Cream Cheese Squares

[Colby DuLin]

Justpop open a can of crescent rolls and spread them into a greased 13x 9 pan. Then top with the sweetened cream cheese mix, and top with another can of crescents, brush with butter, sprinkle with sugar, and pop in the oven. SERIOUSLY SO SIMPLE!

We love how sprinkling cinnamon sugar evenly over melted butter and crescent dough really makes the magic happen in this recipe. Pop this combination in the oven to make a unique dessert that is a hit at every get-together. Or skip the top layer of butter for another more crunchy variation.

Also called Sopapilla Cheesecake, Cinnamon Cream Cheese Bars, Cream Cheese Squares and Mexican Cheesecake this is one of those recipes that is perfect for a potluck or holiday meal. These bars are easy to make, will be different from the other desserts and people always devour them!

This cream cheese dessert with a taste of cinnamon and sugar is very convenient to make with refrigerated crescent dough. Crescent rolls work well or the sheets of Pillsbury crescent dough work great too! The sheets fit very well in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

Made these for my husband and teen sons. Super easy and delicious! Will definitely make again. I started watching them after 20 min to make sure not to burn or over bake. I ended up pulling them around 28 min.

Has anyone tried these warm? I make the Crescent Cheesecake Roll-Ups all the time and we like those better warm. The ingredients are basically identical. The biggest difference is the oven and stove top. I was wondering if anyone has had these warm and if so did you like them that way ?

These Berries and Cream Cheesecake Bars are my favorite dessert! The easy oil pie crust pairs with the most delicately sweet cheesecake filling and is topped with a simple berry topping.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest I had berries written into my very soul! There is no berry quite like the Oregon Marionberry. Oregon was made for growing blackberries- HELLO, optimal soil, air, water, climate and love!

The key to cutting a cheesecake or cheesecake bars cleanly is to let the bars cool completely. Use a very sharp knife and run it under hot water before making your first cut. Then wipe the knife clean with a paper towel and run it under hot water between each additional cut. It sounds cumbersome, but it will make all the difference!

This is a great dessert to make ahead of time. Since everything is cooled before combining and refrigerating helps them set up even better, they can be made up to 6 hours ahead of time. You can make them in the morning and then store them in the fridge until dessert.

These also freeze extremely well. I like to cut them into individual pieces and then place them on a baking sheet and stick them in the freezer for about an hour to freeze them. Then wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then foil. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight (or at room temp for a couple of hours) before serving.

I agree the crust had too much salt and oil, and was too thick. I will be replacing it for a different thinner buttery crust recipe I have. Other than that the cream cheese filling was delicious, will make this filling again!

Why do some other dessert recipes call for the baking pan to be lined with a sling of parchment paper for easy removal but this recipe does not? Will I be able to remove the first few slices without cracking the crust?

Line a 13 x 9 baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper and spray it well with cooking spray. These bars tend to stick to the pan something fierce, so lining and then greasing will make it much easier to remove from the pan later. Look at the pictures further down to see how I do it.

If the cream cheese is a bit on the firm side the gooey filling might start to creep up the beaters and into the machine. Shake it down every few seconds if that starts to happen. Softer cream cheese cooperates better.

When the bars have cooled somewhat, refrigerate overnight or until completely cold and firm. This way they will be much easier to cut and also nicer to eat. If simply left on the counter top, they will be far too soft and quite impossible to cut nicely. It just makes a mess.

Even though these cream cheese squares are very sweet and rich, you may very well find yourself grabbing a second bar, or even a third! They are so chewy and tasty with the hint of coconut! They also store well and will remain sticky and gooey for several days in the refrigerator. Just cover them well with plastic. The bars can also go in the freezer and is the perfect, easy make-ahead dessert recipe for busy holidays! I hope you found this picture tutorial helpful! Enjoy!

I copied this recipe from my mother years ago on a piece of scratch paper. It has been in my recipe box for years. I lost the piece of scratch paper and was upset until I found it on your website. Thank you. It is always a big hit.

I agree, you can do so much with this recipe! For the holidays, maybe adding peppermint in combination with chocolate would be a fun changeup as well. Thank you for the idea of adding peanutbutter, and thank you very much for your comment and star rating!

I texted her the other day to get the recipe for gooey cream cheese bars and she had to find it because we used the recipe so much that her book had fallen apart. She had forgotten about them over the years and wanted to make them for her kids too.

We are a family that loves baking, good food, good times spent with family and friends, and exploring new places. Many of our most cherished family times have been cooking together in the kitchen at holidays or family gatherings.Read More

I started with the crumb recipe used in the blueberry crumb bars from last summer, and par baked the bottom crust. Then, I added a simple sweetened cream cheese layer, topped it with cherry pie filling, and crumbled the remaining crumb mixture on top. Baked until golden brown, and then a simple drizzle of a powdered sugar glaze.

Wonderful flavor but bottom crust was very difficult to cut into bars for a nice presentation to take to the office. I might try using a crescent roll bottom crust next time and making half of the recipe for the crumb topping. The bars tend to fall apart when trying to remove them from the dish. If you can get by all of that, the flavors are exquisite!

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I love this recipe!

My grama and mom made cherry bars every Christmas with pate bris pie crust. They were a pain to make in a 913 pan for a crowd. This crumble crust was excellent and easy! I added 3 drained cans of sour canned cherries I ordered on-line from Michigan to add to the cherry pie filling. Incredible. Thank you. New family favorite.

I love this recipe!

My grama and mom made cherry bars every Christmas with pate bris pie crust. They were a pain to make in a 913 pan for a crowd. This crumble crust was excellent and easy! I added 3 drained cans of sour canned cherries I ordered on-line from Michigan to add to the cherry pie filling. Incredible. Thank you. New family favorite.

So good! I halved the recipe and only had a can of cherry pie filling and one cream cheese package. Still delicious! Next time I will make the full filling portion amount. Wow, it is good! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

Really yummy! It is plum season here, so I used stewed, milled plum juice thickened with cornstarch instead of the cherry pie filling as well as halved the sugar in the cream cheese filling. Next time, I think I would probably cut the whole cream cheese mixture by a third to balance the tart and sweet and creamy a little more.

I added cinnamon to the crumble and it adds such a nice little hint of spice; made these bars for the first time last night to taste test at work today and they are a HUGE hit!! Thank you for sharing!

Mmmmm! This looks so good. My husband adores cherry pastries, so I will make this for him.

I just love your site. I especially love the posts about your grandmother. Like you, I had an Italian grandmother, so I can totally relate! I miss her so much.

This looks delicious! Do you have a suggestion/recommendation for subbing fresh or frozen cherries for the pie filling? They all have HFCS, corn syrup and other questionable ingredients in them that we avoid. Thanks so much!

Thank you for your lovely recepies. I already tried out quite a lot of them and they turned out fabulous. And this one I would really like to try too.

But I am from Austria. Cherry Pie Filling in cans are not available here.

How do you make a homemade cherry pie filling? Could you give me some hints, please?

Thank you!

Greetings from Vienna, Brigitta

The middle layer is sweetened cream cheese lightened with Cool Whip. You could also use freshly whipped heavy cream but I think the Cool Whip offers more stability. The surprising addition to this layer is lemon Jell-O which adds both a light lemony flavor and added stability from the gelatin.

The top layer is jewel-toned strawberry Jell-O that sits on top of the dessert in all its jiggly glory. I suppose you could use any flavor Jell-O you desire but I have never seen it served with anything other than strawberry.

Cream butter and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Add flour and chopped nuts and mix to make a crumb mixture. Reserve 1/2 cup and set aside. Press remainder in greased, 8-inch square pan. Bake 15 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool while you make the cream cheese mixture.

Blend sugar and cream cheese in a medium bowl with a mixer until smooth. Add egg, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Beat well until smooth. Pour over warm crust and sprinkle the reserved crust mixture over the cream cheese mixture. Bake for 25 minutes.

"The thing about eating the Black and White cookie, Elaine, is you want to get some black and some white in each bite. Nothing mixes better than vanilla and chocolate And yet somehow racial harmony eludes us. If people would only look to the cookie all our problems would be solved." - Jerry to Elaine (Seinfeld, Season 5, The Dinner Party)

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