Apricot Cheesecake Bars
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- Prep Time 20 minutes
- Total Time 1 hour, 20 minutes plus chilling
- Yield Makes 24
Ingredients
- 18 graham crackers
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- Coarse salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 10 ounces apricots (about 4), halved, pitted, and cut into eighths
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, process graham crackers, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a medium bowl and stir in melted butter until crumbs are moistened. Wipe processor bowl clean. With a flat-bottomed 1-cup measure or glass, press crumbs evenly into a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Bake until crust is firm, 15 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack. Reduce heat to 325 degrees.
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In a small saucepan, bring apricots, 1/4 cup sugar, and pinch of salt to a boil over medium-high, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture is shiny, 10 minutes. In food processor, puree apricot mixture, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon water.
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In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sour cream on medium until smooth. Add 3/4 cup sugar and beat until smooth. Add vanilla and pinch of salt and beat to combine. Add eggs and beat until smooth, scraping down bowl as needed. Pour cream-cheese mixture into cooled crust and smooth top.
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Randomly drop small spoonfuls apricot puree on cream-cheese mixture. With a skewer or thin-bladed knife, gently swirl puree. Bake just until set, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan on rack, then refrigerate until chilled and firm before cutting into squares, 2 hours.
Cook's Note
Cheesecake can be refrigerated, covered with plastic wrap or foil, up to 2 days.
Variations
Change it up: Substitute 3/4 cup strained jam for the apricot mixture -- we like blueberry.
This was so delicious! I made it for a bachelorette party dinner and thought it would make 16 or so squares from an 8 x 8 pan, but it made quite a few more in the 9 x 13 pan! The leftovers froze well. I made it easy on myself and used apricot jam on top. Pretty, and so tasty. My only thought is that the crust was a little thick for the crust-to-topping ratio -- in my opinion.
I have made this and everyone really enjoyed it. I plan to substitute strawberries next time I try it.
I'm surprised by no reviews yet, because it's a great recipe. My adaptations were to substitute plums for the apricots, lowfat cream cheese, greek yogurt for sour cream, and 3 whites instead of 2 whole eggs. I worried the water content of my plums might be higher than apricots as it didn't get very thick. I cooked it a few extra minutes and didn't add the water or lemon. Plums are tangy enough w/o lemon. It turned out beautiful and so delicious!