These little blackberry cheesecake bars are SO delicious, easy to make, and made extra special with mascarpone cheese in addition to the traditional cream cheese.
What Makes these Blackberry Cheesecake Bars the BEST?
- Small Batch. These bars are baked in an 8 inch square pan and makes 8 servings if cut as pictured. Or, you could slice them into squares for 16 servings. This recipe can also easily be doubled if you need more! Just double the ingredients and bake in a 9X13. Add 4-5 minutes to the bake time.
- Tart & Creamy. I love when cheesecake is paired with berries. Strawberries are of course a classic, but using blackberries really brings a tartness that compliments the cream cheese so well.
- Easy. This recipe is so easy, basically foolproof! You don’t need a special springform pan or any fancy equipment. I use my stand mixer to make the mascarpone cream cheese filling, but you can easily so it with an electric hand mixer as well.
Ingredients
- Blackberries. I used fresh blackberries, but frozen will work just as good! You can also swap out the blackberries for an equal amount of blueberries, raspberries, etc.
- Creamy Cheeses. This recipe uses a mix of the traditional cream cheese as well as mascarpone cheese. Mascarpone is basically the Italian version of cream cheese and is even creamier! You can find it at most grocery stores. If you can’t find mascarpone, or just want to use all regular cream cheese, that will work just fine.
- Graham Crackers. A traditional graham cracker crust is the elite choice for cheesecake.
How to Make Blackberry Mascarpone Cheesecake Bars
Make the Homemade Blackberry Jam
You can absolutely use a store bought jam for this, but it’s so easy to do at home. No gelatin or canning or anything like that. Just add all of the ingredients to a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the blackberries start to break down and release their juices and the sugar dissolves. Use the end of a wooden spoon to help break down the berries.
Carefully transfer the jam to a food processor or high powdered blender. Blend until smooth, then strain through a fine mesh strainer. The jam will continue to thicken as it cools. Let cool completely.
Make the Graham Cracker Crust
Preheat the oven to 350 and line an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper. I like to leave an overhang of parchment so that I can easily lift the bars out once they’ve cooled.
Melt the butter in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the crushed graham crackers, salt, and sugar and mix until all of the graham cracker crumbs are moistened. Press into an even layer in the prepared pan. Use the back of a flat bottomed glass or measuring cup to compress the crust. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Let cool. Keep the oven at 350.
Make the Mascarpone Cheesecake Filling.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and mascarpone until completely smooth with no lumps remaining, about 5-7 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl several times to ensure there are no lumps.
Add the sour cream and vanilla bean paste and mix until combined. Then add the sugar and mix until combined. Again, scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure everything is being incorporated evenly. Add the eggs and mix for 2-3 minutes until the eggs are fully incorporated.
Add the flour and salt. Mix until just combined, then pour over the cooled graham cracker crust. Use a small spatula to spread it into an even layer. Dollop the cooled blackberry jam all over the top and then use a toothpick or butter knife to swirl it throughout the filling.
Bake at 350 for 28-30 minutes, or until the middle is just slightly wobbly. Turn the oven off and keep the door cracked. Leave the bars in the warm oven for 15-20 minutes, then let cool completely on the counter. Once cooled, transfer to the fridge to chill until ready to serve. You want to gradually cool cheesecake this way to prevent it from cracking. When ready to serve, slice into 8 bars. For clean slices, make sure to wipe off your knife between cuts.
Blackberry Mascarpone Cheesecake Bars FAQs
- Can I make these bars gluten free? I have not tested this, but there is flour in the cheesecake filling and also in the graham cracker crust, so you would have to swap out gluten free alternatives for both.
- Can I make these bars ahead of time? Yes. You can make these up to three days in advance and keep them covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Can I use a different fruit? Swapping out any berry should work just fine! You can also swirl in caramel, lemon curd, Nutella, cookie butter, etc.
Blackberry Mascarpone Cheesecake Bars
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 Cheesecake Bars 1x
Description
Small batch creamy and tart blackberry mascarpone cheesecake bars with graham cracker crust.
Ingredients
For the Blackberry Jam
- 1 C (150 g) Fresh or Frozen Blackberries
- 3 TBSP Water
- 1/4 C (50 g) Granulated Sugar
- Pinch of Salt
For the Graham Cracker Crust
- 1 C (140 g) Crushed Graham Crackers (about 2 sleeves of graham crackers)
- 1/4 C (60 g) Salted Butter
- 2 TBSP Light Brown Sugar
- Pinch of Salt
For the Mascarpone Cheesecake Filling
- 4 oz (half a block) Full Fat Cream Cheese, at room temperature
- 8 oz Mascarpone Cheese, at room temperature
- 1/4 C (55 g) Sour Cream, at room temperature
- 2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste (or vanilla extract)
- 3/4 C (150 g) Granulated Sugar
- 2 Lg Eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 C (75 g) All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 tsp Salt
Instructions
For the Blackberry Jam
-
Add all of the ingredients to a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the blackberries start to break down and release their juices and the sugar dissolves. Use the end of a wooden spoon to help break down the berries.
-
Carefully transfer the jam to a food processor or high powdered blender. Blend until smooth, then strain through a fine mesh strainer. The jam will continue to thicken as it cools. Let cool completely.
For the Graham Cracker Crust
-
Preheat the oven to 350 and line an 8 inch square pan with parchment paper.
-
Melt the butter in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add the crushed graham crackers, salt, and sugar and mix until all of the graham cracker crumbs are moistened.
-
Press into an even layer in the prepared pan. Use the back of a flat bottomed glass or measuring cup to compress the crust. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Let cool. Keep the oven at 350.
For the Mascarpone Cheesecake Filling
-
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese and mascarpone until completely smooth with no lumps remaining, about 5-7 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl several times to ensure there are no lumps.
-
Add the sour cream and vanilla bean paste and mix until combined.
-
Add the sugar and mix until combined. Again, scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure everything is being incorporated evenly.
-
Add the eggs and mix for 2-3 minutes until the eggs are fully incorporated.
-
Add the flour and salt. Mix until just combined, then pour over the cooled graham cracker crust. Use a small spatula to spread it into an even layer.
-
Dollop the cooled blackberry jam all over the top and then use a toothpick or butter knife to swirl it throughout the filling.
- Bake at 350 for 28-30 minutes, or until the middle is just slightly wobbly. Turn the oven off and keep the door cracked. Leave the bars in the warm oven for 15-20 minutes, then let cool completely on the counter. Once cooled, transfer to the fridge to chill until ready to serve.
Keywords: blackberry cheesecake bars, mascarpone cheesecake bars, blackberry cheesecake
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