Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
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Sopapilla cheesecake bars are way easier to make than it seems! These tasty desserts are made with easy-to-find ingredients and prepared in 20 minutes. In just a few minutes, you will be able to bite into the flakey cinnamon sugar crust and creamy cheesecake filling.
I’m a big fan of cinnamon sugar. Heck I’ve used cinnamon sugar as a topping or flavoring for many of my desserts like pretzels, cinnamon rolls, biscuits, scones, donuts, cakes, and more. It is versatile and packed with flavor. If you want a delicious and simple sweet dessert or snack, adding a dash of cinnamon sugar will definitely do the trick.
That’s why I have plenty of ground cinnamon and sugar in my kitchen. So then I thought why not combine my favorite full-fat cream cheese, cinnamon sugar, and puff pastry for a flaky, creamy cheesecake bar? So, I came up with this easy and quick sopapilla cheesecake bars recipe.
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What Are Sopapillas?
Sopapillas are a dessert cuisine that originated in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They are a popular dessert and most North Americans love them. Traditionally, sopapillas are sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and served with honey, similar to churro cheesecake bars. There are many great recipes for this super delicious dessert, both savory and sweet.
See Also:
- Nutella lovers are going to love these Nutella cheesecake bars with an Oreo crust and Nutella ganache!
- Candy bar lovers are going to love these Butterfinger cheesecake bars with creamy peanut butter flavor.
- If love you a Buckeye ball, then grab a jar of peanut butter and make these Buckeye cheesecake bars.
Why You’ll Love These Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
- Perfect Show Stopper Dessert – These sopapilla bars look and taste delicious. And when you drizzle honey on top, a perfect, classic, and authentic New Mexico sopapillas.
- Easy To Find Ingredients – All the ingredients in this sopapilla cheesecake bars recipe is easy to find and are commonly available in most grocery stores.
- Make Ahead Snack – Because of the cream cheese layer, sopapilla cheesecake bars should be kept in the fridge to let the flavors mingle. You can prepare it when you are free and consume it within 4 days.
Ingredients Needed
Here are the ingredients needed for this easy sopapilla cheesecake recipe:
- Puff Pastry – I used two puff pastry sheets, but you can also use 2 cans of Pillsbury crescent roll dough for this sopapilla cheesecake bars recipe. If you’re using crescent roll dough be sure to press the seams together.
- Cream Cheese – For these easy sopapilla cheesecake bars, I used full-fat cream cheese to get that thick, smooth, and velvety cream cheese filling. Always go for cream cheese blocks. Skip the tubs. Also, cream cheese should be at room temperature for easy mixing and to get that creamy cheesecake filling.
- Granulated Sugar – This is for making the cinnamon sugar topping and for sweetening your cream cheese mixture.
- Eggs – Use room temperature, large eggs. Place in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes before using.
- Heavy cream – This adds richness to the cheesecake bars. You can also use sour cream.
- Melted Butter – I used unsalted butter for this sopapilla cheesecake bars recipe but you can also use salted butter.
- Vanilla Extract – To add flavor. You can also make your own homemade vanilla extract with this guide, Homemade Vanilla Extract Recipe.
- Ground Cinnamon – This is for cinnamon sugar topping which improves the overall flavors of the sopapilla cheesecake bars.
How To Make Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
These delicious sopapilla cheesecake bars should be chilled and refrigerated before serving. It makes these desserts more flavorful!
1. Preheat And Prep
Preheat oven to 325°F/162°C.
To prepare your baking dish, spray it with cooking spray and set aside.
Add cinnamon sugar topping
Combine cinnamon sugar and granulated sugar into a small bowl. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture into the bottom of the pan.
2. Add Puff Pastry
Unfold 1 puff pastry sheet. Using a rolling pin, spread your puff pastry until it fits or is bigger than the whole pan. You may need to trim one of the edges so it fits. Carefully place the puff pastry sheet into the the baking dish. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Create Cream Cheese Layer
To make the cream cheese mixture, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment over medium speed. Your cream cheese should be soft and at room temperature.
When the cream cheese filling is smooth and silky, add heavy cream and vanilla extract. Beat until all ingredients are fully incorporated.
Add the eggs one at a time and mix until fully incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
4. Spread And Cover
Pour cheesecake mixture evenly into your prepared baking dish. Spread using a flat spatula or the back of the spoon.
Unroll 2nd puff pastry sheet and spread using a rolling pin. Pinch the seams together and cover the cheesecake layer to make the top crust.
5. Cinnamon Sugar
Pour melted butter over your crescent dough. Spread melted butter evenly.
Then, sprinkle evenly your cinnamon sugar over the melted butter.
6. Bake, Cool, And Chill
Bake sopapilla cheesecake bars for 40-45 minutes or until a cinnamon sugar crust is formed and has a golden brown color. Remove from the oven and leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes or until it is cool completely.
Place sopapilla cheesecake bars in the fridge overnight or for at least 2 hours before serving. Cut into bars and drizzle with honey before serving.
Recipe Variations
- If you want a richer flavor, you can combine brown and white granulated sugar for your cheesecake pie filling.
- Honey is traditional but you can also drizzle these bars with a chocolate syrup, or serve with a strawberry topping.
- Use crescent roll dough instead of puff pastry. Be sure to press the seams together if using crescent roll dough.
Recipe Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. You want a smooth, creamy cheesecake filling so be sure that your ingredients are at room temperature so you don’t need to overmix.
- Thaw your puff pastry overnight. If your puff pastry is frozen, be sure to thaw it overnight in the fridge before using.
Recipe FAQs
Because of the cream cheese pie filling, sopapilla bars should be refrigerated to prevent spoiling. Place them in an airtight container and put them into your fridge. It can last for 3 to 4 days in your fridge.
Yes, you can freeze these delicious sopapilla cheesecake bars. Transfer to an airtight container or a freezer bag. Squeeze out excess air. To thaw frozen sopapilla cheesecake bars, transfer them to the fridge overnight.
I highly recommend eating them as soon as possible. The crispy and flaky crescent rolls will turn soggy after defrosting which can be unappealing for most people.
If you can’t find puff pastry, you can use crescent dough rolls or crescent dough sheets, or try using filo pastry instead.
I don’t recommend using lite or spreadable cream cheese. It will not give thick cheesecake bars. I used full-fat (or high-fat) cream cheese for this recipe because it makes the cheesecake filling thicker and creamier.
More Cheesecakes To Try!
If you’re craving more cheesecake then be sure to try my homemade lemon cheesecake topped with a fresh lemon curd! Or my Biscoff cheesecake. The cheesecake has a Biscoff cookie crust, and topped with more cookie butter!
Or if you’re looking for another great no bake bar, try my no bake banana pudding cheesecake bar recipe!
And you can’t go wrong with a classic cherry cheesecake with a homemade cherry topping! And if you’re craving more cheesecake bars, be sure to check out my 14 cheesecake bar recipes!
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Don’t forget to grab a copy of my cookbook, Cheesecake For All Seasons! It’s an easy to download digital e-book with over 50 delicious cheesecake recipes, toppings, tips and tutorials for you to master making cheesecake at home!
Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
For cinnamon sugar topping
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cinnamon
For cheesecake bars
- 2 puff pastry sheets *see note
- 24 ounces (3 packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs room temperature
Instructions
Make cinnamon sugar topping
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon, set aside.
Make cheesecake filling
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C) and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray a 9×13 baking pan with cooking spray.
- Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar mixture into the bottom of the pan.
- Unfold one puff pastry sheet, roll to fil the 9×13 pan, and place on top of the cinnamon sugar in the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan. You may need to trim one long edge to fit into the pan.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or you can do this in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer) beat the cream cheese and sugar together one medium speed until smooth.
- Add in the heavy cream and vanilla extract and beat on low speed until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until fully incorporated.
- Pour batter on top of crescent roll dough. Unfold a second puff pastry, and roll to fit into the pan, and place on top of cheesecake bars. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar topping.
- Bake in the preheated 325°F (163°C) oven, for 40 to 45 minutes, until the edges are set but the middle of the bars are still soft in the center. The bars will continue to firm up as they cool.
- Remove the bars from the oven, and cool at room temperature for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm. Cut into bars.
Notes
- Make In Advance: It is best to consume churro cheesecake the same day you made it. These churro bars have baked puff pastry at the bottom and the top. As it stays in the fridge, the crispy and flaky crust will absorb the moisture from the cream cheese layer making it less flaky.
- Storage: If you have leftovers, you can store churro cheesecake in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Transfer them to an airtight container or wrap them with plastic wrap before placing the fridge. However, don’t expect the crust to be flaky and crispy.
- Freezing: Yes you can freeze, but will lose most of the crispiness when thawed. Wrap each bar in plastic wrap or tinfoil well. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
- Puff pastry substitute: Use crescent roll dough instead of puff pastry. Be sure to press the seams together if using crescent roll dough.
