Raspberry and cheesecake are one of my favorite combinations. I use it quite often as a filling for yeast breads, pastries, cookies, etc. This time I decided to make them in the form of bars with a shortbread base. The refreshing berries meld with the creaminess of the cheesecake filling as the center of the soft and crumbly cookie bars. This recipe is so simple, quick and elegantly beautiful.
Yields: about 36 bars
Ingredients:
3 sticks of butter, (each stick = 4 oz or 100 grams or ½ cup) softened
½ cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Filling:
2 packages (8 oz, each) cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
½ cup raspberry preserves/jam, preferrably seedless
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9 inch rimmed bakind sheet with aluminum foil and spray with baking spray.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 
Add the eggs and vanilla, one at a time, until incorporated. 
Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder separately and then add to the batter. Mix just until combined. 
Save 2 cups of the shortbread batter and refrigerate. Press the remaining shortbread batter into the prepared baking sheet. 
Bake for about 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Meanwhile, mix the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and no lumps appear. 
Add the vanilla and eggs. 
Pour over the shortbread crust. Dollop the raspberry preserves over the cream cheese batter. 
Use a butter knife to swirl it around, making a marbled look. 
Take out the reserved refrigerated shortbread batter and grate it on a box grater over the cheesecake filling. 
Bake for about 35-45 min.
Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 55 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 mins
- Yield: 36 bars 1x
- Category: Sweets
Ingredients
- 3 sticks of butter, (each stick = 4 oz or 100 grams or ½ cup), softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 eggs
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Filling:
- 2 packages (8 oz, each) cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup raspberry preserves/jam, preferably seedless
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9 inch rimmed bakind sheet with aluminum foil and spray with baking spray.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla, one at a time, until incorporated.
- Whisk the flour, salt and baking powder separately and then add to the batter. Mix just until combined. Save 2 cups of the shortbread batter and refrigerate.
- Press the remaining shortbread batter into the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for about 15 minutes. Cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, mix the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and no lumps appear.
- Add the vanilla and eggs. Pour over the shortbread crust.
- Dollop the raspberry preserves over the cream cheese batter. Use a butter knife to swirl it around, making a marbled look.
- Take out the reserved refrigerated shortbread batter and grate it on a box grater over the cheesecake filling.
- Bake for about 35-45 min.
Would it be possible to replace the preserve with frozen raspberry/sugar mash?
Hi Sofia,
I haven't tested it with mashed berries with sugar, but it may work. It may also have a more runny consistent, since the jam or preserves are more concentrated and thick, but I don't know for sure.
Hi Olga,
Did you try freezing these? Would you recommend it?
No, I haven't tried freezing them, Annie. You probably could freeze them, although they might be crumbly after you thaw them.
I can't wait to make these cheesecake bars for Mother's Day. Do you think I could add some sliced Almonds to the crumbly top mixture??
I think almonds will taste delicious. Great idea, Sara!
I am making these wring now! House smells soo GOOOOD!! Just want to say thanks so much for what you do. May God Bless you and your family. I hope you know that through you sharing these yummy recipes you are spreading love and peace into everybodies homes.
Thank you, Erica:).
Would recommend putting the grams and ounces of things! I buy butter from SAMs club and 3 sticks of butter in my case would probably equal out to like 9 sticks of butter in your recipe. Also cream cheese I buy in SAMs as well which comes in a 3 pound block. How much of that are your 2 sticks? Would be nice to have clearer instructions. Thanks
I absolutely agree:). That would certainly clarify things, wouldn't it? I'ev been trying to be as clear about measurements as I can, but I still have older recipes where it have measurements like this. Please let me know if you notice anymore recipes that need to be adjusted to include the exact measurements in oz. I will write it in for this recipe. Thanks so much for letting me know.
They are awesome i used to make with just jam before but with cream cheese i made first time my boys ate them in a day. Making more today!!thank you for recipe Olga. God bless for what you do.
You're welcome, Svetlana.
I like adding cream cheese or farmer's cheese to as many things as possible:).
Thanks for your answer to my question.
Hi Olga,
How many grams equal 3 sticks of butter & how many grams equal 2 packages of cream cheese? Thanks 🙂
Nat,
Each stick of butter is roughly 100 grams, 113 grams to be exact. Each package of cream cheese is 226 grams.
Hi Olga,
Do you have to put them in the fridge before serving? Where do you keep them afterwards?
Nope. Just keep them at room temperature. I just cover them with plastic wrap.
Thanks for the recommendations shared in your blog.
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Hi Olga . Thank you for the recipe . They are amazingly delicious, and I love how you write out the instructions , it makes it much easier to make is correctly.
Is this okay to make a day before serving? and do you think they will be a good dessert for thanksgiving? They have to be stored in fridge huh?
I made this three times in the last month......so good.....make sure to share some it with your friends because its very tempting to eat it all by yourself.
Hi Angelina,
I know what you mean! They are so addicting:).
I love your pictures and being a very visual person, it helps having the aid when cooking. I need a new recipe for fall/thanksgiving so I'm thinking to substitute the raspberry preserves with apple. What do you think?
Hi Anna,
You can certainly add apples to this recipe. I'm pretty sure it would turn out great.