Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 375F. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper.
• Make the raspberry filling: In a large saucepan, whisk together water, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Cook until thickened, about 1-2 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and stir in raspberries and vanilla. Cool while finish making the bars.
• Make the base: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, lemon zest, baking powder, and salt.
• With a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the pieces look like pebbles then cut in the egg. Dough will be crumbly but should stick together when pressed.
• Reserve ½ cup for the topping and pat the rest into the bottom of the pan. Set aside.
• Make the cheesecake: In a large mixing bowl on medium-high speed (with paddle attachment if using a stand mixer), beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth, about 1 minute.
• Scrape down the bowl then beat in the egg, lemon juice, and vanilla.
• Spread cheesecake layer over the base layer. Top with the cooled raspberry filling then top with the reserved ½ cup of topping, scattering it over the top like a streusel.
• Bake 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown, the edges pull away from the pan sides, and the center slightly wiggles when given a gentle shake. Cool completely before cutting.