No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars
Servings: 12 bars
Calories: 441cal
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter 1 stick, melted
- 3 Tbsp water lukewarm
- 8 oz cream cheese well softened, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 ½ Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 ½ cups strawberries sliced, divided
- 8 oz Cool Whip or homemade whipped topping
- 1 cup freeze dried strawberries
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and water. Mix well.
- Line an 11x9 baking dish with parchment paper.
- Take about 1 Cup of the graham cracker mixture out and set it aside in a bowl for topping the bars later.
- Then take the remaining graham cracker mixture and place it into the lined dish in one even layer, pressing it down so it’s firm.
- Place the dish in the freezer while you make the filling.
- To make the filling you can use a hand mixer or a large food processor. Add heavy whipping cream to a bowl and beat until medium peaks form, set aside.
- Whip the cream cheese and sugar in a separate bowl. Fold in the whipped cream mixture.
- Add 1 Cup Strawberries. Mix well, then add lemon juice.
- Remove the crust from the freezer. Spread out the remaining sliced strawberries on top of the crust.
- Use a rubber spatula to pour the filling right on top of the strawberries. Gently spread it out into an even layer.
- Next, place it back in the freezer for about 8 minutes. Remove it and top with cool whip (spreading it carefully with a spatula).
- Pour the remaining graham cracker crumbs on top of the cool whip.
- Crush the freeze dried strawberries by hand or in a food processor, and place them on top of the graham cracker crumbs.
- Serve immediately or place the bars in the freezer or refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- You can use a 13x9 dish instead, just know that the bars will not be as tall when doing so.
- Your cream cheese should be well softened at room temperature. This will make it a lot easier to combine with the other ingredients. Slice it into cubes and allow it to rest on the counter for 30-45 minutes to soften. Do not microwave cream cheese to help it come to room temperature.
- Cool whip gets soft extremely fast so we'd really recommend keeping the bars in the freezer until you’re ready to serve them, pull them out about 8 minutes before. They will thaw just enough to be able to get the knife and fork/spoon through them. Then slice them into squares.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bar | Calories: 441cal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 202mg | Potassium: 394mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 960IU | Vitamin C: 252mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 5mg
