Pineapple Cheesecake Bars

These simple pineapple cheesecake bars feature browned butter, a coconut cookie crust, and swirled fresh pineapple compote flavored with garden herbs.

Guys, I am so so excited to share this recipe with you! Vanilla bean, pineapple sage, and pineapple jam. Browned butter cheesecake filling. Coconut cookie crust. These easy cheesecake bars have it all! I developed this recipe completely on a whim about a month ago and I’ve literally been counting down until I had the opportunity to share them with you because I just know you’re going to love them as much as I do.

It all started because I had a slowly-softening pineapple sitting on my counter leftover from a styled client shoot. I needed to do something with it before it rotted and time was running out. I also noticed that my pineapple sage plant was having a moment out in the garden, bushy and beautiful and green. I like the idea of creating desserts with fun word play, so a pineapple + pineapple sage jam was born. It’s sweet and floral and a really lovely complement for a tangy, cream cheese filling.

cooking with pineapple sage

You all know how much I LOVE using herbs in my desserts and pineapple sage is a fun one. It’s a tender herb, often planted in gardens to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, with bright red blossoms and vibrant green leaves. The leaves have a distinctive, fruity pineapple-like smell, while the flavor is bright and herbaceous. If you don’t have or can’t find pineapple sage, you could easily substitute another herb like lemon verbena, mint, or basil. Or you could leave it out completely and make a vanilla pineapple jam that would still be delicious.

making the perfect cheesecake

Making the perfect cheesecake really comes down to two key factors: temperature and mixing. Cream cheese NEEDS to be at room temperature so that it will beat properly, into a smooth paste, rather than clump together. The other ingredients (butter, eggs, cream) should also be the same temperature as the cream cheese so that everything is able to homogenize properly.

When making cheesecake batter, scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl often. This will help ensure that there are no sneaky cream cheese clumps clinging to the bowls that will leave you with lumpy batter. It’s also important to whisk together your sugar and cornstarch before adding it to the batter. The sugar granules will help break up the starch clusters in the cornstarch, making it easier to incorporate into a smooth batter.

how to make pineapple cheesecake bars

Start off by making an easy pineapple jam. Cubed pineapple, brown sugar, lots of vanilla, and pineapple sage and lemon verbena leaves (or mint or basil, see above) are combined in a saucepan. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 20-30 minutes, until pineapple is soft and sticky. Cool completely.

While the jam is cooling, we make our coconut cookie crust. I love using Maria Cookies because they are a favorite in our house and I almost always have a package on hand, but you could use graham crackers, gingerbread, or another shortbread cookie. Pulse cookie crumbs, coconut, and sugar in a food processor and then stir in melted butter until everything is moistened. Press the crust into a pan and set is aside while you work on the batter.

Brown some butter in a small saucepan and then let it cool off in the fridge until it reaches room temp and starts to solidify a bit. Using a hand mixer or a standing mixer, beat your cream cheese to soften. Add the sugar and cornstarch, followed by the eggs, heavy cream, and vanilla. SCRAPE DOWN THE SIDES OF THE BOWL A LOT. Add your softened browned butter and beat until your cheesecake batter is luscious and smooth. Pour it into your cookie crust and dollop pineapple jam over the top. Use a skewer to swirl the jam in and then bake your cheesecake bars until they are set with just a slight wiggle in the center. Chill those babies and then snack on them all summer long.

Yield: makes one 9x13" pan, about 24 servings

Author: Anna Ramiz

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Pineapple Cheesecake Bars

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 50 MinTotal time: 1 H & 10 M

These simple pineapple cheesecake bars feature browned butter, a coconut cookie crust, and swirled fresh pineapple compote flavored with garden herbs.

Ingredients

for the pineapple jam

• 2 cups diced pineapple
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla powder (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
• 1 sprig (about 8 leaves) lemon verbena*
• 4 large leaves of pineapple sage*

for the cheesecake filling

• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 16 oz full-fat cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 3 tbsp heavy cream
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch

for the crust

• 5 oz cookie crumbs (such as graham crackers, Maria Cookies, or other shortbread)
• 1/4 cup shredded coconut
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 4 tbsp melted butter

Instructions

to make the pineapple jam

1. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and set over medium heat. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 20-30 minutes, until sugar is completely dissolved, pineapple has softened, and jam has slightly thickened. Remove from heat and cool completely.

to make the cheesecake bars

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F.
2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine cookie crumbs, coconut, and sugar. Pulse for 30 seconds until combined.
3. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the melted butter until coated and sufficiently moist. Press into an even layer in a parchment-lined 9x13 pan. Set aside.
4. Place butter in a small saucepan set over medium heat and cook, swirling occasionally, for 6-7 minutes, until fragrant and flaked with little brown spots. Transfer to a bowl and place in the refrigerator to cool completely.
5. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch.
6. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the sugar/cornstarch mixture. Cream for about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, followed by the heavy cream, vanilla extract, and cooled browned butter. Switch the whisk attachment and whip until very smooth and no lumps remain.
7. Pour the cheesecake batter over the crust and use an offset spatula to smooth into an even layer.
8. Dollop the pineapple jam over the top of the cheesecake and swirl with a knife or skewer.
9. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until set. Cheesecake should barely jiggle when shaken. Let cool to room temperature and then cover and chill for at least 12 hours. Slice and serve.

Notes:

If you don't have lemon verbena or pineapple jam (they are a bit difficult to find), you could substitute them with another bright herb, like mint or basil. You could also choose to leave them out completely.

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La Vina Cheesecake

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Rosemary Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

These soft and chewy cookies are made by steeping rosemary and instant espresso into the butter. They are filled with dark chocolate pieces and topped with flaky salt.

Ok, guys, I need a little vent session. Let’s talk about Instagram for a quick moment and then I promise, I’ll get back to the cookie content you came for. As you may know from my last little life update, we are currently in the process of moving from sunny Central Florida to Minneapolis (!!!) and there are a whole plethora of things (selling a house, packing a house, getting client work done, finding an apartment from across the country, hiring movers, loading a pod, driving across the country, etc, etc, etc) that have taken my attention for the last few weeks. I’ve taken a couple weeks off from sharing new recipes and allowed the blog to take a backseat for a bit while life settles in. So the last thing I needed during this move was for Instagram to rear it’s ugly head and throw a wrench into my plans. A couple weeks ago, my Instagram account was hacked and some little bot decided to post a RayBan advertisement on my page. I deleted the post, changed my password, and went on with my life. Then, a few weeks later, I woke up and checked Instagram (which I’ve finally learned is not a healthy thing to do first thing in the morning), only to find out that my account has been ‘temporarily locked’ as a precaution. I’ve gone through the security steps given in which I was supposed to receive a security code to verify my identity maybe a dozen times and have never received a code. I’ve tried to send a report (which is basically impossible when you are locked out of the app), and I even tried calling for support. Nothing. Nada. So I spent the last two weeks on a forced IG break.

All of this hooplah has really gotten me thinking because I HATE the idea that any part of my business is completely out of my hands and can be snatched away at a moments notice. As a food blogger, part of my business is partnering with brands for sponsored content. Imagine if I had partnerships lined up over this time—I would be breaching contracts and would lose income and there would literally be nothing I could do about it. It baffles my mind that Instagram has that kind of power over creatives. I decided this week, that I really hated the way that this dependency on Instagram has made me feel. I hate that I woke up to find myself locked out and was crying before my feet even hit the floor in the morning. I hate how it feels like something that is supposed to be a tool to help creatives grow their audience, has become this two-headed monster with the power to tank a person’s entire livelihood. I’m just not into this game anymore. So I’m choosing to focus on the blog for the time being and for the work that I create that I can control. While I finally figured out how to get back into my account, the time away was really perspective shifting. I’ll definitely still be sharing on the app regularly, but only as a way to get people excited about a recipe, not with a mindset that forces me to churn out content just for the sake of staying relevant.

how to support your favorite food blogs

To be honest, apps like Instagram are great with their likes and comments, but they don’t really help a lot if your goal is to share recipes and get people in the kitchen. The most important thing to a food blogger is blog traffic. Having consist traffic to your website provides for so many opportunities! So please, if you enjoy the content you find here or on any of your favorite food blogs, share links that lead back directly to their pages. Comment on recipes that you have made, pin images and recipes to Pinterest of recipes that you love and keep coming to our blogs!

a chewy espresso chocolate chip cookie

Ok, back to what you came here for—cookies! These chewy, espresso chocolate chip cookies are a real winner in my book. They are made by steeping rosemary springs and espresso with butter, an tiny extra step that makes for a really fantastic cookie. When choosing an espresso for this recipe, you have a few options. You can use an instant espresso powder, which should dissolve completely in the butter, or you can use finely ground espresso powder, which may not dissolve completely but will give a bit stronger coffee flavor to the final cookie. The choice is yours, but since I like coffee that packs a punch and a little added texture, I prefer espresso powder.

These cookies are made using the all-familiar creaming method and the procedure is fairly straightforward for cookies. Melt/steep your butter. Cream butter with sugar, add the eggs, followed by dry ingredients and then chocolate. I always recommend using chopped chocolate over chips in cookie baking. Chocolate chips are coated in order to help them hold their shape during baking, which means you won’t get those much-desired chocolate puddles. Finally, the dough is chilled a bit before baking (if you’re wondering why—hop over here and read about the importance of dough chilling). These cookies, like all good cookies, are best enjoyed warm with lots of flaky salt and a big glass of milk.

a couple tips for baking rosemary espresso chocolate chip cookies

updated December 2021

I had a few folks reach out that their dough was drier than expected so I went back and tested this recipe a few more times to see if I could figure out where they were having difficulty. Here are a few things to keep an eye out to ensure that your cookies turn out perfectly!

1. Butter

   Because of the way that melted butter hydrates flour, this dough will look slightly different than a traditional softened-butter method cookie dough. Once mixed, the dough takes on a shiny quality and will greatly benefit from that extra hydration time in the refrigerator before baking.

   When cooking the butter, be sure to only keep it on the heat, uncovered until the butter is melted and the mixture just begins to bubble a bit (this should only take about 5 minutes). If you keep the butter on the heat too long, water content will begin to evaporate and you will be left with quite a bit less liquid than the recipe calls for.

2. Eggs

   I test all of my recipes with large eggs. A typical large egg weighs about 50 grams and each yolk weighs about 20 grams. If you are using smaller eggs, you may need to add an extra yolk.

3. Flour

   This is a chance for me to wax poetic about the kitchen scale yet again. If you only ever take one thing away from this blog, let it be the kitchen scale. Baking with a kitchen scale (as opposed to relying on measuring cups) is really the only way to ensure accuracy and consistency in each recipe. If you were to scoop out one cup of flour 4 different times, you would end up with a different amount each time depending on the method you use, the brand of measuring cup you stock, or even the humidity in your kitchen. Weighing your ingredients ensures that you are using the correct amount every single time and, a fun bonus, it dirties fewer dishes.

   If you don’t have a kitchen scale, this is the one I have been using for the last 4 years and it has yet to let me down.

Yield: makes 16 cookies

Author: Anna Ramiz

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Rosemary Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 25 Min

These soft and chewy cookies are made by steeping rosemary and instant espresso into the butter. They are filled with dark chocolate pieces and topped with flaky salt.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter
• 3 sprigs rosemary
• 2 g instant espresso
• 1/2 cup (107 g) brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (190 g) all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 6 oz dark chocolate, chopped

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, combine butter, rosemary sprigs, and instant espresso. Cook over medium heat until butter is melted and bubbling, espresso has dissolved and rosemary is fragrant. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Remove rosemary sprigs from butter and discard. Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add sugar and brown sugar and beat on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, until thoroughly combined.
4. Add the egg yolks and vanilla and continue mixing until mixture is smooth and homogenous (about 2 minutes).
5. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients mixing until just combined and no flour streaks remain. Fold in chocolate chips.
6. Using a 1 1/2 tbsp sized cookie scoop, scoop cookie dough and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
7. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350° F. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are golden brown, and then let cool completely on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with flaky salt.

Similar Recipes

White Chocolate Cherry Cookies with Rose Butter

Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Espresso Crinkle Cookies

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Asiago Challah

Inspired by the Panera Bread asiago loaf, this easy challah bread recipe is filled and topped with shredded asiago cheese.

It’s been a good, long while since I shared a bread recipe on here so today is bread day! I get in a mood in the summertime where I don’t love bread-making as much as I do during other months. Maybe it’s the heat and the fact that I would prefer to live on cocktails, guzzle-able wine, and ice cream, and avocados from May to September. So when I do make bread in the summer, it can’t be a whole production. No preferments or overnight cold proofs allowed. This means that my summer glutens come from focaccia, flatbreads, and of course, challah.

If you’ve been around the blog for any length of time, you’ve probably heard me talk about how much I love challah. But in case you missed it, here are seven reasons why challah is the very best bread.

why challah is the best

1. It makes the best toast. Really, the best toast. I like to keep loaves in my freezer and pull them out when I have overnight guests so that they wake up to warm challah toast.

2. You can make a batch in one day (No overnight resting needed!) As I noted before, no overnight resting = year round bread in my book.

3. It's enriched with eggs and fat, but not as decadent as brioche. Ok, so challah is an enriched dough, meaning it has eggs and fat (butter or oil) added to the dough. This gives us a luxurious, soft bread, but without the heaviness and richness of other enriched breads, like brioche.

4. It's the most versatile--use it for cinnamon rolls or garlic knots. Case in point, this recipe is just a little riff on my Favorite Challah recipe.

5. It's fun to braid and shape. I’ve gotten lost down many Youtube/TikTok rabbit holes of challah braiding tutorials. You can literally google “how to braid challah” and find a million different step-by-step videos and they are so much fun to play around with. Challah Prince is one of my favorites.

6. It freezes like a dream. Remember earlier when I said that I keep a loaf in my freezer for guests? Just pop your cooled loaf in a freezer bag and defrost it whenever you need it!

7. You don't need a mixer or any fancy equipment. I discovered in all my challah making that I actually prefer to make challah with my hands. The dough amount is a tad too much for my standing mixer and I find it takes too long and I spend too much time scraping it off the hook. I prefer to mix my dough with a wooden spoon and give it an old-fashioned hand kneading. As Ina Garten would say, “how easy is that?”

about the asiago challah

This recipe is simply a twist on a classic challah, with shredded asiago cheese mixed into the dough and sprinkled on top. You can sub asiago for a different type of cheese, but I would stick to another hard cheese, like parmesan, so you don’t end up adding too much moisture to the dough. Because it has a mix-in, this loaf may take a few more minutes to bake and it needs to cool completely before slicing or the inside will be gummy. If the tops are getting too browned, you can always tent it with a piece of foil while it finishes baking.

Yield: makes two loaves

Author: Anna Ramiz

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Asiago Challah

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 35 MinInactive time: 2 H & 30 MTotal time: 3 H & 34 M

My very favorite everyday challah recipe with shredded asiago cheese folded into the eggy dough.

Ingredients

• 400 g (3 cups) all purpose flour
• 280 g (2 cups) bread flour
• 285 g (1 1/4 cups) buttermilk
• 2 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 110 g (1/3 cup) honey
• 90 g (1/2 cup) oil, like avocado*
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 cup (80 g) asiago cheese, shredded, plus more for topping
• more flour for dusting
• one egg, for egg wash

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup buttermilk, warmed, and yeast. Stir and let rest for about 5 minutes, until foamy.
2. When yeast is ready, add eggs, egg yolks, honey, oil, and the rest of the buttermilk. Whisk to combine.
3. Add all purpose flour, bread flour, and salt to the bowl and use a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula to stir until all of the flour has been moistened and a shaggy dough begins to form. Add the asiago cheese and stir to mix in.
4. Turn dough onto lightly floured work surface and then sprinkle the top of the dough with a little more flour. Knead dough on the countertop for 3-5 minutes, until smooth and the dough passes the window pane test.
5. Wipe a small amount of oil around a large bowl. Place the dough into the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let proof for 1-1 1/2 hours, until the dough is doubled in size.
6. When proofed, punch the dough down and turn onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a bench scraper and a kitchen scale to divide the dough into eight equal pieces. Shape dough into small rounds, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.
7. Shape each dough round into a rope, about 8” in length. You should now have eight ropes, four for each challah loaf.
8. My go-to shape is a four-strand challah braid. If you want to do a three or five strand braid, just divide your dough into the appropriate number of pieces. Shape the challah loaves: I started to type out all of the steps for braiding, but I find that it is SO MUCH EASIER to watch a video that shows exactly where each strand should go. Here’s a great one that I’ve used often.
9. Place braided challah loaves on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another 30-45 minutes.
10. When there is 10 minutes left in the final proofing time, preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the tops of the challah with egg wash and sprinkle with remaining asiago cheese.
11. Bake for 20 minutes, rotate the pans, and bake for another 15 minutes until challah is deeply golden brown.

Similar Recipes

Caramelized Tomato and Mozzarella Bread

Pesto-Filled Challah Snails

Briolata

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