Lemony Cheesecake Squares with Raspberry Swirl
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
These Lemony Cheesecake Squares are the perfect non-chocolate treat. Creamy Lemony Cheesecake + Graham Cracker Crust + Raspberry Swirl... The perfect balance of Sweet and Tart and SO YUMMY! Plus, they are super easy to whip up!
Author: Healthy Gluten-Free Family
Recipe type: Dessert, Valentine's Day, Cookies and Bars
Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Serves: 16 bars
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- a scant 1½ cups gluten-free graham cracker crumbs ( I used one (1) 5.6oz box Schar Gluten-Free Honeygrams, finely ground into crumbs using a food processor)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling
- 2 8oz bars cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest, packed (about one lemon)
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about one lemon)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Raspberry swirl
- 3 tablespoons Raspberry preserves or jam
- ¼ cup fresh raspberries
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line an 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper
Graham Cracker Crust
- Add ingredients in a small bowl and mix until well combined and "moist". Add mixture to lined baking pan and gently press into pan.
- Bake 8 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
Filling
- Place cream cheese and sugar in a large mixing bowl and using an electric mixer, blend until very smooth. Add eggs, milk, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix until well combined and smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
- Pour mixture onto warm and baked crust in pan. Use a spatula to smooth the top or put on oven mitts and gently rock the pan from side to side. (remember the pan will still be HOT!)
Raspberry Swirl
- Combine preserves, raspberries and lemon juice in a small bowl and mash with a fork until well combined.
- Strain through a fine mesh strainer so that the "raspberry jam" is smooth and liquid-y
- Using a spoon, drizzle "jam" in swirls over cheesecake filling. Then using a toothpick, gently swirling the jam into the top of the cheesecake. The toothpick should just barely grab the cheesecake filling. There is no right or wrong here, have fun with it and add more jam and swirls as needed or desired.
Bake
- Bake 30 minutes, then cover with foil and bake an additional 10 minutes or until set (filling should jiggle only slightly when pan is gently shaken).
- Cool completely in pan. Cover pan loosely with wax paper and chill until firm --about 2 hours.
- Gently lift the parchment paper and squares from the pan. Gently pull parchment paper away from sides. Cut into 16 squares.
These are so good!! I used Annie’s snickerdoodle gluten free graham crackers for the crust. I’m not sure these will make it to Easter because my husband keeps trying to eat them all! So glad I came upon this blog. 😄
haha love it! So happy you love them! Thank you and Happy Easter!
Love this recipe. Used ginger gf snaps & lactose free cream cheese, came out perfect. Tks for the idea.
I made this recipe using dairy-free cream cheese (Tofutti brand) and the bars came out delicious! Velvety, smooth, and creamy. I baked them for an extra 10-15 mins to firm up, due to the dairy-free cream cheese. They will become fully firm once cooled and refrigerated so don’t be nervous if still a bit loose after baking. Highly recommend!
Thank you so much! So happy you loved them and happy they worked so well with dairy-free cream cheese!