White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

Who else else here grew up eating cream cheese and jam sandwiches on a regular basis?

If you answered a big fat YES! to the above question, please accept this virtual high five… {hi-ya!} I feel like this relationship is off to an amazing start, don’t you? 😀

Alright so some of you are probably thinking that a cream cheese and jam sandwich sounds more than a little strange, am I right?

But when you really think about it… this whole cream cheese and jam sandwich flavour combo is really quite similar to that of these White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars. You got your cream cheese, you got your jam and you got your crust… Yeah I think we might be onto something here… :p

My dad was the one who first introduced me to the idea of cream cheese and jam sandwiches when I was little. Now I’ll be honest – I pretty much thought that the man had lost it.The idea of cream cheese and jam together between two slices of bread was a little too much for me to handle at first.

Thankfully he managed to use his daddy voodoo on me and one day he finally convinced me to take a bite… Let’s just say from that moment on I always trusted my dad’s judgement when it came to seemingly strange food combinations.

To this day, there are few things in life that I enjoy more than snacking on a fresh cream cheese and jam sandwich. So if this is sandwich combo that you have yet to welcome into your life… I think it’s time that you embraced the strangeness, because they really are the bees knees.

So in keeping with the flavour combo’s of my favourite sandwich; I would like to introduce you to my bestest friends ever….  these White Chocoalte Raspberry Cheesecake Bars – AKA my definition of cheesecake heaven…

Everything about these White Chocolate Cheesecake Bars makes me start to drool in an uncontrollable {and probably very unattractive} fashion. From the homemade brown sugar cookie crust, to that rich, velvety cheesecake, to the sweet raspberry jam swirl, and as for the white chocolate… well that’s just good measure is it not?

The thing I love most about this recipe is just how beautifully all of the flavours go together. There is just a hint of lemon zest in the recipe, which helps to not only to add incredible flavour in itself without being too overwhelming; but it also lightens up the richness of the cheesecake, while balancing out some of the sweetness of the white chocolate & the raspberry jam beautifully.

I also find that the whipping cream in this recipe helps to keep the cheesecake super velvety smooth, while also giving it a wonderfully light texture.

Not to mention, I also could have just sat and leered at the beauty of that raspberry jam swirled into that creamy cheesecake all day long…

I really did contemplate doing this…. However, it wasn’t long before I realized that if I continued to do that, it would also meant that I couldn’t eat them…. and I really wanted to eat them.

Okay, so I have no more words to convey my love for these White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars… { and I’m officially drooling }…so here is the recipe lovelies and I hope  you enjoy!

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

Makes: 9×9 inch square pan (about 12 squares)

Things you need…

Brown Sugar Cookie Crust
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
2 pckgs cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
2 eggs, room temp
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/3 cup whipping cream
3 oz white chocolate, melted
3/4 cup raspberry jam, warmed

How to make…

Brown Sugar Cookie Crust

Grease & line a 9×9 inch square baking pan.

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Add in flours and cinnamon, beat on low until mixture starts to come together, and is crumbly, being careful not to over-mix.

Pour crumbly dough into your prepared baking pan, and press down and out to the edges of the pan to create a smooth even crust. Set aside.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees.

Melt your white chocolate on low heat until smooth; set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add in the sugar and lemon zest and beat until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally to ensure everything is evenly incorporating.

Next beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in vanilla and melted white chocolate; mixing until incorporated. Next, add in the flour and beat to blend. Finally add in the whipping cream and beat on low until smooth and well combined.

Pour half of the cheesecake batter into the prepared pan, over the crust. Spoon 1/2 of the warmed raspberry jam over top in 1 tsp dollops all over the cheesecake batter and use a knife to swirl. Pour the remaining half of the batter on top and dollop the remaining jam over top; use a knife to swirl the jam into the cheesecake batter.

Lightly tap your cheesecake pan on the counter top a couple times {this will help to release any air bubbles in your cheesecake} and place in the center rack of your oven to bake for 35-40 minutes or until the center is set – this usually only takes my oven a solid 35 minutes every time.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely to room temperature. Once cooled, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until you are ready to serve.

When you are ready to serve, use a hot sharp knife to cut the cheesecake into even squares depending on the size you desire. I wanted mine to be really mini so I cut my cheesecake 6×6 into 36 little squares, but you could also do 4×4 to make 16 squares or even 3×3 to make 9 large squares.

Yayyyy cheesecake! {insert cheesecake happy dance here}

Are you excited to make these cheesecake bars? I’m super excited for you, because it’s definitely one of my all-time fav’s! I have a bit of a thing for cheesecake and these make for not only a delicious treat, but also an incredibly pretty one – and let’s face it, we all love our pretty desserts.

Alright, just one last thing before I sign off for today … I just want to say a big thanks to everyone who has waited so patiently for me to finally post this one! You’re all super awesome-sauce and I just hope it was worth the wait! <3 <3

Happy cheesecake baking!

KP xoxo