Red, White, and Blue Cheesecake Bars
Swirls of colors make these Red, White, and Blue Cheesecake Bars a fun dessert to share at holiday parties or picnics this summer.
Swirls of colors make these Red, White, and Blue Cheesecake Bars a fun dessert to share at holiday parties or picnics this summer.
- Carbohydrate 17.8412302083987 g
- Cholesterol 6.39713541943924 mg
- Fat 8.42849854267143 g
- Fiber 1.21333328882853 g
- Protein 1.41998083338661 g
- Saturated Fat 3.16554656313436 g
- Serving Size 1 1 cheesecake bar (54g)
- Sodium 3594.75302044894 mg
- Sugar 16.6278969195701 g
- Trans Fat 0.476482354233632 g
- Calories 145 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with foil.
- Place the cookies (cream included) in a food processor. Pulse until the cookies become crumbs.
- Stir in the butter until mixed in. Press the mixture evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and cool.
- Place a large baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven. Fill it halfway with water. Let the oven preheat again.
- Beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and flour and beat again.
- Add the eggs and beat until they are mixed in. Divide the batter evenly into 3 bowls. Use the food coloring to tint two of the bowls red and blue.
- Spoon the mixture evenly over the crust, alternating the colors. Drag a butter knife through the batter going up and down and back and forth until you get a good swirl pattern. Do not over mix.
- Place the pan on the oven rack above the pan of water. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven immediately and place on a wire rack. Let the cheesecake cool on the counter for 1 hour, then refrigerate for 4-6 hours. Cut into squares and serve with Cool Whip and sprinkles, if desired.
Chilled custard and cream cheese desserts have anchored celebratory American tables for generations, evolving from heavy nineteenth-century molded puddings into modern gelatin and gel-tinted parlor sweets. Letting the baked pan rest at room temperature for one full hour before moving it to the refrigerator prevents condensation from pooling on the surface. Chilling the bars for four to six hours solidifies the interior structure so individual squares hold clean edges when sliced.
- Beat the cream cheese and sugar on a moderate speed until completely smooth before adding other components, because unblended lumps trap pockets of air that cause surface cracking during baking.
- Place a water-filled baking sheet on the lower oven rack to generate ambient steam, which stabilizes the internal temperature of the dairy batter and prevents rapid surface drying at 325 degrees.
- Drag a butter knife through the red, white, and blue batter gently to create marbled ribbons; over-mixing causes the distinct pigments to bleed into a muddy purple hue.
- Store leftover bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days, keeping them well-chilled to maintain the firm density of the crust and filling.
Proper refrigeration transforms dense dairy fats into a cohesive, sliceable crumb structure that holds its shape cleanly. Second-day portions often taste more balanced as the vanilla and sugar notes fully permeate the cream cheese base.
