite is a treat blend of sweet and salty.
What you will enjoy about this cheesecake recipe is how easy they are to make. Cheesecake whether as bars or a cake form is only a handful of ingredients.
Desserts come in all shapes and sizes with a variety of crusts like Lemon Bars (shortbread crust), S'mores Dessert Bars (graham crackers crust) and Strawberry Pie (flour crust).
Ingredients
- cream cheese - only use Philadelphia cream cheese
- pretzels - any brand will work, can use gluten free as well!
- butter - margarine or butter can be used in this recipe
- sugar
- vanilla
- sour cream
- eggs
- strawberries - cut and stems removed
The pretzel crust
The pretzel crust is something that can be a surprise to many cheesecake fans. A graham cracker crust is what is typically used for cheesecake. Like with this Turtle Cheesecake or Baked Cherry Cheesecake.
A negative about a pretzel crust is that it can appear to be soggy. That is just a level of preference. I had 2 members of the family prefer the pretzel crust and two preferred the graham cracker crust. The pretzel crust doesn't need to be pre-baked before baking the cheesecake.
Strawberry swirl
The strawberry swirl in the cheesecake bars is simply strawberries, blended. Sugar can be added, but the pure taste of strawberry is what blends the best with the cheesecake, I feel.
Using a Magic Bullet or a blender to blend up the strawberries is best. Then, the swirling of the strawberries into the bars is easy! Just pour a little at a time onto the cheesecake, before it is cooked, and using a knife, start swirling the strawberries around.
Be sure to cut the strawberry sauce into the cheesecake, but not to the pretzels. You don't want to disrupt the crust.
Bake
The cheesecake bars need to be baked at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until the cheesecake is firm in the middle. They will need to cool on the counter for at least 20 minutes before chilling in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
Storage
The bars will need to be stored, covered, in a refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Strawberry sauce
If you would like to top your cheesecake bars with strawberry sauce, here is a recipe for a delicious strawberry topping that would work perfectly for these bars.
📖 Recipe
Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake Bars
Print PinEquipment
- 1 stand mixer or hand mixer
- 1 Magic Bullet or blender
Ingredients
For The Cheesecake
- 24 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 5 oz sour cream
- 8 strawberries washed, stems removed
For The Crust
- 3 cups pretzels crushed
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease a 9x13 cake pan.
- Crush pretzels using a food processor or by using a plastic bag and a rolling pin.
- Add in melted butter and mix or process together.
- Spread on the bottom of a 9x13 cake pan and set aside.
- In a bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, cream together softened cream cheese and sugar.
- Mix in sour cream and vanilla.
- Mix in eggs, on low speed, one at a time until mixed together. Mix the cheesecake mixture together for 12 seconds on medium high. Don't overmix the eggs.
- Pour the cheesecake batter onto the pretzel crust and spread it out carefully.
- Set aside.
- Using a magic bullet or blender, put cut strawberries and about 1 tablespoon of water in the bullet or blender and pulse until the strawberries are blended well.
- Drizzle the strawberry mixture a little at a time onto the cheesecake and using a knife, swirl the strawberries into the cheesecake batter.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until cheesecake is firm in the middle.
- Remove from oven and let cool on counter for 20 minutes.
- Chill in refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
- Serve.
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