Lemon Cheesecake Squares With Fresh Berries Recipes

LEMON CHEESECAKE SQUARES WITH FRESH BERRIES

Steps:

• For crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Fold 16-inch long piece of foil to 8x16-inch strip; place in 8x8x2-inch metal baking pan, leaving overhang on 2 sides. Repeat with another sheet of foil in opposite direction, lining pan completely. Butter foil.
• Place graham crackers in heavy-duty plastic bag. Using rolling pin or mallet, crush crackers finely. Melt butter in medium skillet over low heat. Remove from heat; add crumbs and toss to coat. Press crumbs evenly onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake crust until deep golden, about 12 minutes. Cool crust while preparing filling.
• For filling:
• Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg and sour cream, then lemon juice, lemon peel, and vanilla. Spread batter over crust.
• Bake cheesecake until slightly puffed and set in center, about 30 minutes; cool completely in pan on rack. Chill cheesecake until cold, at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; keep chilled.
• Using foil overhang as aid, lift cheesecake from pan. Cut into 16 squares; arrange on platter. Top each square with berries. Chill until ready to serve, up to 3 hours. Serve chilled.

LEMON BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Grease the bottom of a 9 by 9-inch baking pan with butter. Then place parchment paper over the top, pressing down at the corners. In a food processor, process the sugar, cinnamon and graham crackers until you have the texture of bread crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse a couple of times to fully incorporate. Pour into the lined baking pan and gently pat down with the base of a glass. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes until golden. When done set aside to cool.
• Add cream cheese, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice and sugar to the food processor and mix until well combined. It should have a smooth consistency. Pour onto the cooled base and then cover with blueberries. They will sink slightly but should still be half exposed -- as the cake bakes they will sink a little more and break down.
• Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the center only slightly jiggles. Remove from the oven and cool completely before refrigerating for at least 3 hours. Once set, remove from pan using the parchment lining and slice into 10 rectangular bars. Dust with powdered sugar.

BLUEBERRY LEMON CHEESECAKE SQUARES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Butter an 8-inch x 8-inch baking pan, then press a square of parchment paper into the pan. This will help you lift out the finished product.
• Make the crust: Place the graham crackers in a large Ziploc bag, and crush with a rolling pin. In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs and the sugar. Pour in the 1/4 cup melted butter, and mix until well incorporated. Press into the baking pan. (You can also process the graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter in a food processor, if you prefer.)
• Bake the crust for about 12 minutes, or until it begins to turn golden brown. Let cool completely.
• Mix the filling: Use a stand or hand mixer with a whisk attachment (if you have one), and beat together the cream cheese, eggs, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar until smooth. You can also do this in a blender or food processor to help ensure a smooth consistency. I simply used my Kitchenaid stand mixer and the whisk attachment.
• Pour and sprinkle: Pour the filling over the cooled graham cracker crust. Spread evenly with a knife or spatula. And now sprinkle the blueberries evenly over the top. Pretty!
• Bake, cool, cut, and serve: Bake at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes, or until the middle just barely jiggles. I recommend you start checking the bars at about 35 minutes, though - ovens vary! Allow to cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
• Remove from fridge, and using the parchment paper as little "handles," remove the bars from the pan. Cut into squares with a sharp knife. Serve.

LEMON CHEESECAKE SQUARES WITH FRESH BERRIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Fold a 16 inch long piece of foil to an 8x16 inch strip; place in a 8x8x2 inch baking pan, leaving overhang on 2 sides. Repeat with another sheet of foil in opposite direction, lining pan completely. Butter foil.
• Place graham crackers in heavy-duty plastic bag. Using a rolling pin or mallet, crush crackers finely. Melt butter in a medium skillet over low heat. Remove from heat; add crumbs and toss to coat. Press crumbs evenly onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake crust until deep golden, about 12 minutes. Cool crust completely while preparing filling.
• Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in egg and sour cream, then lemon juice, lemon peel and vanilla. Spread batter over crust.
• Bake cheesecake until slightly puffed and set in center, about 30 minutes; cool completely in pan on rack. Chill cheesecake until cold, at least 2 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.).
• Using foil overhang as aid, lift cheesecake from pan. Cut into 16 squares; arrange on platter. Top each square with berries. Chill until ready to serve, up to 3 hours. Serve Chilled.

LEMON CHEESECAKE SQUARES

Steps:

• For the crust: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch cake pan with the baking spray and line with parchment paper, allowing at least 2 inches of overhang on the two long sides. Lightly coat the parchment with the baking spray.
• Combine the cookie crumbs, sugar, lemon zest and salt in a food processor or gallon-size resealable plastic bag. Add the melted butter and pulse until evenly moistened. Press the mixture about 1 inch up the sides of the prepared cake pan, then press to cover the bottom evenly. Bake until the edges just become golden and the crust is fragrant, 8 to 9 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
• For the filling: Beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.
• Use your fingers to rub together the sugar, lemon zest and salt in a small bowl until the mixture is fragrant. Gradually add the sugar mixture to the cream cheese on low speed, then raise the speed to medium and beat until smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl, then beat for another few seconds to combine.
• Mix in the lemon juice and vanilla on low speed until combined. Mix in half of the beaten eggs and until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl and paddle well and then mix in the remaining half of the beaten eggs on low speed just until combined.
• Pour the batter over the freshly baked warm crust and spread smooth. Place the lemon curd in a resealable plastic bag and snip a corner. Pipe lines of the lemon curd across the batter (alternately, spoon small dollops of curd across the batter.) Use a toothpick to swirl the curd and batter together slightly.
• Place the baking pan in a slightly larger baking pan or roasting pan. Place in the center of the oven. Very carefully pour about 1 inch of steaming hot water into the larger pan to create a water bath. Gently slide the oven rack back in place and close the door. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake until the center barely jiggles, 42 to 45 minutes. The temperature at the center of the cheesecake should be about 150 degrees F.
• Once baked, turn off the oven, prop open the door and allow the cheesecake to cool down inside the oven for 45 minutes. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely before refrigerating for at least 4 hours or overnight.
• To serve, use the parchment overhang to pull the cheesecake out of the pan. Peel down the sides of the parchment and cut into 24 bars. Serve immediately or store tightly covered for up to 3 days.