Galaxy cheesecake bars are an easy way to make an ordinary dessert into something extraordinary. The reason behind the name is because this creamy, rich vanilla cheesecake is baked with swirls of galaxy colors and then sprinkled with millions of edible stars and tiny planets. This post contains affiliate links.
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How to make Galaxy Cheesecake Bars
This cheesecake is perfect for a space-themed birthday or just a fun dessert. It’s made in a 9 x 13 pan.
You can cut large bars and get about a dozen, or you can cut them smaller and get up to two dozen bars. I prefer to cut the smaller bars because it’s such a rich treat.
Before you begin, cover the bottom and sides of the 9 x 13 pan in foil, so you can easily lift out the cheesecake for cutting into squares.
For these cheesecake bars, I always use an OREO cookie crust. I much prefer the flavor to a graham cracker crust. Plus, the creme filling of the OREOs just hold the crust together.
I do not recommend using double stuff OREO cookies. I have made so many of the cheesecakes and tried it, and the crust just doesn’t hold up as well as with regular OREO cookies.
How do you color your cheesecake batter?
While the crust is cooling, make the cheesecake batter.
Once you have made the batter, divide it into 4 bowls – one in black, dark blue, pink, and purple. I find that gel food coloring work best for brighter colors, but in a pinch, liquid food coloring works well, too. You can find pretty good gel food coloring at Walmart in their own brand in these vibrant colors.
These food coloring gels are what I use. They’re made in the USA and color beautifully. For this galaxy themed cheesecake, I used coal black, royal blue, violet, and rose pink. It definitely takes a lot of gel food coloring to get a rich black.
Then, I just randomly drop each of the colors onto the crust. Tapping the pan on the counter a couple times smooths out the batter. Then, I run a butter knife through the colors to swirl it, and then I tap again before putting it in the oven.
How do you prevent cracks in a cheesecake?
The secret to a good cheesecake without cracks is preventing it from getting too hot. I’ve seen many times where a recipe has you place the cheesecake pan directly in a water bath while it cooks, but I don’t like that. There are just so many ways I would mess that up.
Awhile ago, I found What’s Cooking America recommends just setting a baking pan like a cookie sheet half filled with water on the lower rack and placing the cheesecake in the middle of the top rack with the top rack set at the middle level of the oven.
I put the water pan in the oven about 10 minutes before I put the cheesecake. When I cook cheesecakes this way, they come out beautifully.
I will warn you that the cheesecake will come out puffed up when it’s hot and there might be some tiny cracks on the edges. However, if you let it sit on the counter for an hour before putting it in the fridge to cool, the cheesecake will settle down, and you won’t see any cracks once it settles.
To keep it looking lovely, I let the cheesecake cool on the counter for an hour or so, and then I put it in the fridge for a minimum of four hours. If I have the time, I will keep it in the fridge overnight.
Decorating your Galaxy Cheesecake Bars
After the cheesecake has set in the fridge, I pull it out and let it sit for about an hour before I decorate it. You can decorate however you’d like or keep it plain.
To give it a “galaxy” look, I start with silver sanding sugar for the “stars” and then sprinkle this galaxy sprinkle mix on top. Once you’ve finished decorating, gently press down on the bigger sprinkles to keep them on the cheesecake.
How do you cut a cheesecake into bars?
My secret to cutting pretty squares of cheesecake is using a hot knife. I run it under hot water until the blade is completely hot. Then, I wipe off the water and slice. This will make pretty squares without any extra clumps of cheese. I do this after cutting each line vertical and horizontal in the cheesecake.
More Fun Treats & Eats
- Moon Rock Cookie Dough Bites
- Guardians of the Galaxy Edible Cookie Dough
- Free Kids Printable Galaxy Puzzle Pack
Galaxy Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Crust
- 30 OREOs, crushed
- 1 stick of butter, melted
Cheesecake Batter
- 24 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups of white sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup flour
- black, dark blue, pink, purple gel food coloring
Decorations
- Galaxy sprinkles
- Silver sugar sprinkles
Instructions
Crust
Line a 13 x 9 pan with foil.
Preheat oven to 325 F degrees.
Use a food processor or blender to crush 30 Golden OREOS.
Combine the crumbs with 1 melted stick of butter.
Press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan.
Bake the crust for 10 minutes.
Cheesecake Batter
Place a large cookie sheet on the bottom rack of the oven. Add water to the cookie pan and fill it half full.
Combine softened cream cheese and sugar until completely blended.
Add the eggs and mix one at a time.
Add the vanilla and mix.
Add the sour cream and flour and mix until combined.
Divide into four bowls and dye each bowl - black, dark blue, pink, and purple
Drop random spoonfuls of each color cheesecake on the crust.
Gently swirl the cheesecake colors with a butter knife.
Gently tap the pan on the counter to smooth out the batter.
Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
Allow cheesecake to cool for an hour before putting it in the fridge for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Decorations
Allow the cheesecake to set on the counter for awhile after taking it out of the fridge.
Shake sanding sugars all over the cheesecake.
Shake sprinkles all over the cheesecake.
Slice into squares and serve.
Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 405Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 278mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 1gSugar: 30gProtein: 5g
Any nutritional information on thetiptoefairy.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate.
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