Basque- Style Cheesecake Berry Bars

Makes about 16 bars

A Basque cheesecake is traditionally served crustless and with no berry adornments, but I promise you’re going to fall in love with this rebellious version. I layer it with a cookie crust; I really like the spice in the Speculoos (Biscoff-ish) cookie and bright berries, which just make the mahogany top and lusciously smooth texture sing. You’ll notice the ingredients— like the cream cheese— are cold rather than at room temperature, so it won’t overbake in the hot oven as the top browns. 

INGREDIENTS

Zoë Bakes Cookies Zoë François

Crust

• 1 ½ cups / 200g cookie crumbs (use Speculoos, Ginger Snaps, or Graham Crackers)

• ¼ cup / 50g lightly packed brown sugar

• ¼ cup / 55g unsalted butter, melted

• 1 pinch of kosher salt

Fruit Layer

• ½  cup / 100g granulated sugar

• 1 Tbsp cornstarch

• 3 cups / 400g mixed berries (fresh or frozen, thawed and drained; see Baker’s Note) 

Cheesecake

• 1 ½ pounds / 680g cream cheese, chilled

• ¾ cup / 150g granulated sugar

• 2 eggs

• 2 egg yolks

• ½ cup / 120g sour cream

• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 3 Tbsp all- purpose flour

• ¾ tsp kosher salt

DIRECTIONS 

Preheat the oven to 475°F / 245°C convection (or 500°F / 260°C flat heat). Line an 8- inch / 20cm square cake pan with parchment paper that comes up the sides of the pan to act as a sling. 

Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse to combine the cookie crumbs, brown sugar, butter, and salt. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, cover with plastic wrap and press with a glass to an even layer. 

Bake in the middle of the oven for 10 minutes, until it starts to look well toasted. Set aside to cool. 

Make the fruit layer: In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. In a small pot, cook the berries and sugar- cornstarch mixture together over medium heat until the juices are thick and clear, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Make the cheesecake: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed for about 1 minute, until smooth. Scrape down the sides and mix for another 30 seconds. Add the sugar and mix for about 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the eggs and yolks, one at a time, scraping down the sides after each. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix for 30 seconds, until incorporated. 

In a medium bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add about 1 cup of the cream cheese mixture to the flour and whisk until smooth. Transfer this mixture back into the bowl of cream cheese and mix until uniformly blended.

Spread the cooled berries evenly over the baked crust. Gently pour the cream cheese batter over the berries, making sure the fruit isn’t pushed to the top.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. The cheesecake will still be soft, but the top will be a deep brown mahogany color. 

Let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting.

Use the parchment- paper sling to carefully remove the bars from the pan. Use a very thin knife, dipped into hot water, to cut the cheesecake into bars.

BAKER’S NOTE

You can use any berries for this, and you can even use sour cherries. If you use strawberries or any other larger fruit, be sure to chop them up a bit, so they create an even layer on the bottom. 

Excerpted from Zoë Bakes Cookies: Everything You Need to Know to Make Your Favorite Cookies and Bars [A Baking Book]. Text copyright © 2024 by Zoë François. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Zoë François. Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

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