Red, White & Blue Pretzel Cheesecake Bars
A festive Fourth of July dessert with a buttery pretzel crust, creamy no-bake cheesecake filling, and layers of strawberry and blueberry preserves topped with fresh fruit and mini marshmallows.
Servings 16 bars
Ingredients
Pretzel Crust
- 2½ cups finely crushed pretzels
- 10 tablespoon butter melted
- ⅓ cup sugar
Cheesecake Filling
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 8 oz whipped topping such as Cool Whip, thawed
Topping
- strawberry preserves
- blueberry preserves
- fresh strawberries sliced
- fresh blueberries
- mini marshmallows or shredded coconut
Instructions
- Mix crushed pretzels, melted butter, and sugar. Press firmly into parchment-lined 9×9 pan.
- Bake at 350°F for 12 minutes. Cool completely.
- Beat cream cheese until smooth. Mix in sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice.
- Fold in whipped topping until smooth and fluffy.
- Spread over cooled crust. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
- Spread strawberry preserves on one side and blueberry preserves on the other. Top with fresh fruit and marshmallows or coconut down the center.
- Refrigerate at least 2 more hours before slicing. Keep cold until serving.
Notes
Crush pretzels to coarse sand for a sturdier crust. Total time includes 2 hours chilling.
