Instructions
For the crust:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square metal baking dish with foil, leaving an overhang.
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until moistened. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned and set, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool and reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.
For the cheesecake:
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese at medium-high speed until smooth. Add the sugar and continue beating until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Add the cream then the eggs, egg yolk, vanilla paste, and salt one at a time and beat until well combined and smooth, being careful not to overmix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 300°F until the cheesecake is set but still slightly jiggly in the center, about 35 minutes. Do not overbake.
Place the cheesecake on a cooling rack to cool completely in the pan. Cover and chill until firm, at least 4 hours.
Using the foil overhang, transfer the cheesecake to a heat-safe work surface and cut into squares.
Sprinkle the tops of each square with sugar and torch the tops with a kitchen torch until it turns a deep amber color. Alternatively, use a broiler to brown the sugar (just don’t walk away – it goes from bruleed to black fast!). Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Recipe Notes
If you don’t have vanilla bean paste, use 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.
Store the untopped (non-brûléed) cheesecake bars in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The sugar topping should be added and torched soon before serving, so it stays crunchy.
