These creamy Churro Cheesecake Bars are totally irresistible! With a generous dusting of cinnamon sugar on top, this dessert is perfect for churro and cheesecake lovers alike. A fun dessert combines a rich and tangy filling with light, sugar-crusted dough.
Churros Meet Cheesecake in This Epic Treat
These churro cheesecake bars were made to bring people together. They’re part of the long American tradition of cultural fusion, combining a popular Latin American carnival food and an ancient European dessert. Break out these bars to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, or pack them up and enjoy them on a blanket in the grass as you watch the fireworks on the 4th of July.
These bars are easy to make, with only 10 minutes of active time in the kitchen. They’re a great thing to have in your back pocket, and you can throw them together whenever you want a sweet, creamy treat. Put them out after a barbecue, sports practice, or family meal, and leave kids and adults alike clamoring for more.
What You’ll Need
With just 6 simple ingredients, whipping up these churro cheesecake bars is a breeze. Scroll down to find exact amounts for everything in the recipe card.
For the Cheesecake Bars
- Crescent Rolls: I used the storebought tubes.
- Cream Cheese: Let it soften to room temperature before using it.
- Granulated Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Butter: Use unsalted butter and melt it fully before adding it.
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- Granulated Sugar
- Cinnamon
How to Make Churro Cheesecake Bars
Crescent rolls make the perfect no-prep crust for these cheesecake bars, and the filling and the topping are almost as easy. Follow these steps to get great results every time.
- Prep Your Materials: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Coat a 13×9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set it aside.
- Lay Out the Crescent Rolls: Open your crescent roll containers and lay one roll down on the bottom of the baking dish. Make sure you stretch the roll as needed to make it fit in the bottom of the dish.
- Mix It Up: Use an electric or stand mixer to beat the cream cheese, white sugar and vanilla together in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Continue mixing until everything is evenly combined.
- Add the Filling: Spread the cream cheese mixture over the first layer of dough. Unroll the other crescent roll sheet and carefully lay it on top of the cheesecake filling, covering it completely.
- Add Butter: Melt your butter in the microwave for 45 seconds. Pour the melted butter evenly over the top of the second pastry layer.
- Mix the Cinnamon Sugar: Mix your sugar and cinnamon for the coating together in a small bowl until they’re combined. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the top of the crescent roll. The butter should allow it to stick.
- Bake, Cool and Serve: Bake the bars for 30 minutes. When they come out of the oven, set the pan to the side and let it cool completely. Once it’s cooled, you can serve it or store it.
Tips for Success
A light, flaky crust and a creamy cheesecake filling come together to form a dessert everyone will love. Here are some tips to help everything run smoothly.
- Stretch the Dough: Make sure you stretch the dough so it covers the entire bottom of the pan. Keep an eye on it as you prepare the filling. If the dough shrinks again before it gets in the oven, the filling will spill right out of the bottom of the pastry when you serve it.
- Let It Cool: Don’t rush to get this one out on the table. Even if it’s only slightly above room temperature, it might make quite a mess when you cut it.
- Cinnamon-Sugar Ratio: I used a 2:1 cinnamon to sugar ratio for this recipe, but that might be sweeter than you prefer. Try adjusting the balance to find what works best for you and your family.
Topping Ideas
With their buttery cinnamon sugar topping, these churro cheesecake bars are great on their own. Still, you have so many options if you want to step things up.
- Chocolate Sauce: Dark chocolate dipping sauce is the ideal partner for the sugary-sweet churro. It’s just as good drizzled over these cheesecake bars. Just warm half a cup of heavy cream in a saucepan and pour it over 3 1/2 ounces of finely chopped dark chocolate or dark chocolate morsels. Let it sit for 1 minute, then stir until it reaches a smooth consistency.
- Dulce de Leche: A very fitting choice, this traditional Latin American Caramel topping is made with the sugar that condensed milk contains naturally. All you need is a couple of cans of condensed milk and a slow cooker!
- Honey: This one is super low-prep, making it the perfect option if you want a quick addition. Just drizzle refined honey over the bars evenly and you’re good to go!
- Ice Cream: Whip up some of this no-churn homemade Vanilla Ice Cream, or use your go-to ice cream brand. For something really decadent, try topping your bars with a scoop of this Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream instead.
- Fresh Berries: Try chopping up some fresh-picked strawberries for the top of your churro cheesecake bars, or add some sun-ripened blueberries or raspberries. You can also go with the berry’s pitted cousin, the cherry, for a little extra tartness.
Storage Instructions
Since the filling contains cream cheese, make sure you pop these in the fridge if you have any left over. They can stay refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Warm each bar in the microwave for 5-10 seconds before eating it if you’d like.
Can I Freeze These?
Freeze your leftover churro cheesecake bars wrapped in plastic, and wrap a layer of foil around that. Put the wrapped bars in a double-lock freezer bag or a freezer-safe container. If you plan to freeze multiple layers of bars, make sure to put parchment paper between them. Keep them frozen for up to 3 months and let them thaw overnight in the fridge before warming and eating them.
Churro Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
For the Cheesecake Bars
- 2 tubes refrigerated crescent rolls
- 16 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 stick unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Coat a 13×9″ baking dish with cooking baking spray.
- Set aside.
- Open your crescent roll containers.
- Lay one roll of crescent rolls down on the bottom of the baking dish.
- Make sure to stretch the roll as needed to fit the dish.
- Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, beat the cream cheese, white sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until combined.
- Spread the cheesecake mixture over top of the crescent roll.
- Unroll the other crescent roll sheet and carefully lay it over top of the cheesecake filling, covering it completely.
- Melt your butter in a microwave for 45 seconds.
- In a small bowl add your sugar and cinnamon for the coating and stir to combine.
- Pour the melted butter evenly over the top.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- Set to the side to let it cool completely.
Last Step:
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- Oven
Notes
- To Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: Freeze bars wrapped in plastic wrap and a layer of foil. Put wrapped bars in a double-lock freezer bag or a freezer-safe container. For multiple layers, make sure parchment paper is between them. Keep frozen up to 3 months and let thaw in fridge overnight.
- To Reheat: Warm each bar in the microwave for 5-10 seconds before eating.
Nutrition
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More Decadent Dessert Bars to Try
- Oreo Funfetti Cookie Bars
- Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
- Chocolate Oreo Cheesecake Bars
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars
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