Preheat the oven to 300°F / 150°C and prepare a 13x9 baking pan with a foil or parchment sling and set aside.

In a food processor, add the graham crackers, ¼ cup white sugar, ¾ cup all-purpose flour, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Pulse a few times until combined. Pour in the ½ cup of melted butter and pulse a couple of times until all the dry ingredients look wet. If you don’t have a food processor, you can put everything into a zipper lock bag and crush the graham crackers with a rolling pin and mix everything in that.

Spray the bottom and sides of the 13x9 pan with nonstick spray and dump the moist crumb mix into it. Even the graham crumbs out along the bottom of the pan, and using the bottom of a dry measuring cup, pack them down into an even and compressed layer.

Bake the crust for 18-22 minutes until browned and cooked some. You can smell the graham when it’s ready to come out. Set aside to cool before adding the next layer.

While the crust is baking, start on the cheesecake layer.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, add 1 ½ pounds of cream cheese and mix on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Add 1 cup white sugar and cream together with the softened cream cheese on medium speed, about 2-3 minutes more. Pour in 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and give it a quick mix for 10-20 seconds.

Finally, add the 3 eggs, one at a time, and mix on low speed until just combined.

Pour the cream cheese mixture onto the cooled graham crust and tap the pan a few times to even it out. Place into the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, until mostly cooked and set, with only a little bit of wetness in the center.

While the cheesecake layer is baking, make the strawberry and sour cream layer.

Remove the stems and chop 6-8 ounces of strawberries into halves or quarters. In the cleaned bowl of the food processor, or a blender, add the strawberries, ¼ cup white sugar, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper and pulse until it’s pureed.

In the cleaned bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, add 2 cups sour cream. Mix on medium speed until the sour cream is smooth, about 2 minutes.

Add the strawberry puree mixture to the sour cream and mix on low speed for about a minute.

Once the cheesecake layer has baked, remove it from the oven and pour the strawberry layer on top of it. You don’t need to let the cheesecake layer cool first.

Place the pan back into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes longer. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely, at least 1-2 hours. Once cooled, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight until completely chilled and set.

Remove the cheesecake bars from the pan and slice into 24 squares. Alternatively, top with slices of the reserved strawberries and/or whipped cream.