Strawberry Shortcake Bars.
Ingredients
Crust
1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
8 tablespoons of butter
Cheesecake Filling
6 oz strawberries, pureed (about 1 cup of whole strawberries)
4 oz banana, pureed (about 1 whole banana)
12 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons of dry yellow cake
Streusel
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup dry yellow cake mix
4 tablespoons of butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 salt
Instructions:
To make crust
1.Place graham cracker crust and sugar in a bowl and toss to combine. Add in melted butter and mix to combine. Press mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 7-10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool while making cheesecake portion.
To make cheesecake
1. Place strawberries and banana in a blender or food processor and pulse until pureed; set aside. Place cheesecake, sugar, egg and vanilla extract in a bowl and beat until fully combined and smooth. Add in pureed strawberry mixture and mix to combine. Add in dry cake mix and mix to combine.
2. Pour mixture over crust (optional add in whole fruit to cheesecake mixture) and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees F. Make streusel while cheesecake bakes.
3. Remove pan from oven after 30-35 minutes and sprinkle streusel on top. Return pan to oven and bake for another 12-15 minutes. Remove and cool shortcake bars before cutting.
To make streusel
1. Place all ingredients in and using a pastry blender or a fork, cut butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles crumbled wet sand.
