Raspberry Cheesecake Bars

So yesterday, I moved into my new (first!) apartment back at college. Exciting! Right now it's a mess, but now instead of sharing a kitchen with a whole dorm floor, I just share it with one other person. Hooray! Hopefully the oven works...I feel like I need to get so much stuff for this new apartment but I have to relax and just get what's necessary. It's actually been so exciting and stressful for me that I haven't been getting much sleep in over a week...last night I got less than an hour, but that might have been since it's overwhelmingly hot on the top floor of the building with one tiny fan (since all the standing fans at Target were sold out, argh). I have a lot of old recipes from the summer to post, but might mix them with some of the things I make in my new kitchen when I have the time!

These were really easy, and pretty fun to make. I made them for my mom's work a couple weeks ago. They were quick to make, a much easier bar than most of the bar recipes I try out, plus, they were just as delicious. I used a few more raspberries than the recipe called for, but just enough so that it looked like they were spread out enough.

I think these would definitely be best the day they are made, as their cheesecake texture is a little soggy. But they were still fine!

Raspberry Cheesecake Bars
Recipe from Cooking Light

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided
3 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 (8-ounce) package 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Combine butter, brown sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and eggs in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture to butter mixture; stir just until moist.

Place 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, granulated sugar, and next 4 ingredients (through cream cheese) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy.

Line a 13 x 9-inch baking pan with foil that extends 1 inch beyond sides; coat foil with cooking spray. Spread half of batter into pan. Pour cream cheese mixture over batter in pan, and spread evenly over batter. Sprinkle with raspberries. Drop remaining batter by tablespoonfuls over raspberries. Swirl batter, cream cheese mixture, and raspberries together with a knife.

Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely on wire rack. Remove from pan by lifting foil. Remove foil; cut into 30 bar cookies.