Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bars
Bursting with banana flavor, these Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bars combine the best of 2 desserts in one easy recipe!
Ingredients
Crust:
- 17 oz package Ginger Snap cookies, or vanilla wafers, coarsely chopped into crumbs (texture /thickness of coarse sand)
- ½ c coarsely ground pecans
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup salted butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling:
- 4 8 ounce full-fat cream cheese, softened
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
- ½ c sour cream or creme fraiche
- 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 3.4 ounce instant banana pudding mix (powder only)
- Whipped cream to serve
Equipment
- 1 9x13 baking pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9x13’’ baking dish with parchment paper, enough to hang over the sides, and lightly spray the walls of the pan with nonstick spray.
- In a bowl, mix together all but ½ cup of the gingersnap crumbs, pecans, ⅓ cup white sugar, salt, and melted butter. Transfer to a 9x13’’ pan. Flatten and press the crust into the pan using the back of a measuring cup. Bake for 10-12 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before adding the filling.
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese, salt, lemon zest, and brown sugar until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, add the heavy cream, sour cream, vanilla, and pudding mix. Whisk to combine, then slowly mix it into the cream cheese mixture. Mix until smooth and creamy. Pour onto the cooled crust, spread to the edges, carefully cover the pan with plastic wrap, and transfer to the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
- To garnish, dollop with whipped cream and sprinkle with any remaining cookie crumbs.
Notes
Make the crust the night in advance so that its completely cooled and ready for the filling the next day
The bars can be garnished individually with dollops of whipped cream and a sprinkle or crushed cookies OR the whipped cream can be spread into a single layer on top and sprinkled with cookies.
You can use any pudding mix that fits the season, classic vanilla, banana cream, even pumpkin!
The bars can be garnished individually with dollops of whipped cream and a sprinkle or crushed cookies OR the whipped cream can be spread into a single layer on top and sprinkled with cookies.
You can use any pudding mix that fits the season, classic vanilla, banana cream, even pumpkin!