Basque Cheesecake Bars
Updated May 27, 2026
Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- About 3 hours
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 50 minutes, plus about 2 hours’ cooling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
FOR THE CRUST
Nonstick cooking spray
3 cups/350 grams graham cracker crumbs (from about 24 graham crackers), see Tip
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
10 tablespoons/140 grams unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
FOR THE CHEESECAKE LAYER
2 pounds (four 8-ounce blocks) cream cheese, at room temperature
1⅓ cups/270 grams granulated sugar
6 large eggs, at room temperature
1¾ cups/420 milliliters heavy cream, at room temperature
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
Nutritional analysis per serving
25 grams carbs; 117 milligrams cholesterol; 389 calories; 8 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams saturated fat; 30 grams fat; 1 gram trans fat; 249 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein; 15 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides to create a sling.
- Step 2
In a large bowl using a rubber spatula or clean hands, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter until the crumbs are evenly saturated with the butter. Transfer to the prepared pan and press into an even layer using your hands or the bottom of a measuring cup.
- Step 3
Bake the crust until it’s just starting to darken around the edges and looks dry, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool at room temperature until warm but no longer hot. Increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees.
- Step 4
While the crust is cooling, prepare the cheesecake layer: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese and sugar (or do so in a large bowl, if using a hand mixer). Mix on medium speed until fluffy and smooth, 1½ to 2 minutes. With the mixer still running, add the eggs one at a time, waiting until each egg is completely incorporated before adding the next, until the mixture is completely smooth, 1½ to 2 minutes. (Scrape down the side of the bowl as needed.) Decrease the speed to low and slowly stream in the heavy cream and blend until smooth, 1 to 1½ minutes. Turn the mixer off and add the flour, vanilla extract and salt. Mix on low just until the flour is evenly distributed, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Step 5
Pour the batter on top of the baked crust and smooth into an even layer. Bake until the top of the cheesecake is very dark brown, smells faintly of burnt caramel and the edges are set but the center still jiggles like Jell-O when tapped, 25 to 28 minutes. (The bars will look very puffy and cracked around the edges but will deflate once cooled.) Let the bars cool in the pan at room temperature about 2 hours (or refrigerate to enjoy cold, if desired).
- Step 6
Use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan and transfer them to a cutting board. (If the edges are sticking to the side, run a butter knife around the edges to release them.) Cut the bars into a 6-by-4 grid to make 24 squares, wiping your knife with a damp paper towel between each slice. Refrigerate leftover bars in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
If making your own graham cracker crumbs using whole crackers, break them into pieces, place them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and process until they are the texture of fine sand, 40 to 60 seconds. Alternatively, place the crackers in a large zip-top bag and crush using a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy skillet.
Private Notes
Comments
I grew up in the Spanish side of the Basque Country, where this recipe originated, and I remember eating graham crackers in my childhood. Plus having an open mind is quite helpful when adapting recipes.
Out of curiosity, why did you consider this a helpful comment to make, especially given that the recipe introduction itself acknowledges that these are not a traditional Basque cheesecake?
Traditional Basque cheesecake is crustless (which suits me as I’m GF) but it makes sense to make this bar version with a crust for easy eating. I plan to make this using Tate’s GF Ginger Zinger cookies and simply sub white rice flour for the AP flour. Perfect to take for a pot-luck lunch with the garden club!
This was a huge success! I made it gluten free by subbing Pamela’s GF graham crackers and I used corn starch instead of flour in the filling. I also reduced the sugar a bit: I omitted it from the crust and only used 1 cup in the filling. It turned out perfect! I was able to cook it in the air fryer on convection bake at 450 for 25 minutes, it was perfectly caramelized on top and set up so light and fluffy. We enjoyed it at room temperature.
Consider pre-baking only crust 8-10 min ( or not at all) instead, and on high rack to keep it from burning; substitute aluminum foil to assist with lifting out of a square pan ( as parchment can disintegrate at a high temperature—or just use a springform pan. Freezes well.
Wow. So good. Made a third of this recipe in a 6x8 (ish) dish, which I put on an insulated cookie sheet (after baking the crust for about 10 mins) and finished at 475 since it was a small dish. Took them out when they were a little lighter brown than the pic. The insulated sheet I think helped prevent a burnt crust. This size was just right for small portions for two people.