Raspberry Cheesecake Squares

This recipe was originally for plain cheesecake squares in an 8 X 8 pan, but I wanted to jazz it up and make a bigger batch, so I doubled it and added raspberry preserves to make this recipe. These are very moist and not too rich and oh so yummy! I just recently doubled this already large batch and stocked them in the freezer for a quick dessert.

Raspberry Cheesecake Squares

10 1/2 tbs. unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tbs. milk
2 tbs. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup seeded raspberry preserves (You could easily use another flavor for a twist or you can omit altogether for plain cheesecake squares.)

1) Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Line a 13 X 9 in. dish with two criss-crossed rectangles of parchment paper (I just used one because it was big enough. DON'T use wax paper, it really sticks!), leaving a 2 inch overhang on all sides.

2) With an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar. Add flour, and mix until just combined; set aside 2 cups for topping. Press remaining dough into bottom and 1/4 in. up sides of prepared pan. Bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.



3) Meanwhile, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar until smooth. Add egg, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla; mix to combine.

4) Microwave preserves until it's liquidy (about 30 seconds or so) and spread on top of baked crust. Pour and spread filling on top of preserves and crust; crumble reserved dough on top. Bake until filling is set, about 25 minutes. Cool slightly, then cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before cuttting into squares.





5) The squares can be refrigerated, covered in plastic wrap, for up to two days. Freezes well.



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