Someone’s having a cheesecake because today is a special day…
Happy Birthday hubby!!!
Since it’s hubby, I made this dessert with his favorites: cheesecake and strawberry!
And because it’s his birthday, I upgraded the crust from the classic graham to a buttery cookie crumble crust. We have plenty of butter today lucky you hubby!
I looove this cookie crumble recipe. I always use them in my mini apple pie when my son asks me to bake one because it’s very easy to make, though you have to work your fingers in mixing the butter and flour. You may use a pastry cutter or fork but I like to use my hands, this way I can make sure everything is mixed properly. A little hand exercise won’t hurt right?
This cheesecake crumble is versatile too, you can choose any fruit you like. I think blueberries will be great, or ripe mangoes. Oh and apples too! I used canned strawberries here but you can definitely use fresh fruits. I would love to! But fresh strawberries are very expensive in the city. I will be forced to climb the mountains if I want cheap yet high quality strawberries!
And here goes our Strawberry Cheesecake Crumble Bars.
Happy Birthday Ariel my love!
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cups (130g) brown sugar
- 3/4 cups (170g) cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 8 ounces (227g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (about 18g) egg yolk from a large (approx. 68g w/ shell) egg
- 1 can strawberry preserves (I used Duncan Hines)
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line 8x8 pan with foil leaving an overhang on the sides for easy lift.
- For the Crust. Stir flour and brown sugar in a large bowl. Rub butter into the flour mixture with your fingers. You may use a fork or pastry cutter. Your dough is done when (a) there are no more chunks of butter, (b) starts to resemble coarse crumbs (c) holds its shape when pressed in your palm.
- Take half of the dough and press it evenly on the lined pan. If needed, take more dough to cover the bottom of the pan entirely. Just be sure to set aside at least 1/4 for the crumble topping. I used approximately 3/4 of the dough for my crust. Bake the crust for 20 minutes. Let it cool.
- Make the cheesecake batter. Using a stand or handheld mixer, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar in a bowl until smooth and no more lumps. Add egg yolk and vanilla, beat until well combined. Don't forget to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Pour batter onto the cooled crust and spread evenly. Add spoonfuls of strawberry preserves on top of batter. Crumble the remaining dough on top of the strawberries.
- Bake for 30 minutes (rotate pan at 25 minutes if edges starts to brown on one side) or until the strawberry preserves are bubbling and crumble topping turns golden brown. Mine was done at 30 minutes then I toasted the crumble for another 5 minutes. Let it cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before cutting into squares. It may be difficult to cut the crust so use a large knife.
- Store leftovers in the fridge. Consume within a week.
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Hi! Sheryl here. Programmer turned Dessertgrammer. I eat to blog and I blog to eat 🤓
These look off the hook delicious!! Love this recipe.
Thanks Jessie! ?
Hello – wow, this looks delicious! Would a “can of preserves” be equal to one cup of preserves?
Thanks Annie! I think it’s a little over one (liquid) measuring cup. I used 21oz/595g can of preserves… I spooned out all of the strawberries I can get then discarded the rest of the “liquid” stuff. As long as it can cover the whole pan/cheesecake batter it’ll be fine. ?
I love crumble bars! These look so incredibly delicious and I definitely could devour one now.
Crumble bars are the best ? Thank you Thalia!
Can I use strawberry jam instead?
Hi Tania, yes you may use strawberry jam. Choose a not-too-sour variety, better yet your favorite one 🙂
Thank you! I will try it today for a dinner party
You’re welcome! Good luck 🙂 Hope you like it.