Exceptionally quicker and easier than a full cheesecake, these white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars are luxuriously creamy, perfectly sweet, and swirled with layers of homemade fresh raspberry sauce. Baked in a 9-inch square pan, they sit on a buttery sweet Oreo cookie crust and are filled with real white chocolate.
This recipe started as a full cheesecake that went horribly wrong. Iโm chalking it up to poor decisions in the recipe creation process, but it (1) was too thick (2) overflowed and (3) burned around the edges (from the sugar in the white chocolate I believe?). It tasted fine, but I knew I could do better especially since this classic cheesecake recipe is top-notch.
I didnโt really have an occasion for a full cheesecake coming up, nor did I want to waste another 2 lbs of cream cheese and raspberries, so I tossed the whole idea and opted for white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars instead. I always appreciate cheesecake I can eat with my hands, plus these are easier to serve to a crowd.
Why Youโll Love These White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars:
- Easier than a full cheesecake
- No messing with a water bath
- Quicker to bake & chill than a full cheesecake
- Portable
- Hand-held individual servings
- Exceptionally creamy
- Made with real white chocolate & raspberries
- Buttery Oreo cookie crust
Behind the Recipe
The starting point for my white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars was my lemon blueberry cheesecake bars. To this base, youโll add real melted white chocolate, an extra egg to help stabilize that white chocolate, and a Tablespoon of flour to help soak up the extra liquid. Pour this on an Oreo cookie crust and swirl with layers of raspberry sauce.
3 Parts to This Recipe:
- Raspberry Swirl
- Oreo Cookie Crust
- White Chocolate Cheesecake Filling
Raspberry Swirl
The raspberry swirl is not quite as thick as our raspberry cake filling. Itโs more similar in consistency to our raspberry sauce recipe. I recommend preparing it first. Made from real raspberries, this homemade sauce must cool down completely before swirling into the white chocolate cheesecake filling. I usually stick it in the refrigerator for 1 hour to speed up the cooling process. Or you can make the raspberry sauce the night before.
- Mix some water and cornstarch together.
- Cook fresh or frozen raspberries, sugar, and more water together on the stovetop.
- Add cornstarch mixture.
- Once slightly thickened, remove from heat.
- Press raspberries through a fine mesh strainer to rid the seeds. Discard the seeds.
- Let the seedless sauce cool completely before using.
Oreo Cookie Crust
This is my standard Oreo cookie crust recipe that I use for many other desserts, too. You need 22 Oreo cookies and 5 Tablespoons of melted butter. Iโve gotten away with 18 Oreos and 4 Tablespoons of butter (as seen in my salted caramel chocolate chip cheesecakes), but I like this slightly thicker crust for bars.
- Using a food processor or blender, pulse the Oreos (the whole Oreoโcookie AND filling) into crumbs.
- Mix with melted butter.
- Press into a lined 9-inch square baking pan.
- Pre-bake for 8 minutes as you prepare the filling.
Or you could use a Biscoff pie crust instead if youโd like.
White Chocolate Cheesecake Filling
Letโs make the cheesecake filling, then bring each component of this recipe together before baking.
- Chop and melt pure white chocolate. Donโt use white chocolate chips/morsels. Instead, pick up two 4-ounce white chocolate baking bars from the baking aisle; I prefer Ghirardelli or Bakerโs brands sold right next to the chocolate chips. You need 6 ounces for this recipe. Cool the white chocolate as you make the batter.
- As the white chocolate cools, beat 16 ounces of brick-style cream cheese with some sugar.
- Add flour, lemon juice to brighten up the otherwise flat flavor (donโt worry, it wonโt taste like lemon cheesecake), vanilla extract, and salt.
- Beat in 2 eggs.
- Add melted/cooled white chocolate.
Bring It All Together
- Pour 1/2 of the cheesecake filling onto warm pre-baked Oreo cookie crust.
- Drizzle with 1/2 of the cooled raspberry sauce.
- Pour remaining 1/2 of the cheesecake filling on top.
- Drizzle with remaining raspberry sauce.
- Swirl everything together with a toothpick.
- Bake! No water bath required. The bars take about 32โ36 minutes in the oven. Theyโll puff up as they bake, then settle back down as they cool.
After cooling the bars at room temperature, place them in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours until sufficiently chilled. Cold cheesecake bars not only taste better, but they cut much easier too. For neat slices, wipe your sharp knife clean between each cut.
This recipe yields 16 perfect squares. For a 9ร13-inch pan of white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars, see my recipe note below.
3 Success Tips for White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
- Read Through the Recipe: Included in my 10 Best Baking Tips is this crucial piece of baking advice: read the recipe before you begin. Have everything in place so you donโt miss an important ingredient or step.
- Take Your Time: Work on each component one at a time. This isnโt a recipe you can rush because the raspberry sauce and white chocolate must cool down before using.
- Chill the Cheesecake Bars: Like a full cheesecake, these bars must cool down and chill in the refrigerator before slicing. Unlike regular cheesecake, though, you donโt need to cool them in the cooling oven. And since theyโre thinner, they take about half the time to cool down as a full cheesecake. Thatโs always a nice bonus!
PS: You can turn these into individual mini cheesecakes. See my recipe note below.
PPS: If you love these flavors together, try my raspberry cheesecake brownies next.
Print
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 5 hours, 5 minutes (includes chilling)
- Yield: 16 squares
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Exceptionally quicker and easier than a full cheesecake, these white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars are luxuriously creamy, perfectly sweet, and swirled with layers of homemade fresh raspberry sauce.
Ingredients
Raspberry Sauce
- 2 teaspoons room-temperature water, divided
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 and 1/2 cups (205g) fresh or frozen raspberries (do not thaw)
- 2 Tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
Crust
- 22 regular Oreo cookies (not Double-Stuf)
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 6 ounces (170g) white chocolate, finely chopped
- 16 ounces (452g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (8g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
Instructions
- Make & cool the raspberry sauce: The raspberry sauce must cool down completely before using, so I recommend making it first. Mix 1 teaspoon water with 1 teaspoon cornstarch in a very small bowl. Set aside. Combine raspberries, granulated sugar, and remaining 1 teaspoon of water together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture as it begins to cook, breaking up some of the raspberries as you stir. Once simmering, add the cornstarch mixture. Continue to stir and allow to simmer for 3 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and press through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Allow the thin raspberry sauce to cool completely before using. Cover and store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Line the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking pan (8-inch is too small) with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides to lift the finished bars out (makes cutting easier!). Set aside.
- Make the crust: In a food processor or blender, pulse 22 Oreos (including the cream filling) into a fine crumb. You should have about 2 cups (packed) crumbs, or 250g. Pour crumbs into a large bowl. Add the melted butter and stir to combine. The mixture will be thick and quite wet. Try to smash/break up any large chunks. Pour the mixture into prepared pan. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom to make a compact, thick crust. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. Leave oven on.
- For the filling: Melt the chopped white chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave. If using the microwave: place the white chocolate in a medium heat-proof bowl. Melt in 20 second increments in the microwave, stirring after each increment until completely melted and smooth. Let the warm chocolate cool as you work on the other cheesecake filling ingredients. You can place it in the refrigerator, but just donโt let it solidify!
- Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed in a large bowl until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the flour, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt, then beat until fully combined. On medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until just blended. After the 2nd egg is incorporated into the batter, stop mixing. A few small lumps can remain. Pour in the cooled (but still liquid) white chocolate. Beat on low speed just until combined.
- Pour half of the cheesecake filling onto the crust. Itโs ok if the crust is still slightly warm. Drizzle half of the raspberry sauce all over the top. Spread remaining cheesecake filling on top. (Itโs ok if the raspberry sauce has spread to the sides or slightly incorporates into the top layer of cheesecake.) Drizzle remaining raspberry sauce on top, then use a toothpick or knife to gently swirl everything together.
- Bake for 32โ36 minutes or until the cheesecake appears set on top and the edges are lightly browned. The bars will be puffy, but will sink slightly down as they cool. Place pan on a wire rack. Cool for 45 minutes at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours (and up to 1 day) before slicing. If you plan to chill the bars for longer, loosely cover with aluminum foil after 3 hours of chilling.
- To slice, lift the bars out of the pan as a whole using the parchment overhang on the sides. Cut into squares with a sharp knife. For extra neat squares, wipe the knife clean between each cut.
- Cover and store leftover cheesecake bars in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make-Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Prepare the raspberry sauce up to 1 week in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Prepare recipe through step 6 up to 2 days in advance. Cover unbaked cheesecake bars and store in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Continue with step 7. Since theyโre cold, bars will take a few extra minutes to bake. To freeze: cool, chill, and slice bars as instructed. Freeze bars between layers of parchment paper for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Fine Mesh Strainer | 9-inch Square Baking Pan | Parchment Paper | Food Processor | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowl | Cooling Rack
- Oreo Cookies: You need about 22 whole Oreos, which pulse down into about 2 packed cups of crumbs (250g).
- Graham Cracker Crust Instead: If you want to use graham crackers instead of Oreos, use this graham cracker crust recipe. Same pre-bake time.
- White Chocolate: Use 6 ounces of โbaking chocolateโ bars, found in the baking aisle. Theyโre sold in 4-ounce bars, so youโll need 2. (Youโll have 2 ounces leftover for another use.) I prefer Bakers or Ghirardelli brands. Do not use candy melts, white chocolate dipping wafers, or white chocolate chips; all contain stabilizers or added ingredients preventing them from combining evenly with the cheesecake filling.
- Lemon Juice: This recipe does not taste like lemon. The 1 teaspoon of lemon juice brightens up the otherwise flat white chocolate flavor.
- Raspberry Jam: You can try using raspberry jam instead of the homemade sauce. I recommend 3 Tablespoons for each layer (6 Tbsp total).
- 9ร13-inch or Full Cheesecake: For a 9ร13-inch pan, you can double the filling recipe. Do not double the raspberry sauce or crust ingredients. For the sauce, use 3 teaspoons of water (1.5 teaspoons with the cornstarch, 1.5 teaspoons with the raspberries & sugar), 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, and 3 Tablespoons of sugar. For the crust, use 30 Oreos and 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp) of melted butter. Bake time is closer to 45โ50 minutes. Cool for 1 hour at room temperature, then chill for at least 4โ5 hours before slicing. Use these same amounts for a full cheesecake in a 10-inch springform pan (no smaller). I recommend following the baking and cooling instructions, including using a water bath, as found in my regular cheesecake recipe. I found the edges rose up and burned quickly, so tent with aluminum foil after about 30 minutes. (I found the cheesecake then stuck to the foil, creating a bit of a mess on top.) For these reasons, I strongly recommend using this recipe for bars instead of a full cheesecake.
- Mini Individual Cheesecakes: Use the baking and cooling instructions found in my mini cheesecakes and use this recipe as written. Recipe makes about 2 dozen cheesecakes in a muffin pan. Line 2 12-count muffin pans with liners. Firmly press 1.5 Tablespoons of crust mixture into each. Pre-bake for 5 minutes. Pour filling on top, about 1 Tbsp filling for each. Drizzle each with raspberry sauce. Swirl with a toothpick. Again, use the baking and cooling instructions found in my mini cheesecakes. Feel free to top cooled mini cheesecakes with whipped cream.
More Cheesecake
- No-Bake Cheesecake Jars
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars
- Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake
- No-Bake Cheesecake
- Small Batch Cheesecake (so funโbake in a loaf pan)
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally can I use store bought raspberry jam for this recipe instead of making the raspberry sauce from scratch?
Hi Lili, You can try using raspberry jam instead of the homemade sauce. We recommend 3 Tablespoons for each layer (6 Tbsp total).
I used some frozen passionfruit puree in place of raspberries and made the crust with Nilla wafers. Everything else I did exactly as the recipe says. So rich, so creamy, and Iโm shocked at how fast everything came together. The title made the recipe seem like a whole dayโs project and it took barely any time to put the batter together. And the best part is that the bars are the perfect size for when you just want one little sweet treat.
Iโve made this recipe before following it to a t and it was a hit. I am making it again for a different occasion this time and might not have consistent access to refrigeration. After the bars are baked, refrigerated, and cut, how long can they hang out at room temperature?
Hi Colleen, we would say up to two hours before you have to worry about bacteria growth, but the bars will be softer. Always use your best judgement! These are best served cold. Maybe a cooler/ice chest could be used to keep them cold without access to a refrigerator?
Hey Sally,
This is the best recipe hands down! I love it and I have made the squares with different berries multiple times with success! So thank you for that. Question: I want to make both oreo and graham cracker crust, as mini cheesecake. The serving size for this recipe yields 2 dozen which is exactly how much I want but divided. Can you recommend the measuring info for oreos and graham crackers? Thanks in advance!
Hi Safa, you can halve the crust recipe here for your dozen Oreo portion, then use the graham cracker crust measurements from these mini margarita cheesecakes for your dozen graham cracker portion. Hope this helps!
Hi Sally
I loved all your recipes hence was wondering if you have NO bake white chocolate raspberry cheesecake. TIA
Hi Tee! We havenโt tested a version like that, but you could try adding a layer of white chocolate ganache on top of the set no bake cheesecake, or on top of the crust before you add the cheesecake filling. Follow the instructions from this how to make chocolate ganache post. You could also try a raspberry swirl like we do for these white chocolate raspberry cheesecake bars. Let us know if you do any experimenting!
Can you use a mini-Cheesecake pan instead of the 9 x 13 pan?
Hi Tamara, this recipe uses a 9 inch square pan. We recommend sticking with that size. You can find details on making a larger batch or mini cheesecakes in the Notes after the recipe.
This recipe was gobbled up at the bake sale we had today. However, I didnโt have 3 hours prior to let it cool in the refrigerator. So, I took it out of the refrigerator after 1 hour and placed it in the freezer for 30 mins. It was not frozen and it was ready to cut!
I used seedless raspberry jam that I softened in the microwave until smooth. Turned out delicious everyone loved them.
Can I use gluten free oreos for the crust?
Hi Uzma, we havenโt tested the recipe with gluten free Oreos, but a few readers have tried and reported success. Weโd love to know how they turn out if you give it a try!
I want to try this one, however Iโm in the UK and I cannot find โbrick cream cheeseโ anywhere in any storeโฆ is there any alternative to using this? I honestly donโt think the UK has something like this anymore (apparently it used to be a thing but now it is nowhere to be found!)
Please let me know what I can use as an alternative. Thank you
Hi Amy, From what we understand, spreadable cream cheese sold in a tub in countries outside of the US is a little different from the spreadable cream cheese in the US. Itโs thicker, sturdier, and more solid and should be OK to use in baking and frostings. We have no experience with it, but this is what weโve heard from other non-US readers. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!
Easy to get philadelphia cream cheese in the UK. I use it all the time for hicheesecake. Same as the US product.
Hi, I live in Spain and use spreadable cream cheese for all of Sallyโs recipes that call for it. Everything turns out fine!
I make a lot of cheesecakes and wanted to do something simpler inbetween all the cheesecakes and pies for the holidays. This was a big hit.
Question can I use blueberries in place of the raspberries, would everything else for the sauce be the same?
Hi Paul, yes, you can use blueberries in place of the raspberries. Enjoy!