By Jesse Szewczyk
Published Nov. 16, 2023
- Total Time
- About 3 hours
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 50 minutes, plus about 2 hours’ cooling
- Rating
- 4(329)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This recipe transforms Basque cheesecake into portable, handheld treats. Unlike typical cheesecake bars that bake at a low temperature, these are baked at 500 degrees to achieve a burnished top while maintaining a creamy interior. This layer makes for a striking presentation and imparts the flavor of burnt caramel, which offsets the sweetness of the filling. A sturdy graham cracker crust imitates classic cheesecake bars and adds a pop of texture to this creamy dessert. While Basque cheesecake is often served at room temperature, you can refrigerate the bars if you prefer a firmer texture.
or to save this recipe.
Print Options
Include recipe photo
Advertisem*nt
Ingredients
Yield:24 bars
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 3cups/350 grams graham cracker crumbs (from about 24 graham crackers), see Tip
- 2tablespoons granulated sugar
- 10tablespoons/140 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2pounds (four 8-ounce blocks) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1⅓ cups/270 grams granulated sugar
- 6large eggs, at room temperature
- 1¾ cups/420 milliliters heavy cream, at room temperature
- 3tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
For the Crust
For the Cheesecake Layer
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)
389 calories; 30 grams fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 25 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 15 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 249 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
Step
1
Make the crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides to create a sling.
Step
2
In a large bowl using a rubber spatula or clean hands, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until the crumbs are evenly saturated with the butter. Transfer to the prepared pan and press into an even layer using your hands or the bottom of a measuring cup.
Step
3
Bake the crust until it’s just starting to darken around the edges and looks dry, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool at room temperature until warm but no longer hot. Increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees.
Step
4
While the crust is cooling, prepare the cheesecake layer: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and sugar (or do so in a large bowl, if using a hand mixer). Mix on medium speed until fluffy and smooth, 1½ to 2 minutes. With the mixer still running, add the eggs one at a time, waiting until each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next, until the mixture is completely smooth, 1½ to 2 minutes. (Scrape down the side of the bowl as needed.) Decrease the speed to low and slowly stream in the heavy cream and blend until smooth, 1 to 1½ minutes. Turn the mixer off and add the flour, vanilla extract and salt. Mix on low just until the flour is evenly distributed, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Step
5
Pour the batter on top of the baked crust and smooth into an even layer. Bake until the top of the cheesecake is very dark brown, smells faintly of burnt caramel and the edges are set but the center still jiggles like Jell-O when tapped, 25 to 28 minutes. (The bars will look very puffy and cracked around the edges but will deflate once cooled.) Let the bars cool in the pan at room temperature about 2 hours (or refrigerate to enjoy cold, if desired).
Step
6
Use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan and transfer them to a cutting board. (If the edges are sticking to the side, run a butter knife around the edges to release them.) Cut the bars into a 6-by-4 grid to make 24 squares, wiping your knife with a damp paper towel between each slice. Refrigerate leftover bars in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Tip
- If making your own graham cracker crumbs using whole crackers, break them into pieces, place them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and process until they are the texture of fine sand, 40 to 60 seconds. Alternatively, place the crackers in a large zip-top bag and crush using a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy skillet.
Ratings
4
out of 5
329
user ratings
Your rating
or to rate this recipe.
Have you cooked this?
or to mark this recipe as cooked.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
SB
I grew up in the Spanish side of the Basque Country, where this recipe originated, and I remember eating graham crackers in my childhood. Plus having an open mind is quite helpful when adapting recipes.
Joanna
Traditional Basque cheesecake is crustless (which suits me as I’m GF) but it makes sense to make this bar version with a crust for easy eating. I plan to make this using Tate’s GF Ginger Zinger cookies and simply sub white rice flour for the AP flour. Perfect to take for a pot-luck lunch with the garden club!
Stewart
Out of curiosity, why did you consider this a helpful comment to make, especially given that the recipe introduction itself acknowledges that these are not a traditional Basque cheesecake?
ELB
There are several things one might substitute graham crackers for in the EU. Digestive biscuits are widely consumed in England, and are readily available in many places across Europe. In France they are called 'sablés anglais.' In Spain people substitute cookies called 'Marias' for graham cracker crusts - there are several readily-available brands in stores. I have spent quite a lot of time in the Pays Basque, and have had some of the most memorable meals of my life there.
marie-claude garneau
Good luck finding graham crackers in the Pays-Basque.
Eric
To All Thumbs:There isn’t really a drop-in replacement for Philly. Recipes developed for it barely work with store brand clones let alone with different cheeses entirely. The gums are the entire point. You could start with two thirds Philly and one third quark, and replace half the heavy cream with quark as well, and there’s probably enough gum/emulsifier power to hold it all together. The results will likely taste delicious and probably have decent texture. Plan for adjustments/remakes.
Liz
I bake pizza on Reynolds parchment in a 500 degree oven regularly. It gets a bit brown, but I've never had a problem.
Not a newbie
I use a cream cheese cake recipe that makes 2 cakes, one for us to eat, the other always goes in the freezer for next time and I frequently freeze cream cheese when it is on sale for use at a later date, it freezes very well...
claire
I disagree with Ellen about freezing. Cheesecake generally freezes very well.
John from Albany
I think the flour is needed so that the bars hold their shape when they're cut.
Gumbamania
I absolutely love the Barques Burnt cheesecake I have made previously. I have baked a full size one and quite a few 6 inch ones in an air fryer. This one was good but not my favorite. It sure did not look like the photo but everyone except me loved the crust. I like the crust less version but am addicted to any of these versions.
DianneP
Would this work using a Pyrex baking dish?
Tim
Agree with a lot of other comments about the crust. I followed the recipe exactly and it came out burnt on the bottom. I'd bake it less the first time or freeze it before adding the batter. I'd also add the vanilla extract and flour separately as they clump together when added at the same time. Otherwise, it came out great!
Sam
Two modifications that I made, based on comments: 1) Didn't prebake the crust (to avoid burnt crust). Came out great. 2) Used sour cream instead of heavy cream (to avoid issues with the center not setting). Worked great. Does add some tang to the flavor, which I actually prefer in a cheesecake.
Sonya Reed
I didn’t have access to graham crackers so I used Biscoff and it was an excellent substitution. In fact, Im going to use Biscoff with future cheesecakes to see how it turns out.
sw
Top did not brown except for sides.Crust was well done using 12 minutes plus baking time for cheesecake. Consider baking crust 8-10 min instead.Cheesecake was tasty.
Emily
The parchment paper burnt in the oven from the high heat. It crumbled when I tried to lift it out. I had to take some cardboard and flip the cake out of the pan instead. Also, I absolutely had to refrigerate it so the middle could settle some more. The cheesecake was way too soft to handle chilling it first. Regardless, it came out just like the picture and it was delicious. Will be making it again.
Almond cookie crust, cheese change
Reporting on a couple successful changes I made, for inspiration for others. 1) Subbed crushed almond cookies (amaretti from Italy that are very dry). 2) Subbed Gina Marie Fresh Farmer Cheese (half the fat of their cream cheese, but cultured with a lovely tang). 3) Added lemon zest to the batter. 4) Make sure every ingredient was room temperature, including the cream; 5) incorporate air in the batter, well-mixed wet ingredients; 6) place the pan on a high rack to prevent burnt bottom.
MG
This is delicious! I would cook the crust a little bit less next time, but it was not quite burned. I sifted the flour, but there were still tiny lumps in the batter, so I also poured the batter through a sieve on its way to the pan.
Mark T
Great recipe, but unless you’re hosting a dinner party for ten, this strikes me as an excessive amount to make. I halved the recipe and cooked it in an 8x8 pan, which worked perfectly with the exact same baking time.The texture was lovely after baking and cooling, ie at room temperature, almost as light as a soufflé, with a satisfying caramel skin to break through. However, it was much more similar to a NY cheesecake texture after 24 hours of being in the fridge.
DerekH
After cooking this, my notes would be that the initial bake of the graham cracker crust is not needed. (It burned during the second bake with the filling.)Also, if you want these to actually be bars that you can hold in your hand, refrigerate these in the pan overnight (covered). The next day, they'll come out with the firmer consistency that you need for a proper bar.
Michael K
I had the same issue with the vanilla clumping with the flour. Took a lot of time to work through it to get the clumps out. Next time I would mix these two ingredients in separately, and also sift the flour.
Brian Reimer
The vanilla seemed to clump with the flour and create small brown lumps. Maybe stir in the vanilla and then the flour?
AmyJane
I reduce the sugar content in every dessert recipe by at least 1/3, possibly why I had to leave my first attempt longer in the super hot oven -- yet still never achieved a uniformly brown top while sacrificing the correct jiggly, creamy center texture. I'll remake it this week, substituting jarred English lemon curd for the reduced sugar content, and improving the crust by adding fine crumbs of crushed roasted salted almonds.
KVCooks
Made this today and followed the recipe exactly. It was very dark and cracked around the edges at 28 minutes and smelled of caramelized sugar but the middle was just golden brown. I felt that if I left it in any longer, it would be over done. What did I do wrong? I used the middle rack in my oven- should it have been on a higher rack?
Private notes are only visible to you.
