Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Raspberry lemon cheesecake bars feature velvety bright lemon cheesecake swirled with decadent raspberry puree all nestled on a sugar cookie crust. These dessert bars will be a hit any time you make them for any occasion!
Some flavors are a match made in heaven.
Peanut butter and jelly.
Chocolate and peanut butter.
And I would be absolutely wrong to not mention raspberry and lemon.
Those flavors play together so well with the tart bright lemon and the sweeter, more floral tartness of the raspberry.
And when you put them together to make these raspberry lemon cheesecake bars on a sugar cookie crust magic happens!
Creamy, decadent magic!
Ingredients
You’re going to need a set of ingredients for the sugar cookie crust and another for the cheesecake filling.
For the sugar cookie crust you’ll need:
- Sugar cookie mix– The kind in the pouch by the cake and brownie mix in the baking aisle.
- Butter– Softened to room temperature
- Egg
- Lemon zest– To infuse the crust with that bright lemony flavor
And for the cheesecake filling you’ll need:
- Cream cheese– Full fat cream cheese softened to room temperature.
- Sugar– Granulated
- Lemon– Both the juice and zest from a lemon
- Eggs
- Raspberries– Fresh berries to make raspberry puree
How to Make
Let’s break these raspberry lemon cheesecake bars down into two parts: making the crust and making the filling.
To Make the Crust
Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees.
While the oven heats, line a 9×13 baking dish with parchment paper and spray it with non-stick spray.
Set the prepared dish aside.
Then stir the sugar cookie mix, butter, egg and lemon peel together in a large bowl.
Press the sugar cookie dough into the bottom of the pan.
Bake for the cookie crust 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, take it out of the oven and then let it cool for 10 minutes.
Making the Cheesecake Filling
While the crust cools, you can start on the cheesecake filling.
Beat the cream cheese, sugar, lemon peel, eggs and lemon juice together with an electric mixer until it’s smooth.
Set aside ¼ cup of the cheesecake filling.
Pour the rest of the cheesecake filling over the cookie crust.
Then, smash up the raspberries and press them through small strainer to make the raspberry puree.
Combine the raspberry puree with the reserved cheesecake filling.
Dollop the raspberry mixture all over the cheesecake layer in the pan and swirl it with a knife to make a pretty swirl pattern on top.
Bake the cheesecake bars for 30 to 35 minutes or until filling is just set.
Let the bars cool on the counter until they are about room temperature.
Then pop them in the fridge for 2 hours or until cooled completely.
Slice the bars into 12 slices.
Garnish with extra raspberries and lemon slices if desired.
Serve and enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
Store any leftover cheesecake bars tightly covered in the baking pan in the fridge or transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate.
Either way the bars will stay good for about 5 days in the fridge.
Tips and Tricks
- You can shortcut this and use a roll of cookie dough. If you do this, let the dough soften a bit to room temperature and kneed it with the lemon zest to get some of that lemon flavor in. It might not be as strong as if you use the packet of cookie dough.
- You could substitute 1/4 cup of seedless raspberry jam for the raspberry puree.
- To make the cheesecake extra pretty, add a couple drops of yellow food coloring to highlight the lemon flavor.
Other Cheesecake Bars
Raspberry lemon cheesecake bars are a delicious sweet, tart dessert perfect for any occasion.
Make them and enjoy!
Looking for other cheesecake bars?
Try these:
- Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bars
- Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies
- Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
- Oreo Cheesecake Brownies
If you’ve tried these RASPBERRY LEMON CHEESECAKE BARS, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 17.5 oz pkg dry sugar cookie mix
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Filling
- 2 8 oz pkgs cream cheese softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
- 2 eggs
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cup fresh raspberries
- More lemons and raspberries for garnish optional
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325 degrees.
- Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper and spray with non-stick spray.
- In a large bowl combine the sugar cookie mix, butter, egg and lemon peel.1 17.5 oz pkg dry sugar cookie mix, ½ cup butter, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
- Stir until well combined.
- Press the dough into the bottom of the pan.
- Bake for 15 minutes and then cool for 10 minutes.
- In another mixing bowl using an electric mixer beat the cream cheese, sugar, lemon peel, eggs and lemon juice until smooth.2 8 oz pkgs cream cheese, ½ cup sugar, 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel, 2 eggs, Juice of 1 lemon
- Set aside ¼ cup of the cheesecake filling.
- Pour the rest of the cheesecake filling over the cookie crust.
- Smash up the raspberries and press them through a sieve or small strainer to create the raspberry puree.1 cup fresh raspberries
- Combine the raspberry puree with the reserved cheesecake filling.
- Drop the rraspberry mixture all over the cheesecake layer in the pan and swirl with a knife to get a nice swirled pattern.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until filling is just set.
- Set aside to cool slightly.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours or until cooled completely.
- Slice into 12 slices.
- Garnish and serve!More lemons and raspberries for garnish
Notes
- You can shortcut this and use a roll of cookie dough. If you do this, let the dough soften a bit to room temperature and kneed it with the lemon zest to get some of that lemon flavor in. It might not be as strong as if you use the packet of cookie dough.
- You could substitute 1/4 cup of seedless raspberry jam for the raspberry puree.
- To make the cheesecake extra pretty, add a couple drops of yellow food coloring to highlight the lemon flavor.
Nutrition
