It’s all about that swirl! Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars are a showstopping (and shareable) holiday treat with a marbled top so impressive, everyone will ask which bakery you bought them from. Pillowy pumpkin puree and fresh cream cheese blend together into a silky-smooth dream bar, atop a flaky, buttery graham cracker crust. You may just want to bake two batches – one to share and one to keep.
Jump to:
The season of sharing is slowly but surely dawning and you know what that means… We all know there are two types of desserts: those you eat in the privacy of your own home and those you serve to others.
First of all, unless you are known in immediate, local, regional, or national circles as a “good baker,” bringing an entire pie or cake that you made from scratch, in your kitchen, with your own two hands, to any event is always daunting. Unlike easily-tested, single serving desserts like cookies, brownies, bars or candies, you can’t just cut a slice out of your pie to make sure it’s fit for human consumption and then bring it to the office potluck with a gaping hole.
Second, even if your baked goods are known for being tasty, there’s no guarantee they’re presentable. And let me qualify that, because you may not give two hoots what’s considered “presentable” at the reception after your second grader’s school play, but when it comes to Thanksgiving Dinner at Aunt Jean’s, you definitely don’t want to face the scorn of judgy relatives; or vice versa; or both; or you may not care what anyone thinks at all in any setting. But for a food blogger who is a decidedly mediocre baker, I have some semblance of public dignity I have to maintain.
And this is why I looooove me some bars. Just look at those beauties! Perfect edges. Perfect swirl. And friggin’ delicious. And not ugly delicious; lovely delicious. I know this because I cut off a corner just to make sure they were both presentable and delectable. And look at that! You’d never know I stuck my proverbial finger in the dish if I hadn’t told you, because what was once a whole pan of potentially suspect pumpkin cheesecake, are actually bona fide creamy, dreamy pumpkin cheesecake bars. Voila!
Tips for Making Perfect Cheesecake Bars
- Full Fat Dairy. Cheesecake is not the place to try and cut calories or fat! Always use high quality, full fat, and fresh dairy ingredients (cream cheese and sour cream).
- Room Temperature Dairy and Eggs. Get your ingredients to the right temperature before mixing. The cream cheese in particular must be room temperature (soft and easy to whip) in order to achieve the right texture.
- Brown Sugar. Light brown sugar instead of white sugar pairs perfectly with sweet pumpkin puree and classic pumpkin spices. It gives the finished pumpkin cheesecake bars a flavorful edge.
- Flour. Just a touch of flour in the batter creates a slightly sturdier cheesecake that’s perfect for cutting clean, deep dish cheesecake bars.
Three Steps to Crack-Free Cheesecake
- BAKE SLOWLY in a water bath. I know this sounds intimidating, but it’s pretty straightforward. You’ll nest the cheesecake dish inside a larger dish; that larger dish is then filled halfway with hot water. Water baths prevent cracking by (1) keeping the oven humidity high – water bath cheesecakes don’t brown on top either!; and (2) ensuring even heating – the cheesecake will bake gently in a water bath, creating both a super creamy texture and an smooth, crack-free top.
- COOL properly. First cool in the oven. Turn off the oven, crack the door open, and allow the cheesecake to cool inside the oven for 30 minutes. Then move the cheesecake to the counter and cool to room temperature (about 4 hours should do it).
- CHILL properly. Cheesecake MUST be chilled in the fridge to achieve velvety-meets-creamy texture. Transfer the cheesecake to chill for at least 6 hours in the fridge, or until fully set (i.e. no more jiggles in the middle!)
Clean Edges for Cheesecake Bars
The best trick for super clean edges is a very sharp knife heated under hot running water. I run my chef’s knife under hot water for about 15 seconds, immediately wipe it dry, then slice. Yes, I do this after every cut. Yes, it’s a little tedious. But YES it creates super clean, extremely enticing edges!
The Art of the Swirl
Swirled cheesecakes are not only stunningly gorgeous, they’re also shockingly easy to pull off.
To start, portion your batter properly – use an ice cream scooper or a ¼ cup measuring cup to distribute dollops of plain cheesecake onto the pumpkin cheesecake base. Space them as evenly as possible.
Then, gently drag a butter knife or icing spatula up and down through the center of the dollops to create a swirl effect.
How to Store Cheesecake Bars
- After cooling, immediately transfer to your refrigerator to chill the pumpkin cheesecake bars for at least 6 hours before serving. If you can avoid temptation, leave them in for 24 hours to fully set.
- Once you’re ready to serve, cheesecake bars can be left out at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
- Leftovers: Cover leftovers loosely with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Yep, these babies can be frozen! Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place individual bars on the baking sheet about an inch apart. Freeze uncovered until solid, about an hour. Then transfer the individually frozen bars into a plastic container and separate each bar with a sheet of parchment paper. Defrost in the fridge overnight.
More Holiday Dessert Recipes
Did you make these Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars? I’d love to know how they turned out! Leave a comment and a rating below.
While you’re at it, let’s be friends – follow me on Pinterest and Instagram for the latest and greatest.
Recipe
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Print Recipe Rate this Recipe Pin RecipeRecommended Equipment
- 2 Quart Casserole Dish
- Roasting Pan
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- ½ c 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- 16 graham cracker sheets, about 2 cups crushed
- ¼ c white sugar
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
Cheesecake Filling
- 3 8- oz packages full fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 c packed light brown sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ c full fat sour cream
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp allspice
- ½ tsp ginger
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a 2-quart square or rectangular casserole dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil (8” x 8” or 8” x 12” work best for deep dish cheesecake bars).
- Divide butter into 8 pieces and place into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 30 seconds intervals, or until melted.
- Place the graham crackers into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 10-15 seconds or until pulverized, then scrape down the sides if needed. Add the sugar and salt, then pulse briefly to incorporate. Pour in the melted butter and pulse several more times until the butter is completely worked into the crumbs.
- Pour the crust into the prepared baking dish and use the bottom of a small glass to tamp it down into an even, compact layer. Bake the crust for 10 minutes; remove from the oven and transfer to a baking rack to cool.
- Reduce oven heat to 325°F.
- Combine cream cheese and brown sugar in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on high until creamy and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until smooth after each addition.
- Add sour cream, flour, and vanilla and mix until smooth. Remove 1.5 cups of batter from the bowl and set aside.
- Add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, allspice and ginger to the remaining batter and mix until smooth. Pour this pumpkin cheesecake layer over the crust and smooth with a spatula.
- Pour this pumpkin cheesecake layer over the crust and smooth with a spatula.
- Dollop the remaining plain cheesecake evenly across the top of the pumpkin layer. Gently drag a butter knife up and down through the center of the dollops to create a swirl effect.
- Place the casserole dish into a roasting pan or larger cake pan (I used a large sheet cake pan). Bring several cups of water to a boil, then pour enough boiling water into the large pan to reach halfway up the sides of the cheesecake dish.
- Transfer to the oven and bake 55-60 minutes until the edges are set and center is sightly jiggly. Turn off the oven, crack the door open, and allow the cheesecake to cool inside the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature, then transfer to the fridge to finish cooling. Lift the cheesecake from the casserole dish using the parchment edges, then place on a cutting board. Slice into 12 bars using a chef's knife that's been warmed under hot running water.
Notes
- Leftovers: Cover leftovers loosely with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Yep, these babies can be frozen! Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place individual bars on the baking sheet about an inch apart. Freeze uncovered until solid, about an hour. Then transfer the individually frozen bars into a plastic container and separate each bar with a sheet of parchment paper. Defrost in the fridge overnight.
- Slicing: for perfect edges, run a chef’s knife under hot water for 10-15 seconds, quickly dry with a towel, then slice. Wipe the knife and re-warm between cuts.
Leave a Reply