Luscious, creamy vanilla cheesecake bars with a swirl of fresh peach puree and a sweet and salty pecan-infused cookie crust.
Yield: 16 bars
Cook Time: 30 minutesminutes
Total Time: 4 hourshours
Ingredients
For Peach Puree:
8oz/ 226g(about 2 large) peaches, peeled* and pitted
⅓cup/ 66ggranulated sugar
1 ½teaspoonscornstarch
1teaspoonlemon juice
For Crust:
5oz/ 142gvanilla wafer cookies, finely ground (1 cup crumbs)
¼cup/ 25gpecans
pinchsea salt
3tablespoons/ 42gunsalted butter, melted
For Filling:
12ounces/ 340g(1 1/2 packages) full fat cream cheese, at room temperature
⅓cup/ 80gcrème fraîche or sour cream, at room temperature
⅓cup/ 66ggranulated sugar
2tablespoons/ 15gall-purpose flour
2large eggs, at room temperature
1tablespoonlemon juice
2teaspoonsvanilla bean paste or extract
pinchsalt
Instructions
To make peach puree, pulse peeled and pitted peaches in a food processor or blender until completely smooth. Transfer to a saucepan set over medium heat. Whisk together sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl, then whisk in to peach puree along with lemon juice. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally (it will spit quite a bit so be cautious). Let boil for 2 minutes or until noticeably thickened. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Peach puree can be made ahead of time and refrigerated in a jar or airtight container for up to a week.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch square pan; line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang over two of the edges.
Combine pecans, cookies and salt in a food processor and pulse until very finely ground. Drizzle over melted butter and pulse until evenly moistened. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Bake crust for 8 to 10 minutes or until set, then remove from oven and let cool completely.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
In a food processor or the bowl of a stand mixer, pulse room temperature cream cheese, crème fraîche, sugar and flour until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary to be sure all ingredients are evenly incorporated. Add lemon juice, vanilla and salt and pulse once or twice more.
Pour batter into cooled crust, spreading into an even layer. Drop dollops of the peach puree on top of the cheesecake batter (you won't use all the puree, save the rest for another use). Use a toothpick or bamboo skewer to swirl the puree into the batter.
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the center of cheesecake is set but still barely jiggly. Let cool on a wire rack to room temperature, then refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight until ready to serve. Gently use the parchment overhang to lift the entire slab out of the pan. Place on a cutting board and slice into squares (use a large chef's knife, run it under hot water to warm it up and wipe it clean between each slice). Serve chilled or at room temperature. Bars will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
To quickly peel peaches, cut a shallow X in the bottom of the fruit. Boil for 30 seconds, then transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to cool. Once cool, the skin should peel off easily.
It is VERY important that all your refrigerated ingredients be at room temperature, this means your cream cheese, eggs, and crème fraîche/sour cream. Doing so will ensure a silky smooth filling. I recommend taking your ingredients out of the fridge at least 2 hours before you bake, longer in cooler temperatures.