These incredible and flavor-packed bars are such a wonderful way to say goodbye to summer! We are still enjoying warm weather in IL, but I know fall is right around the corner and I can’t wait! However, I am definitely still doing all that I can to enjoy the little bit of summer that is left, especially when it comes to in-season fruit. This weekend, my husband’s uncle and aunt gave us a bag of delicious peaches from their yard. We devoured several, and with the rest I knew that I wanted to create a dessert that would highlight their flavor but also be cool and enjoyable in the summer heat. Enter: Peach Cheesecake Bars! Crisp shortbread topped with luscious and light cheesecake filling and finished with peaches and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.
While this recipe does involve a few (easy!) steps, I promise that the end result is absolutely worth it! You can enjoy them warm and fresh out of the oven, or do what I do and pop them in the fridge for a few hours for the cheesecake layer to firm up a bit. The contrast between the cookie, cheesecake, and peach is absolutely unparalleled and will have you going back for more over and over again!
Step by step directions:
Preheat your oven to 300°F.
Mix together the shortbread ingredients. Use a whisk for the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla before switching to a spatula to incorporate the flour.
Press the shortbread dough into the bottom of a 9×9 pan, spreading it as evenly as possible.
Bake for 15 minutes and set aside.
While the shortbread is baking, use a stand mixer to combine the softened cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar until smooth.
Thinly slice 3 peaches and in a small bowl, combine the turbinado sugar and cinnamon.
Increase the temperature of your oven to 350°F.
Spread the cheesecake mixture over the shortbread layer and top with the sliced peaches, overlapping slightly as you go.
Sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges of the shortbread are golden brown.
Cool on the counter for at least 30 minutes before transferring it to the refrigerator to finish setting. Alternatively, slice when it’s still warm if you prefer a gooey filling!
When fully cooled, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Peach Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
Shortbread
- ½ cup butter melted
- ¼ cup granulate sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup all purpose flour
Cheesecake
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
Top layer
- 3 peaches thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp turbinado sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300°F.
- Mix together the shortbread ingredients. Use a whisk for the butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla before switching to a spatula to incorporate the flour.
- Press the shortbread dough into the bottom of a 9×9 pan, spreading it as evenly as possible.
- Bake for 15 minutes and set aside.
- While the shortbread is baking, use a stand mixer to combine the softened cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar until smooth.
- Thinly slice 3 peaches and in a small bowl, combine the turbinado sugar and cinnamon.
- Increase the temperature of your oven to 350°F.
- Spread the cheesecake mixture over the shortbread layer and top with the sliced peaches, overlapping slightly as you go.
- Sprinkle on the cinnamon sugar and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the edges of the shortbread are golden brown.
- Cool on the counter for at least 30 minutes before transferring it to the refrigerator to finish setting. Alternatively, slice when it’s still warm if you prefer a gooey filling!
- When fully cooled, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Recent Comments