No-bake Cheesecake Bars
Servings: 9
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
For the cheesecake:
- 16 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
For the cherry topping:
- 1 cup pitted chopped cherries
- 1/4 tsp almond extract
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
For the crust:
- Line a 9 x 9 square baking pan with parchment paper.
- Make the crust: Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and two tablespoons of sugar until well combined and the mixture looks like wet sand.
- Press the mixture into the prepared baking pan and press down until it is a firm, even layer. Place it in the freezer.
For the cheesecake filling:
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add the sweetened condensed milk while beating the cream cheese. Add in the lemon juice, vanilla, and salt and mix until well combined.
- In a seperate bowl, beat the heavy cream until it reaches stiff peaks. Gently fold the cream into the cheesecake mixture.
- Remove the crust from the freezer and top the crust with the cheesecake mixture.
- Put in the refrigerator to set for at least 4 - 5 hours, or overnight.
For the cherry topping:
- While the cheesecake is setting, mix together the cherries, sugar, almond extract, and remaining salt together and heat in a saucepan until the juices thicken. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Take out the cheesecake bars and cut into squares. Top each slice of cheesecake with cherry topping and serve.