See how the raspberry sauce is artistically running down the sides of the cheesecake bar? Yeah I (read: Alisha) did that!
But no joke, I took one bite of this indulgence and knew that if I didn't share the joy I'd found I would have to count myself stingy indeed.
Here's how I produced this delicious fantasy:
Crust
12 whole graham crackers (crush em with your hands, then use a food processor to get em tiny)
6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 tablespoons melted butter (that's a whole stick FYI)
Mix it all up in a bowl and then line the bottom and sides of a 9X13 pan like so:
Pop it in the oven at 375 for 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the following until smooth:
24 ounces (3 large packages) cream cheese, at room temperature (yes, it this IS important)
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Then add:
More than 1/4 cup heavy cream or sour cream (or in my case a combo of sour cream, milk and greek yogurt)
3.5 large eggs (I'm not even playin)
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice, optional but I recommend it
Beat it, just beat it (name that tune) until really silky and runny. Pour it evenly throughout your crust and bake for 35 minutes at 350 degrees. You will be tempted to bake it longer than this, don't. Just pull it out of the oven and let it cool for 30 minutes. You will be tempted to cut into it immediately, don't. It's the best when it's been refrigerated for a while too.
For those who are interested I can e-mail you the secret raspberry sauce recipe (hint: it's just 2 cups frozen raspberries thawed blended with 2 TBS sugar)
