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Cheesecake is delicious, but baking a big traditional one can be tricky. You have to bake a large cheesecake inside another pan filled with water to make sure it bakes evenly — a fussy and delicate maneuver in the oven. Smaller cheesecake bars are just as delicious, with a crisp graham cracker crust and a tangy, custardy filling, and are much easier to make (no water bath required). Plus, they are portable and easy to share, perfect for bake sales, parties or any occasion!

Cheesecake Bars

Makes 16 bars

For the crust:

5 whole graham crackers, broken into pieces (or 3/4 cup store-bought graham cracker crumbs)

1/3 cup (1 2/3 ounces) all-purpose flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

1 pound cream cheese

3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Strawberry topping (optional)

For the crust:

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Make an aluminum foil sling for an 8-inch square metal baking pan. Spray foil with vegetable oil spray.

2. Pulse cracker pieces, flour, salt and 1/4 cup sugar to food processor until crackers are broken into small pieces, about five 1-second pulses. Process until crackers are finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add melted butter and pulse until butter is combined with crumbs, about 10 1-second pulses.

3. Transfer mixture to foil-lined baking pan. Use your hands to press crumbs into an even layer covering the bottom of baking pan, then use the bottom of a dry measuring cup to press crumbs firmly into pan until very flat.

4. Bake until crust begins to brown at edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Place baking pan on a cooling rack and let crust cool for at least 15 minutes. (Do not turn off oven.)

For the cheesecake filling:

1. Add cream cheese and 3/4 cup sugar to the clean, dry food processor and process until smooth, about 3 minutes. With processor running, add eggs and vanilla and process until just combined, about 30 seconds.

2. Pour the filling evenly over the cooled crust. Transfer pan to oven and bake until edges are set and puffed slightly but the center still jiggles slightly when baking pan is shaken, 30 to 35 minutes.

3. Place the baking pan on the cooling rack and let bars cool in pan for 2 hours. Cover baking pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate until bars are chilled and firm, at least 4 hours or up to two days.

To serve:

1. Use foil to lift the bars out of the baking pan and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into squares. Top each square with strawberry topping (if using). Serve.

Recipe notes

(For 25 years, home cooks have relied on America’s Test Kitchen for rigorously tested recipes developed by professional test cooks and vetted by 60,000 at-home recipe testers. The family of brands — which includes Cook’s Illustrated, Cook’s Country, and America’s Test Kitchen Kids — offers reliable recipes for cooks of all ages and skill levels. See more online at www.americastestkitchen.com/TCA.)

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