Combining two of my favorite desserts, this Crème Brûlée Cheesecake Bars is a dessert-lover’s dream! A buttery graham cracker crust with a creamy rich filling topped off with a troched crispy brûléed sugar topping, you will love this spin on a classic!
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8x8 pan with foil or parchment paper. Leave an overhang on the sides for easy removal once cooled.
In a small bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, salt, sugar, and melted butter. Mix until fully combined. The mixture should be the texture of wet sand.
Firmly press the crumbs in the bottom of the pan.
Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool completely.
For the Filling:
Turn the oven down to 325F.
In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar together on low speed until fully combined and smooth.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions.
Add the heavy cream and vanilla. Mix until fully combined.
Gently pour the cheesecake filling into the crust.
Place the pan into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until only the center is slightly jiggly.
Then turn the oven off and allow the cheesecake to sit in the oven for 30 minutes. Crack the oven door open and allow to sit until cooled to room temperature.
Transfer cheesecake to the fridge until chilled.
When cheesecake is fully chilled remove it from the fridge and cut into 16 equal-sized bars.
Sprinkle the top of each slice with sugar and use a handheld torch to brulee the tops of each square until the sugar turns a deep amber color. You can also place them under the broiler in your oven if you don’t have a torch.
Notes
It’s important to have your ingredients at room temperature or your cheesecake bars won’t be smooth. Cold cream cheese, especially, will make your filling lumpy.
Be sure to use full-fat cream cheese. Also, do not use the spreadable cream cheese in a tub, be sure to use blocks of cream cheese.
Be careful not to overbeat your cheesecake filling. Adding too much air into the batter can make the cheesecakes deflate during or after baking which will cause cracks.
Similar to macarons, give your cheesecake pan a quick tap on your countertop to pop any air bubbles that may have formed.
Be sure to fully preheat your oven for the best results.
You can quickly crush your graham crackers by pulsing it in the food processor.
If you don’t want to crush the graham crackers yourself, you can purchase it pre-crushed.
If you do not have a torch, you can place the cheesecake slices under the broiler in your oven just until the sugar is caramelized.
Use fine sugar, if you cant find the fine sugar, place regular sugar in a mini food processor and blend.
Feel free to top with some fruit and whipped cream.