Serve these Copycat Philadelphia Strawberry Cheesecake Bars at your next gathering! Based on the nostalgic dessert, these Snack Bars were way too delicious to be discontinued. With a handful of simple ingredients, you can now make this sweet treat at home!
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Why You'll Love These Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
- Copycat recipe! These strawberry cheesecake bars mimic the classic Philadelphia Snack Bars from our childhood. They include the sweet graham cracker crust, tangy cheesecake base, and fresh strawberry topping with a drizzle of white chocolate.
- No fancy ingredients! All ingredients can easily be found in your local grocery store, from graham crackers, granulated sugar, and butter, to cream cheese, eggs, fresh strawberries, and sour cream.
- Under an hour of hands-on time! Make this cheesecake with just about 40 minutes of hands-on time. The rest of the time is just spent waiting on the cheesecake to bake and then chill in the refrigerator!
Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Graham Crackers: Graham cracker crumbs provide the best base for a wonderful graham cracker crust. You can use honey grahams or cinnamon grahams. Have leftover graham crackers? Use them in this apple crumble cheesecake too!
- Cream Cheese: Plain, full-fat cream cheese is recommended! Use the bricks of cream cheese, instead of the tubs for best results.
- Sour Cream: Sour cream gives the cheesecake a slight tanginess. You can also use plain, unsweetened greek yogurt instead.
- Strawberries: Fresh strawberries are best for this. Frozen can be used in a pinch but might be slightly waterier, so you may need to cook the sauce a little longer.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps thicken the strawberry sauce. A thicker sauce allows the strawberry layer to sit neatly on top of the cheesecake.
⭐️ See recipe card below for descriptions and quantities of each ingredient. Then, watch this brief tutorial on Instagram!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, creating a sling from edge to edge, for easy removal from the pan.
- Step 2: To make the crust: Pulse graham crackers in a food processor to form a crumb. Add sugar and melted butter. Stir to combine.
- Step 3: Pour crumbs into the prepared baking pan. Press down until it forms an even layer across the bottom of the entire pan.
- Step 4: Bake crust for 10 minutes. Then, allow to cool while you prepare the cheesecake.
- Step 5: For the cheesecake: Add cream cheese and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until fully combined, light, and creamy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Step 6: Add in eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and salt. Beat again for another 1 to 2 minutes, until fully combined.
- Step 7: Pour cheesecake batter on top of the crust. Smooth it out so it’s even from edge to edge. Bake cheesecake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until an instant thermometer reads 150 to 155 degrees F in the middle.
- Step 8: Pour cheesecake batter on top of the crust. Smooth it out so it’s even from edge to edge. Bake cheesecake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until an instant thermometer reads 150 to 155 degrees F in the middle.
- Step 9: Toward the end of the chilling time, make the topping: Add strawberries, sugar, water, and cornstarch to a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring intermittently, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the mixture thickens to a jelly-like consistency. Break up the strawberries with a spoon. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
- Step 10: When ready to serve, cut the cheesecake into 8 rectangular bars. Use a spoon to scoop a strip of the cheesecake out of the center. Fill the center with the strawberry topping.
- Step 11: Add white chocolate chips and coconut oil to a small zip top bag. Microwave in 30 second intervals, mixing together in between, until smooth. Cut off a small part of the corner. Use the bag to pipe a drizzle of the white chocolate on top of each bar.
⭐️ Tip: Use a glass jar, cup, or measuring cup to help press the graham cracker crumbs into an even layer at the bottom of the pan. A well-pressed crust will result in a sturdier cheesecake bar!
Substitutions and Alterations
- Graham crackers - You can use vanilla wafers, oreo cookies, or other cookie-like crumbs as the base.
- Sour cream - You can use plain, unsweetened greek yogurt in place of sour cream.
- Strawberries - Fresh raspberries would be a great addition instead of strawberries!
- White chocolate chips - Although not traditional to Philadelphia snack bars, dark or milk chocolate would work well too.
How to Store Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
To store: Store these copycat Philadelphia strawberry cheesecake bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
To freeze: Freezing is not recommended, as it will change the texture of the cheesecake.
Top tip!
Make sure the strawberry sauce is completely cooled to room temperature before adding it on top of the cheesecake bars. If it is too hot, it will melt the cheesecake and destroy the bars' form.
Recipe FAQs
Why were Philadelphia cheesecake bars discontinued?
According to some petitions and information on the internet, the Philadelphia snack bars were discontinued because they had some issues with manufacturing.
A petition is circulating with almost 50,000 signatures begging Kraft Foods and Philadelphia brand to bring these cheesecake bars back to grocery store shelves!
How do you cut cheesecake bars neatly?
Use a sharp knife and wipe it off between cuts. You can also run the knife under warm water, dry it off, and then use it to cut smoothly into the cheesecake.
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Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know. Leave a comment with a rating at the bottom of this page!
Strawberry Cheesecake Bars (Philadelphia Copycat!)
Serve these Copycat Philadelphia Strawberry Cheesecake Bars at your next gathering! Based on the nostalgic dessert, these Snack Bars were way too delicious to be discontinued. With a handful of simple ingredients, you can now make this sweet treat at home!
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Servings: bars
Calories: 612kcal
Cost: $15
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full crackers), crushed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the Cheesecake
- 16 ounces (2 bricks) plain cream cheese, softened
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ⅓ cup sour cream room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Topping
- ½ pound (about 2 cups) quartered strawberries
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 cup white chocolate chips, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, creating a sling from edge to edge, for easy removal from the pan.
- To make the crust: Pulse graham crackers in a food processor to form a crumb. Add sugar and melted butter. Stir to combine.
- Pour crumbs into the prepared baking pan. Using the bottom of a glass, press down on the crumbs until they form an even layer across the bottom of the entire pan.
- Bake crust for 10 minutes. Then, allow to cool while you prepare the cheesecake.
- For the cheesecake: Add cream cheese and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until fully combined, light, and creamy, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add in eggs, sour cream, vanilla, and salt. Beat again for another 1 to 2 minutes, until fully combined.
- Pour cheesecake batter on top of the crust. Smooth it out so it’s even from edge to edge. Bake cheesecake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until an instant thermometer reads 150 to 155 degrees F in the middle.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely on a rack near the oven. (The residual heat from the oven will help prevent it from cracking.) Once cheesecake has cooled, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
- Toward the end of the chilling time, make the topping: Add strawberries, sugar, water, and cornstarch to a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring intermittently, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the mixture thickens to a jelly-like consistency. Break up the strawberries with a spoon. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
- When ready to serve, cut the cheesecake into 8 rectangular bars. Use a spoon to scoop a strip of the cheesecake out of the center. Fill the center with the strawberry topping.
- In a small bowl, add the white chocolate chips. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. Add to a small zip top bag. Cut off a small part of the corner. Use the bag to pipe a drizzle of the white chocolate on top of each bar.
Last step!Please consider leaving a review to let me know how you liked this recipe!
Notes
- I recommend using fresh strawberries, but frozen berries can be used in a pinch. You may need to cook the sauce a little longer to account for any added moisture in the frozen fruit.
- Make sure the strawberry sauce is completely cooled before adding it on top of the cheesecake. If it is too hot, it will melt the cheesecake.
Nutrition
Calories: 612kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 141mg | Sodium: 359mg | Potassium: 242mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 1202IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 1mg
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Amber says
Thank you for the wonderful recipe as I’m getting orders harder and harder for me to cook with my vision issues so this was very simple easy recipe that I could do for my s son‘s birthday and he loved it. Everyone loved it. There’s only one thing I did different and I put them in cupcake wrappers instead of a glass dish and it still turned out. Wonderful thank you again.
Alana Lieberman says
Sounds like a special birthday. Thanks for including one of my recipes in your celebration!