Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
Inside: Want an easy-to-make dessert where a churro meets cheesecake? These easy sopapilla cheesecake bars with their flaky crust, creamy cheesecake filling, and cinnamon sugar topping are the perfect sweet treat for Taco Tuesday!
This Sopapilla Cheesecake dessert recipe is a delicious combination of the flavors of sopapillas, churros, and cheesecake all in one!
A sweet cream cheese filling sandwiched between layers of buttery cinnamon sugar crust makes this dessert irresistible and perfect for Cinco de Mayo, or any party or potluck.
What is a Sopapilla?
Just in case you’re not familiar with the regular sopapilla, this New Mexico specialty is the southwest’s version of a fried dough dessert. The sopapilla is made and served in a variety of ways in Latin culture, and are actually not all sweet.
I’m most familiar with the Tex-Mex sopapilla which is always a fried pastry dessert flavored with cinnamon with a drizzle of honey, very similar to a churro. This easy Sopapilla Cheesecake Bar recipe is based on this sweet pastry version with a coating of butter, cinnamon, and sugar.
As yummy as that is on its own, imagine it stuffed with cheesecake!
I’ve served these at several events and guests always rave about them. Only requiring a few easy ingredients and less than an hour, they are a go-to whenever I want a dessert for a Mexican-themed party.
Ingredients for Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars.
- Refrigerated crescent rolls
- Cream cheese
- Vanilla
- Egg
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Ground cinnamon
See the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements and directions.
How to make Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars.
- Make the Filling: In a large bowl, beat together room temperature cream cheese, one cup of the sugar, egg, and vanilla until combined and creamy.
- Bottom Crust: Roll out one of the cans of crescent rolls into a 9×13 baking dish.
- Spread the Filling: Spread the filling over the bottom crust.
- Top Crust: Roll the second crescent roll sheet over the cheesecake filling layer.
- Butter: Melt the butter and spread over the top crust.
- Cinnamon and Sugar: Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar over the melted butter and the entire top of the bars.
- Bake: Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown.
- Cool and slice: Let cool completely (at least an hour or chill overnight) before slicing and serving.
How to Serve Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars.
Sopapilla cheesecake bars can be served warm, cold, or at room temperature. When fresh, the top crust is crunchy and really complements the creamy cheesecake center!
SH&H Tip: For easy, clean cuts, chill the bars first. You can rewarm them easily by popping them in the microwave for a few seconds.
This dessert is already quite sweet, but if you want to take it up a notch and serve them just like a sopapilla, drizzle them with honey—yuuummmmm!
Other topping ideas:
- Ice cream
- Caramel sauce
- Raspberry sauce
- Apple filling
FAQs about Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars.
These sopapilla bars were a hit at my Mexican/Hawaiian/Summer mashup Margaritaville themed party! You can see all of the fun food and decorations here.
Printable Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars Recipe:
Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
- Two 8-ounce cans of crescent rolls
- Two 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Beat the cream cheese, vanilla, egg and 1 cup of the sugar with an electric hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature first.
- Unroll one can of crescent roll dough and lay it in the bottom of a 9" x 13" glass baking dish. Use your fingers to press the dough evenly into the bottom of the dish. Pinch the perforations to seal if they are pulled apart.
- Spread the cream cheese mixture over the first layer of dough with a rubber spatula.
- Unroll a couple of inches of the second can of dough and lay it on top of the cream cheese layer starting the unrolled portion at the end. Unroll the dough to cover the cream cheese and again use your fingers to pinch the perforations and smooth gaps. No need to make the seams totally disapperar; the baked dough and cinnamon and sugar will somewhat cover the perforations.
- Melt the butter and pour on top of the dough. Use a rubber spatula, pasty brush, or spoon to spread it out evenly.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup sugar over the top of the dough and then the cinnamon until evenly covered.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until the dough is baked through and the cinnamon and sugar have gotten slightly crusty.
- Cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting. The bars can also be cooled completely, or even refrigerated before cutting and serving.
For your next Cinco de Mayo meal, Mexican themed party, or just any get together, try out this easy recipe—you’re sure to get raves for this delicious dessert!
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Kate, I have to try your recipe for the cheese cake bars! They look so delicious! Thanks!