Cranberry Cheesecake Bars

cranberry cheesecake bar on a plate with a fork

5 from 2 votes

These cranberry cheesecake bars have a graham cracker crust, creamy vanilla cheesecake filling with a fresh cranberry sauce swirled throughout, and a crumble topping. These bars are an easy dessert for your holiday table and can be made the day before!

Prep Time50

Cook Time1

Total Time4

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 285kcal

Author: Heather Perine

Ingredients

For the cranberry sauce:

¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (180 ml) water
3 cups cranberries fresh or frozen cranberries
Zest of 1 orange

For the crumble:

½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (107 g) packed light brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter melted, cooled slightly

For the crust:

1 ½ cups (180 g) graham cracker crumbs, about 12 crackers
¼ cup (53 g) packed light brown sugar
5 tablespoons (71 g) unsalted butter melted

For the vanilla cheesecake layer:

16 ounces (2 packages, 454 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (57 g) sour cream
3 large eggs room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the cranberry sauce:

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, water, and cranberries. ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar ¾ cup (180 ml) water 3 cups cranberries Zest of 1 orange
Cook over medium high heat and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes until the cranberries have burst and sauce has broken down and thickened.
Remove from the heat and stir in orange zest. Set aside to cool. I like to place mine in the fridge to cool down faster.

Make crumble topping.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. ½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour ½ cup (107 g) packed light brown sugar ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon salt
Stir in melted butter until a crumbly mixture forms. Set aside. 4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter

Make crust:

Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Line a 9x9-inch square baking pan with tin foil or parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter until a crumbly mixture forms. 1 ½ cups (180 g) graham cracker crumbs, 5 tablespoons (71 g) unsalted butter
Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the prepared pan.
Bake the graham cracker crust for 8 to 10 minutes, until set. Remove from the oven cool while you prepare the lemon cheesecake filling. Lower the oven temperature to 325°F (160℃).
Bake for 10 minutes then set aside to cool. Decrease oven temperature to 325℉ (160℃).

Make cheesecake batter:

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. 16 ounces (2 packages, 454 g) cream cheese, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
Add in the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla extract, and beat on low speed until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. ¼ cup (57 g) sour cream 3 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pour the filling on top of the crust. Dollop the cranberry sauce on top of the filling. Swirl the cranberry sauce throughout the cheesecake batter with the tip of a knife. Sprinkle on the crumble topping.
Bake in the preheated 325℉ (160℃) oven, for 40-50 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 and serve.

Notes

Storage: You want to store these cheesecake bars in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 4 days. For longer storage, I recommend freezing them.
Freezing: You can freeze for up to 3 months. I like to wrap any bars in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store in plastic bag. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving. I did find that the crust and topping will soften slightly.
Pan Size: I made these in a 9x9 pan as it makes quite a bit of batter. I do not recommend an 8x8 pan. If that's all you have I would recommend not filling up the pan as much and placing a sheet pan underneath in case it overflows.
Graham crackers - If you can't find graham crackers, you can use digestive biscuits or Nilla wafers.
Brown sugar - I used light brown sugar for the graham cracker crust but granulated sugar or dark brown sugar will also work
Cream cheese - Make sure your cream cheese is softened so it blends up smoothly. And use full-fat cream cheese in the blocks for best texture.
Sour cream - I used full-fat sour cream but a plain full fat Greek yogurt will also work.

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