Classic Cheesecake Bars-cream cheese, a little sour cream and a traditional graham cracker crust

I was called for Jury duty this week. I have to admit, I was looking forward to it. Keep in mind, I’m in rural Georgia. We don’t have violent crimes. I was all set to hear a dispute over a fence line, or a stolen tractor.

I show up 20 minutes early, the parking lot is packed, so is the courtroom. I know the judge, 2 of the attorneys and about 20 other prospective jurors. Starting on time, the Judge goes down the list of cases on the docket.

About 15 cases. There are maybe 200 of us in the courtroom. I might get picked for a jury. As he’s calling off the cases, he’s asking if the parties involved are present and taking notes.

Second time through the case list. He’s dismissing cases where only one party showed up. That takes care of 5-6. A few of the cases head out to the hallway to do some last minute settlement negotiations.

One case is about child support. The judge calls up the parties and within 5 minutes, has that settled. In the end, only one case is going to trial and that defendant doesn’t want a jury.

Less than an hour and I’m headed back home. A little disappointed but I’ve got the whole day left to catch up around the house.

I could have cleaned, or done some laundry but this was a free day. I had planned to spend all day in court.

The day called for some cheesecake.

When it comes to cheesecake, I prefer to make bars instead of a traditional round cheesecake. Bars are easier to make (there’s really no difference other than making sure your springform pan is securely sealed.) They are easier to eat, just pick one up with your hands and take a bite. And they are less filling.

In case you didn’t know this easy trick for lining a pan with foil. Flip the pan over so it’s bottom side up. Shape the foil over the bottom of the pan then remove the foil from the bottom, flip the pan right side up and gently press the formed foil into the pan. So much easier than trying to get that flat foil pressed into the pan (and not poking a hole in one of the corners.)

Now you can just throw your ingredients together and layer them in your pan.

Light, creamy, that buttery graham cracker crust on the bottom. A true classic taste.

Oh and I got my $20 check for jury duty in the mail yesterday. Not bad for sitting around for an hour.

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Yield: 9 bars

Classic Cheesecake Bars

Name: Classic Cheesecake Bars
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 2 h 55 min
Yield: 9 bars
Ingredients: 16 ounces (2 large bars) cream cheese, softened; 1/2 cup sugar; 2 eggs; 1/4 cup sour cream; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (1 sleeve); 2 Tablespoons sugar; 1/4 cup melted butter

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Additional Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 55 minutes

Ingredients

Cheesecake Filling

16 ounces (2 large bars) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

crust

1 cup graham cracker crumbs (1 sleeve)
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

Instructions

Line an 8x8 square baking dish with foil. Lightly spray with non-stick spray.
Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until all crumbs are moist.
Lightly press crumb mixture into prepared baking dish.
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in sour cream and sugar and beat again.
Add eggs, one at a time, to cream cheese mixture, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and beat one more time.
Spoon mixture on top of prepared crust, smoothing to completely cover crust.
Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 35-40 minutes, until center no longer wobbles and edges are just starting to turn golden.
Remove from oven and let cool completely before refrigerating. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving. For easy cutting, remove cheesecake from pan and pull foil off. Heat a knife in a cup of hot water for a minute or 2, then wipe knife dry before cutting. Wipe knife clean after each cut.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 bar
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 345 Total Fat: 26g Saturated Fat: 15g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 8g Cholesterol: 110mg Sodium: 260mg Carbohydrates: 24g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 18g Protein: 5g

Nutrition information is provided as a guideline only. If you have specific dietary needs, please consult a dietitian.

Want more Cream Cheese sweets?

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Petit Mocha Cheesecakes

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Wraps from Nikki’s Sweet Side
Cream Cheese Monkey Bread from Pip & Ebby
Strawberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake from Fake Ginger

Need to soften cream cheese quickly? Here are some tips.

Comments

Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch says
March 6, 2015 at 10:47 am

Such a delicious dessert! Love that you made them into bars – kinda makes it more ok to eat more than one! 🙂
Zainab says
March 6, 2015 at 12:58 pm

I am looking forward to sit on a jury one day..weird I know but just sounds like a relaxing day instead of work. OK so I never knew that tip for lining a pan with foil. So going to use it from now on. Love these bars!
- Joan Hayes says
  March 11, 2015 at 8:14 pm
  
  I hope when you do get to sit on a jury it’s an interesting case and not something boring!
Amy @Very Culinary says
March 6, 2015 at 4:44 pm

Those look a.ma.zing. Joan.
Tootie says
March 8, 2015 at 12:06 pm

These look yummy. Have you ever put any sweetened sour cream on top (baked on for about 8 minutes to firm)? I’m going to try as my family loves that on their regular cheesecake.
- Joan Hayes says
  March 11, 2015 at 8:11 pm
  
  No I haven’t. For the sweetened sour cream do you just add sugar to sour cream?
Janet T says
March 8, 2015 at 5:46 pm

Made your cheesecake bars for dessert tonight. I like that they are made in a 8 x 8 baking pan, just the right size.
- Joan Hayes says
  March 11, 2015 at 8:10 pm
  
  Glad you enjoyed them!
Laura ~ Raise Your Garden says
March 9, 2015 at 1:28 pm

These cheesecake bars are making me a little sappy because my 90+ grandma always used to make these. And they looked EXACTLY like your picture. But I will make some for her for my girlies now and make her proud. One of my fondest memories of her is always eating a 2nd piece of her cheesecake bars and her being so happy when I did. Food just brought us together I guess because she was Ukrainian and spoke almost no English so by eating her food it made her happy.
- Joan Hayes says
  March 9, 2015 at 8:32 pm
  
  Laura, that is such a sweet story. And it’s so true, food does bring us together and creates so many wonderful memories.
Vickie says
March 10, 2015 at 4:09 pm

I’ve been looking for a good, easy recipe and the picture was making me hungry, so I’m going to give this a shot! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Amanda says
March 10, 2015 at 5:18 pm

This is a great classic recipe! I LOVE this!!!
Andi @ The Weary Chef says
March 11, 2015 at 7:40 am

Jury duty?! How exciting! (Although perhaps not if you were sent home after an hour, haha!) This definitely calls for cheesecake – but to be honest, what occasion DOESN’T call for cheesecake? 🙂
Bonnie @ The Pin Junkie says
April 9, 2015 at 9:08 pm

One of my husband’s favorite desserts is cheesecake! I’ll definitely have to make this recipe! Thanks for sharing this tasty recipe at The Pin Junkie! These yummy cheesecake bars are being featuring at today’s party!
Maureen says
April 27, 2015 at 1:49 am

Cheesecake in bars. What a fabulous idea! I really do love cheesecakes. It looks and taste amazing! Since it is also my favorite dessert, I would definitely make these!
candy says
June 12, 2015 at 12:33 pm

I did double the recipe to fit nicely into a 9X13 pan. Worked out fab.. I did add 1 1/2 tsp of cinnamon into the cracker bottom and sprinkled lightly on top of the cheesecake part before baking. Give a great additional flavor. Thanks for posting everyone loved it.

Classic Cheesecake Bars

Classic Cheesecake Bars