Swirls of colors make these Red, White and Blue Cheesecake Bars a fun dessert to share at holiday parties this summer. Brighten your Memorial Day and 4th of July picnics with this easy patriotic treat!
Add a batch of these Fireworks Cookies and Cream Cookies and your picnic will be perfect.
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Happy last day of school friends! Bye, bye routine and order and hello sleeping in and lazy summer days. This month has been a blur with all the end of the year school activities and life stuff.
Tonight our oldest graduates from high school. We are so proud of him for accomplishing this big milestone in his life. He is just ready to mark high school off his list.
We are planning a fun open house for him this weekend. Lots of food and desserts and friends to celebrate with were our only requirements.
Although, since it is a holiday weekend, we aren’t sure how many people will actually show up. That’s ok. That just means more M&M Blonde Brownies for me. Not going to complain if that happens!
Since we will probably have lots of leftovers from the party, I’m not sure what we will be doing for Memorial Day this year.
My guess is that we will be just relaxing in our backyard eating leftover Italian beef and Chocolate Cheesecake Pie Bites. After a busy weekend, that sounds like the perfect plan to me.
One of the desserts I was thinking about making for the party this weekend were these Rainbow Vanilla Cheesecake Bars. I love that they are so easy to customize for any party. You can make your swirl of color match any party theme.
I was totally planning on making them in our school colors. Until I got to the store and saw all kinds of red, white, and blue decorations. One of my favorite things to do for the holidays is to make a dessert that is fun and colorful.
I was looking through the 4th of July treats I have made over the years for the blog, and there was nothing red, white, and blue in the cheesecake section!
I am a sucker for fun holiday desserts, so I knew I had to make these Red, White and Blue Cheesecake Bars right away. For testing purposes, of course!
Plus, my in-laws were coming early for the graduation festivities, and they both love cheesecake, so I had to have dessert. I knew they wouldn’t care that it was a holiday treat in the middle of a non-holiday week.
I’m glad they enjoyed the bars, but I’m even happier that I had help eating the cheesecake because summer is here now. My shorts are begging me to lay off the sweets ASAP!
How to make these Red, White and Blue Cheesecake Bars:
Make sure you set your cream cheese out at least 30 minutes ahead of time. It’s much easier to beat it into the sugar if it is softened first.
Crush the cookies and mix them with some butter. Press the mixture into a pan. I like to line my pans with foil first, then spray them with nonstick spray, but that’s not necessary. It just makes it easier to get the cheesecake out to cut into nice neat squares. Bake and cool the crust.
Once you get your cheesecake batter mixed together, decide how many colors you will be using. For this one I divided the cheesecake evenly into three bowls, then I colored two of them red and blue. I like to use gel colors because you don’t have to use as much to get vibrant colors.
Once you have all your colors mixed together, drop them by spoonfuls all over the top of the cooled cookie crust.
Then take a butter knife and gently drag it through the colors. I like to go up and down and then back and forth. Make sure you do not pull the knife through the crust though!
After you get your swirls how you like them, it’s time to bake. My favorite way to bake cheesecake is with a pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven.
The pan of cheesecake goes on the oven rack right above it. You read that right. No water bath is necessary!!!
Trust me. I wrote the entire Cheesecake Love cookbook and did steam baths for almost every single one.
The longest part of making a cheesecake is the wait time after. Cheesecake has to chill for 4-6 hours so that it has time to set up before you cut into it.
I suggest making your cheesecake bars the night before, so they can chill overnight.
Plus, then you will have a sweet treat ready for breakfast. Oh, wait. That probably isn’t the best idea if you want to wear your skinny shorts this summer! LOL!
Here are a few of our favorite Fourth of July treats:
Firecracker Cupcakes – swirls of red white and blue and a candy fuse make this a fun picnic dessert
Patriotic Glazed Funfetti Donuts – simple vanilla baked donuts get a fun red, white, and blue twist from the marbled glaze on top
White Chocolate Berry Pudding Cake – pockets of pudding and fresh berries make this a delicious summer cake
Looking for more red, white, and blue desserts for your holiday picnics?
- No Bake White Chocolate Cheesecake Parfaits from BruCrew Life
- 4th of July Cake Roll from Taste and Tell
- 4th of July Marshmallow Pops from Living Locurto
- Red White and Blue Bundt Cake from BruCrew Life
- Fireworks Pudding Cookies from Crazy for Crust
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Red, White and Blue Cheesecake Bars Recipe and Video:
Swirls of colors make these Red, White and Blue Cheesecake Bars a fun dessert to share at holiday parties or picnics this summer.
Ingredients
- 30 Oreo cookies
- 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
- 3 - 8 ounce packages cream cheese
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 eggs
- red & blue gel food colors
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with foil.
- Place the cookies (cream included) in a food processor. Pulse until the cookies become crumbs.
- Stir in the butter until mixed in. Press the mixture evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and cool.
- Place a large baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven. Fill it halfway with water. Let the oven preheat again.
- Beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add the sour cream, vanilla, and flour and beat again.
- Add the eggs and beat until they are mixed in. Divide the batter evenly into 3 bowls. Use the food coloring to tint two of the bowls red and blue.
- Spoon the mixture evenly over the crust, alternating the colors. Drag a butter knife through the batter going up and down and back and forth until you get a good swirl pattern. Do not over mix.
- Place the pan on the oven rack above the pan of water. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven immediately and place on a wire rack. Let the cheesecake cool on the counter for 1 hour, then refrigerate for 4-6 hours. Cut into squares and serve with Cool Whip and sprinkles, if desired.
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Richard says
Hey, your idea sounds interesting because you can make it anytime and even for special events (USA Independence Day for example). Colorful desserts always make everyone feel joyful and attractive!
puja says
This looks gorgeous, so delicious and very creative!
Aimee Shugarman says
Aww congrats!!! Such an exciting time for you guys 🙂 And I can’t think of a better way for your family to celebrate, than with cheesecake, 🙂
cakespy says
Congratulations!!!!! These look like the absolute perfect celebratory treat.
Rachel says
You think I can use Greek yogurt instead of the sour cream? I’ve already started making it and realized I forgot sour cream at the store but I do have the yogurt! ????
Jocelyn says
I’m sure you already made this, but yes, you can sub Greek yogurt for the sour cream instead. I hope you enjoyed the cheesecake bars!
Julie @ Julie's Eats & Treats says
My husband’s step-mom made this after seeing it on my FB page and it was amazing!! I’m lucky enough to have stole a piece 🙂
Erica says
Can you make it in a cheesecake springform pan? How would it change cooking time?
Jocelyn says
You could bake it in a springform pan, but it is going to increase your bake time quite a bit. My guess is probably about 45 minutes to an hour, but I can’t say for sure because I didn’t bake it that way.
Jessica says
Do you think that it would be possible to make these ahead of time and freeze them for 2-3 days?
Thanks!
Jocelyn says
You can definitely make these ahead of time. They will keep for a few days in the refrigerator if you do them ahead of time. Or you can freeze them. Just make sure to wrap them tightly and freeze completely. Then to thaw them, unwrap them and place in the refrigerator overnight. I hope you enjoy the bars!
[email protected] says
Oh my goodness, these look delicious! I love baking with my children for the 4th of July it is one of our favorite traditions. That and creating my Grandma’s favorite cherry pie and patriotic sugar cookies. I love how this turned out. Great post! 🙂
cherie crites says
Would you be able to use box cheesecake instead of making it from scratch?
Jocelyn says
I’m not sure I understand what you are wanting to use. Do you mean a box of NO BAKE cheesecake? If so, yes, you could make that and tint the batter different colors and swirl them together.
Kathy says
These cheesecake bars are perfect for the upcoming 4th of July celebration. I was wondering what the purpose if for lining the cake pan with aluminum foil?
Jocelyn says
It’s not necessary, but I like to use it because you can get the bars out of the pan much easier. Then it is easier to cut the bars into nice neat squares!
Jennifer says
Do you have to use gel food coloring?
Jocelyn says
You can use any food coloring. I just prefer the gel colors because they don’t add as much liquid to your batter. Either way works though! I hope you enjoy the cheesecake.
Katie says
Just made this tonight and will be taking it to a picnic tomorrow. It looks beautiful! Question: do I cover it with plastic wrap when I put it in the fridge to chill?
Jocelyn says
I usually cover cheesecake lightly with tin foil or plastic wrap when I refrigerate it. I hope you enjoy the cheesecake bars!!!
Michael says
Thank you very much for this recipe! I just made one in a springform pan for the Fourth of July and am so pleased with how it turned out! The Oreo cookie crust is delicious.
tara says
Do you think I can make these in a mini silicone star pan for the 4th?
Thank you in advance
Jocelyn says
You definitely could do that. The only thing that would change would be the baking time. I’m not quite sure how long to tell you because I haven’t made this recipe in a different pan, but when I do cupcake cheesecakes I usually bake them anywhere from 18-22 minutes depending on what I’m making.
Nikki says
Love love this idea. But I’m curious could I add strawberries and blueberries to the batter? Would it change the cooking time or consistency?
Jocelyn says
Do you mean you want to add fresh strawberries and blueberries to the batter instead of the food coloring? It shouldn’t really add too much extra time to the baking. Here is another version of these cheesecake bars that I did with pie filling and the baking time was about the same. https://insidebrucrewlife.com/blueberry-key-lime-cheesecake-bars/
Nikki says
Yeah thank you very much. Making it tonight can’t wait!
Brandy says
All purpose flour or self-rising flour?
Jocelyn says
All my recipes are all purpose flour unless otherwise marked. I hope you enjoy the cheesecake bars!
Christine Chapman says
I made this and got a pink and green swirled cheesecake. I used a whole bottle each of gel food coloring. What did I do wrong????
Jocelyn says
What kind of food coloring did you use? I always use the Wilton gel colors because they are more concentrated and give a better color. Plus, you don’t have to use as much to get a good color. I’m not quite sure how you would have gotten a green swirl though if you used blue food coloring?
Brooke says
I want to make this but I want a graham cracker crust instead of chocolate cookie. Any advice on how to make the crust? I am very excited to try this for our 4th of July party.
Jocelyn says
Yes, you can definitely do a graham cracker crust. Here is a link to a cake that I did with a graham cracker crust. Use that in place of the chocolate cookie crust. I hope you enjoy the cheesecake bars. https://insidebrucrewlife.com/chocolate-smores-pudding-cake/
Katie ellis says
Can you make this gluten free?
Jocelyn says
Yes, you can use gluten free cookies for the crust and leave the flour out. The flour is in it to give the batter some support, so it doesn’t crack as it bakes, but it’s ok to leave it out. Or use a gluten free flour in its place. I hope that helps and you enjoy the cheesecake bars.
Barbara says
Can I make them in a 8by8 glass pan so they will be thick
Jocelyn says
No, the recipe is written for a 9×13 pan. These are a decent thickness when made that way. If you want to do it in the 8×8 pan I would recommend cutting all your ingredients in half because it will not fit in the pan.
Caroline says
What do temp do you bake it?
Jocelyn says
You bake the crust and the cheesecake at 325 degrees. The temperature is located in step 1. I hope you enjoy the cheesecake bars!
Andrea Laino says
Large baking sheet with water? Like a pyrex?
Jocelyn says
No, you want to use a large baking sheet with a lip on it, like one you would bake cookies on. Does that make sense?
Chelsea says
Hi there could I use Graham cracker crust instead? Does this have a regular cheesecake flavor? TIA
Jocelyn says
Yes, you can totally use a regular graham cracker crust and yes, it is just a basic vanilla cheesecake jazzed up with food coloring. Here is a link to a cake that I did with a graham cracker crust. Just use the ingredients for that crust and the cheesecake from this recipe. https://insidebrucrewlife.com/chocolate-smores-pudding-cake/
Emily Boyd says
Can I use double Stuf?
Jocelyn says
Yes, you can. You may need to cut the amount of butter back slightly because of the extra cream though. I hope you enjoy the cheesecake bars.
Jlyn says
What does the water help with?
Jocelyn says
The pan of water under the cheesecake creates a steam effect in your oven. The steam helps the cheesecake to bake evenly and stay moist and creamy without cracks. I wrote an entire book on cheesecake and have a lot of tips and tricks on the subject 🙂 https://insidebrucrewlife.com/cookbook/
Stephanie says
How can I tell it’s done? I’ve only made cheesecake once, 8 years ago haha
Jocelyn says
This cheesecake will be done at 45-47 minutes. It should still jiggle in the center, but it should be the whole thing jiggling as a whole. Not like how the center of an under baked cake looks when you wiggle it. It also should start to brown ever so slightly on the edges. At this point, get it out because it’s in danger of being over baked. Cheesecake sets up as it cools and chills. I hope that helps!
Kristi says
When I cool on wire rack for an hour, is it directly in the pan or lift out in foil?
Jocelyn says
Leave it in the pan while it’s cooling on the wire rack, then place the whole thing (pan included) in the fridge to chill. You do not want to lift it out until it has chilled all the way through. I hope you enjoy it!
Sylvia Esqueda says
Made the Red, White, and Blue Cheesecake Bars for work for the 4th of July. They turned out so pretty; my coworkers loved them! ????
Swimmer Jacob says
These are amazing, typical that I found this post on July 12, a week after independence day!!! Still, I think I might give it a try…might even do it in the Irish colours on St Patrick’s Day!
april says
Why in some recipes do you call for the cheesecake to be in the water bath and the red white and blue you say on the center rack above the water?
Jocelyn says
I don’t have any recipes that call for a water bath. I only use the steam method where you put the cheesecake on the rack above the water.