THE BEST HOLIDAY CRANBERRY CHEESECAKE BARS

This gift guide writing made me hungry, and I needed a snack, so I am sharing this recipe for the best holiday cranberry cheesecake bars with you today.  I am not a pumpkin pie person; this is my go-to Thanksgiving dessert.  It is also great for holiday parties and lets you use any leftover cranberry sauce. You can make them into cheesecakes using cupcake liners and a muffing tin.  These always go fast in my house, as everyone loves them.  They have a buttery gingerbread crust that sets them apart, in my opinion. I swear by Trader Joe’s Triple Gingersnap cookies for this recipe, but any Gingersnaps will work.

THE BEST HOLIDAY CRANBERRY CHEESECAKE BARS

WHAT YOU NEED:

If you have leftover homemade cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving, you can use that.  Just put it in a blender with a little water or orange juice to thin it out.  Otherwise, you can make a batch.

For the Cranberry Sauce:

3/4 cup fresh cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon fresh orange zest

For the Crust:

24 ginger Gingersnaps crushed into fine crumbs. I use my food processor.
Three tablespoons butter, melted

For the Cheesecake:

One block of cream cheese at room temperature (very important)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 oz Greek yogurt
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon flour

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

• Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment, leaving some overhang on all sides.
  Combine the cranberries, sugar, water, and orange zest in a small saucepan.
  Cook together until the cranberries begin to burst and the mixture turns syrupy, about 6-7 minutes.
• Let cool and blend.
  Combine the gingersnap crumbs and t butter in a small bowl.
• Press into the prepared baking pan. I like to use a glass to press it down.
• Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until smooth. Ensure the cream cheese is at room temperature, or the mixture will get lumpy. ( I learned this the hard way)
• Add in the Greek yogurt, egg whites, lemon juice, and flour until combined.
  Pour the cheesecake mixture into the pan and smooth with a spatula.
  Drop the cranberry sauce over the cheesecake, and then swirl the cranberry sauce with a butter knife.
  Bake for 25 minutes.
  Cool to room temperature, and chill in the fridge for several hours.
• Cut into squares and serve.

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Enjoy!

XO,

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