I originally created this recipe years ago in partnership with a brand and they shot this video, I think it’s fun to leave here!
Ingredient and Equipment Notes
Cheese Grater – A cheese grater is super helpful here for cutting in the butter. For crumbly crusts and toppings it’s important that the butter doesn’t get blended into a smooth dough, but rather dots the dough. This is what creates flakiness and layering in your desserts. Feel free to use a pastry cutter or a couple of butter knives to cut in your butter if you don’t have a grater available. Blueberries – This recipe was written with frozen blueberries in mind. You can certainly use fresh berries if that’s what you have on hand. For frozen, I prefer “wild” blueberries, which are often available in the freezer section of the grocery store. Wild blueberries are smaller than standard blueberries and I think they have a better flavor and color! Ricotta – If you’ve never had an Italian style ricotta cheesecake, it’s different than a traditional cream cheese style one. Ricotta has a natural texture to it; a little bit of graininess, and pureeing it with sugar until it’s glossy and smooth (see photos below) really helps with the overall texture of these bars, but know that it’s supposed to be different than a normal cheesecake. The quality of the ricotta does make a difference. My favorite brand is hands down Trader Joes, and I use the full fat version.
Instructions
Recipe Notes
I love ricotta cheesecake because it’s a little bit different, and is still creamy and rich without feeling really heavy. Here’s a couple of tips though, if you’ve never baked ricotta cheesecake:
Can I make this ahead of time? These bars need at least 8 hours in the fridge before serving, so making ahead is already kind of a requirement! If you need more time than that, feel free to make them up to 24 hours in advance. The finishing sauce can be made a couple of days ahead of time and stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Similar Recipes
If you love these bars, you may also like some of these other Our Best Bites favorites:
Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars Pumpkin Cheesecake Oatmeal Cookie Bars Mini Cheesecake Tarts
Did You Make This?
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