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These sopapilla cheesecake bars have the most delicious flakey, cinnamon sugar crust on the top and the bottom. Sandwiched in between is a creamy cheesecake filling that everyone will go crazy over!

I love a delicious dessert bar! They are easy and perfect for any occasion. Try out some of my other recipes like these Neiman Marcus bars, these delightful banana bread bars, or one of the most popular recipes, these cherry pie bars!

A stack of sopapilla cheesecake bars.

What IS a Sopapilla Cheesecake Bar?

I am here to tell you about your new soon-to-be favorite dessert. A sopapilla cheesecake bar is made for anyone who loves cinnamon sugar and cheesecake. You KNOW I have a special place in my heart for cheesecake so this recipe quickly became a favorite of mine! The outside crust is made from some crescent rolls (which makes these super easy). A delightfully creamy cream cheese filling is sandwiched between the crust.

Once you assemble the bars then sprinkle them with cinnamon and bake them to perfection. Now, these are so delicious that you might want to double the batch if you are bringing them to a party or get-together. Ours get gobbled up so quickly that sometimes I don’t even get a chance to have seconds And yes, you MUST have more than one of these. You will thank me later. They are that good.

Ingredients for Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

These ingredients are so simple, and you probably already have most of this stuff in your kitchen and pantry already. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact measurements.

  • Crescent Roll Dough: It doesn’t get much easier than making a dessert with cresent roll dough!
  • Cream Cheese: I like to let my cream cheese sit out before I bake with it becuase it helps mix in smoothly.  
  • Granulated Sugar: This will sweeten up the cream cheese filling and it will create that cinnamon sugar topping.
  • Vanilla Extract: Add a splash of vanilla flavoring with this extract.
  • Salt: The salt will enhance all of the flavors in the sopapilla bars.
  • Butter: I used salted butter for this recipe.
  • Ground Cinnamon: This is like the cherry on top. It really sets these sopapilla dessert bars apart and tastes so delicious with the creamy filling!

How to Make Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

This dessert is super easy and you can make them ahead of time! Keep them chilled in your fridge until you and your guests are ready to eat them!

  1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 pan with pan spray and set aside.
  2. Press dough: Open one roll of crescent rolls and unroll. Press into the bottom of the pan and pinch the seams together.
  3. Combine filling: In a medium bowl, add the cream cheese and 1 cup of sugar. Beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and no lumps of cream cheese remain. Beat in the vanilla and salt until fully incorporated.
  4. Spread: Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the crescent roll dough. Open the second roll of crescent dough and lay over the top of the cream cheese, again pinching the seams together.
  5. Add butter and cinnamon: Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top of the dough. In a small bowl mix the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar with the ground cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top of the butter. 
  6. Bake and chill: Bake for 35 minutes, until the cinnamon sugar forms a crust on top of the dough. Cool for 30 minutes before covering and refrigerating the sopapilla bars for at least 2 hours before serving.
4 pictures showing how to add the crescent dough and the filling to the pan.

Substitutions

You can change up a few things and still make these sopapilla bars delicious! Here are a few suggestions for you!

  • What if I don’t have crescent rolls? If you don’t have crescent rolls then you can use a refrigerated puff pastry instead.
  • Can I use light cream cheese? I would pick a cream cheese with high fat content so that the filling stays nice and thick.
  • Honey: If you want to make this more authentic to the original sopapilla recipe that originated in New Mexico, then you can drizzle some honey on top!
2 sopapilla bars stacked on one another. The top one has a bite taken out of it.

How to Store Leftovers

  • Do sopapilla cheesecake bars have to be refrigerated? Yes! because they have a cream cheese filling, they must be stored in your fridge. Place them in an airtight container and they will last 3-4 days.
  • Can you freeze sopapilla cheesecake bars? Yes! These freeze very well. Just thaw them in your fridge overnight before serving them.

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Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

By: Alyssa Rivers
These sopapilla cheesecake bars have the most delicious flakey, cinnamon sugar crust on the top and the bottom. Sandwiched in between is a creamy cheesecake filling that everyone will go crazy over! 
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Chill Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 55 minutes
Servings: 12 Pieces

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 pan with pan spray and set aside.
  • Open one roll of crescent rolls and unroll. Press into the bottom of the pan and pinch the seams together.
  • In a large bowl, add the cream cheese and 1 cup of sugar. Beat on medium speed until smooth and no lumps of cream cheese remain. Beat in the vanilla and salt until fully incorporated.
  • Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the crescent roll dough. Open the second roll of crescent dough and lay over the top of the cream cheese, again pinching the seams together.
  • Drizzle the melted butter evenly over the top of the dough. In a small bowl mix the remaining 1/3 cup of sugar with the ground cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top of the butter.
  • Bake for 35 minutes, until the cinnamon sugar, forms a crust on top of the dough. Cool for 30 minutes before covering and refrigerating for at least 2 hours before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 344kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 3gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 390mgPotassium: 53mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 654IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 0.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Alyssa Rivers

Alyssa Rivers is the author of 'The Tried and True Cookbook', a professional food photographer and experienced recipe-developer. Having a passion for cooking, her tried and true recipes have been featured on Good Morning America, Today Food, Buzzfeed and more.

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2 Comments

  1. Hi! Just curious- How does this differ from the churro cheesecake? I noticed there was no egg in this recipe. Thank you!