Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars {Easy Party Dessert}

Philadelphia cheesecake bars are a great dessert for parties, holiday celebrations, and gatherings. With cream cheese, graham crackers, and a few other ingredients, you can make this sweet treat to enjoy and share.

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You do NOT have to be a pro baker in order to make these cheesecake bars. And that’s why I love them! They take just a few steps to make, taste delicious, and get eaten up every time.

What You Need to Make These Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars

Kitchen Tools

• 1 Mixer – A stand mixer or hand mixer will work just fine!
• 1 Large Bowl – If you are using a hand mixer.
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Parchment Paper
• 9×13 Inch Pan
• 1 Butter Knife
• 1 Cutting Board

Ingredients

• Cream cheese – I used the Philadelphia brand cream cheese, but you could use any brand of cream cheese for this recipe.

• Vanilla – Real or imitation vanilla should work just fine. But definitely use the real vanilla if you have it!

• Eggs – For a single batch of these cheesecake bars, you will need 4! Definitely use 4 large eggs if you can, but if you only have small eggs, consider adding an additional one to your cheesecake batter.

• Butter – While you sometimes can use margarine and butter interchangeably, I really recommend sticking to real butter for this recipe. It just helps the cheesecake part form properly, and we definitely want that!

• White Sugar – Just plain old white baking sugar. Not brown and now powdered.

• Graham Cracker Crumbs – Don’t worry if you can’t find pre-made crumbs at the grocery store. In the tips section, I have explained 2 ways you can easily make your own!

*See the Recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements of each ingredient!

FAQs about Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars

How many servings does this recipe make?

• One batch of these Philadelphia cheesecake bars makes 24 servings! This makes it a perfect party treat.

How long does it take to make this recipe?

• In total, it is about a 2-hour process. It takes about 15 minutes to mix your ingredients, 40 minutes to bake, 1 hour in the fridge to cool and set, and then 5 minutes to cut and serve!

Do I have to leave it plain?

• Of course not! The plain cheesecake bars are delicious, but there are tons of ways you can flavor it to make it your own. See some topping suggestions near the bottom of the article.

Baking Tips

Soften Ingredients: Allow your cream cheese, eggs, and butter to sit out for 10 minutes before using them. This will allow them to soften and warm a little.

Making Graham Cracker Crumbs: If you don’t have pre-crushed graham cracker crumbs, you have 2 options. You can either throw your graham cracker sheets in a food processor/blender OR you can double bag them in large Ziploc bags and crush them. If you do the second method, we suggest using a rolling pin or bowl on a hard surface.

Cutting Pretty Cheesecake Bars: If you want clean edges on your bars, clean your butter knife after every cut! I know this might sound tedious, but it will take an extra 10 seconds. And then all your hard work on the cheesecake will show, rather than it looking like a hot mess!

Cutting the Recipe In Half: If you decide to halve the recipe, I recommend using an 8×8 or 9×9 inch pan. Otherwise, you will have a very thin cheesecake layer on your bars.

How to Make Philadelphia Cheesecake Bars

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Get out all of your ingredients.
3. Line a 9X13 inch pan with parchment paper. 
4. Combined the melted butter with graham cracker crumbs and spread in the lined , 9X13 inch cake pan
5. Mix softened cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and eggs with a mixer until smooth. Pour over graham cracker crumbs.
6. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Put pan in fridge until completely cooled and chilled.
7. Remove from fridge and from the cake pan by pulling up on the parchment paper. Set entire cheesecake on a cutting board, and carefully cut into squares. 
8. Serve with a variety of toppings.

Cheesecake Bar Toppings

Don’t get me wrong. I love a good New York Style Cheesecake. BUT, I also love adding all kinds of toppings. We served these cheesecake bars at our family dinner last week, and everyone loved adding their own toppings.

Since each bar is customizable, it is a great treat to serve to a crowd.

Here are some possible toppings that people might enjoy:

• Fruit jams/preserves – Strawberry and raspberry are popular
• Crushed Oreos – Other cookies would work as well
• Chopped nuts – pecans, walnuts, or peanuts are good options
• Pie filling – blueberry or cherry pie filling are great
• Fresh fruit – any kind of berries would be amazing
• Caramel Syrup
• Hot fudge
• Coconut flakes

These are the most popular ones that come to mind for me, but leave a comment with your favorite cheesecake toppings!

Don’t Go Just Yet

Here at Events to Celebrate, my whole goal is to help real people plan for their kids’ birthday parties, life events, and holidays! Life is crazy. I GET IT. You don’t have endless time OR money to spend on parties, but you still want to help your guests have a great time. I’m here to help give you tips, tricks, and ideas for celebrating life on a budget.

As a mom, you want to do it all. You want to make your family happy and create special memories. My brand is all about creating special moments with those you love. The kind of moments that you will look back on years later and wish you could relive! So, if that’s something you’re interested in, stick around! I have an email list you can sign up for, so you don’t miss my future party ideas!