No-Bake Berry Cheesecake Pretzel Bars
A layer of salty pretzels topped with creamy cheesecake and a beautiful berry swirl.
Ingredients
Pretzel Base
- 8 ounces of pretzels, crushed fine
- 50 grams of granulated sugar (1/4 cup)
- 12 tablespoons of butter, melted
Berry Sauce
- 6 ounces of fresh blackberries
- 8 ounces of fresh strawberries, stems removed
- 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon of water
Cheesecake Filling
- 500 grams of heavy cream (approximately 2 1/8 cups)
- 1 tablespoon of powdered gelatin
- 650 grams of cream cheese, room temperature (approximately 3 cups)
- 200 grams of granulated sugar (approximately 1 cup)
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
Instructions
Make the pretzel base...
- Combine 8 ounces of finely crushed pretzels with 50 grams (1/4 cup) of granulated sugar and 12 tablespoons of melted butter in a large bowl until the texture is like wet sand
- Press the pretzel mixture firmly and evenly across the base of a parchment lined 9”x13” deep dish
- Transfer the dish into the freezer so the pretzel crust can set up while you make the other layers
Make the berry sauce...
- In a small saucepan, combine 6 ounces of fresh blackberries, 8 ounces of fresh strawberries, 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of water and place over medium heat
- Simmer until the berries begin to soften
- Transfer the berries into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth
- Transfer the blended berry sauce back into the saucepan and simmer until slightly thickened
- Transfer the sauce to a bowl and set aside to cool
Make the cheesecake filling...
- Combine 200 grams (slightly less than 1 cup) of heavy cream with 1 tablespoon of powdered gelatin in a small saucepan and place over medium low heat
- Whisk until the gelatin dissolves and then set the saucepan off to the side to cool slightly
- In a large bowl, whip 300 grams of heavy cream until soft peaks form and set aside
- In a separate bowl, combine 650 grams (about 1 and 1/2 cartons) of room temperature cream cheese with 200 grams (about 1 cup) of granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon of salt until smooth and creamy
- Add the heavy cream and gelatin mixture and whisk to combine
- Gently fold in the whipped heavy cream with a silicone spatula
Assemble...
- Remove the dish from the freezer and pour the cheesecake filling over the set pretzel crust
- Smooth the filling evenly over the dish
- Drop teaspoons of the berry sauce randomly over the surface of the cheesecake filling and use a toothpick or chopstick to swirl to incorporate (photos above)
- Repeat if additional berry sauce is desired
- Cover the dish with plastic or a kitchen towel and chill until set (about 4 hours in the refrigerator or 90 minutes in the freezer)
- Once set, use the parchment paper to carefully remove the bars from the dish and transfer them onto a cutting board
- Using a sharp knife, slice into bars
- Serve immediately or chill until ready to enjoy