Food and Recipes Desserts Cookies Red, White, and Blue Cheesecake Bars Want to be the star of the summer potluck? Make a batch of these crowd-pleasing cookie bars up to two days in advance. By Southern Living Test Kitchen Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on July 6, 2022 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Active Time: 30 mins Chill Time: 4 hrs Total Time: 6 hrs 10 mins Yield: 24 serves Ingredients 2 (6.75-oz.) pkg. crisp, sweet cookies (such as Pepperidge Farm Bordeaux cookies) 1/4 cup salted butter, melted 1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries (about 5 oz.) 3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar, divided 2 tablespoons water, divided 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (about 5 1/2 oz.) 3 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 large egg whites 1 large egg 1/4 cup sour cream 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon) 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Directions Preheat oven to 350°F. Process cookies in a food processor until finely ground, about 1 minute. Drizzle melted butter over cookie crumbs; pulse until well combined, 3 to 4 times. Press crumb mixture onto bottom of a parchment paper-lined, 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Bake in preheated oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Meanwhile, combine raspberries and 1 tablespoon each of the sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium. Bring to a boil, and cook, stirring frequently to mash raspberries, until thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Place raspberry mixture in a fine wire-mesh strainer over a bowl; press mixture until there are about 3 tablespoons raspberry puree in bowl. Discard solids in strainer. Cool puree completely. Repeat procedure with blueberries, 1 tablespoon sugar, and remaining 1 tablespoon water. Beat softened cream cheese, salt, and remaining 3/4 cup sugar with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Add egg whites and egg, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream, all-purpose flour, fresh lemon juice, and vanilla extract, and beat at low speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared baking dish; smooth top. Drop level teaspoonfuls of raspberry and blueberry purees all over top of batter; gently swirl with a knife. Bake at 325°F until cheesecake is almost set (center will still jiggle slightly when dish is touched), 25 to 28 minutes. Run a knife or offset spatula around edge of dish to loosen sides of cheesecake. Cool on wire rack at room temperature 1 hour. Cover and chill 4 hours or overnight. Cut into bars. Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Print