No-Bake Berry Cheesecake Pretzel Bars
Serves 2
15 mins prep
15 mins cook
240 mins Chilling Time
270 mins total
A layer of salty pretzels topped with creamy cheesecake and a beautiful berry swirl.
Pretzel Base
Berry Sauce
Cheesecake Filling
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
