Cranberry Crumble Cheesecake Bars combine rich cheesecake, cranberries, and a buttery crumb topping for a delicious dessert!
We covered a lot of cranberry territory last month, with a buckle, a Bundt, and a pie/cheesecake hybrid. I’ve got one more bit of cranberry goodness up my sleeve, though, with these beautiful Cranberry Crumble Cheesecake Bars!
These lovely bars combine a lot of good things into one delicious place. There’s a sweet, buttery, nutty crust that also doubles as a crumb topping. And there’s cheesecake filled with sweet/tart dried cranberries and flavored with a bit of lemon juice. They are, in a word, delectable!
Cranberry season is so brief that it can be tough to get your hands on a fresh batch when you want them. I used dried cranberries for these bars so they can easily be made year-round. I almost always have some dried cranberries in my pantry, and I’m betting a lot of you do, too.
If you prefer to use fresh cranberries, that will work as well. Just substitute the same amount by volume in the filling. You can also swap out the lemon juice for orange juice if you’d like to take advantage of the delicious synergy between cranberries and oranges.
These simple Cranberry Crumble Cheesecake Bars are a lovely addition to your holiday baking, or really for anytime you’re craving some cranberry deliciousness. The sweet and tart flavors complement each other wonderfully. Serve them to your guests, take them to a cookie swap, or mix them in among the other treats on your cookie trays this season.
More Dried Cranberry Recipes
Cranberry Crumble Cheesecake Bars
Cranberries, rich cheesecake, and a nutty crumb topping combine in these layered bars for a lovely treat.
Ingredients
For the crust and crumb topping:
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
- 1 & 1/2 cups (149g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (60g) chopped pecans
For the filling:
- 16 ounces (454g) cream cheese, softened
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice (from 1 medium lemon)
- 1 cup (114g) dried cranberries
Instructions
To make the crust and crumb topping:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9”x 13”x 2” baking pan.
- Place the flour, oats, butter, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times until the mixture is crumbly.
- Remove 1 cup of the mixture and mix with the pecans, forming small clumps with your fingers. Refrigerate until needed.
- Press the remaining crust mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes. Then, set aside to cool slightly.
To make the filling:
- Place the cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat until combined and smooth. Stir in the dried cranberries.
- Pour the filling mixture over partially cooled crust. Spread evenly.
- Scatter the reserved crumb topping over the filling.
- Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until the edges are brown and the filling is set.
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes
Keep refrigerated.
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This recipe was originally developed for Clabber Girl, where I am a paid contributor.
9 Comments on “Cranberry Crumble Cheesecake Bars”
These look so wonderful and festive for the holidays. I love them!
Thank you for your fabulous recipes. I’m looking for an apple crisp recipe that does not have oatmeal in it. My mother made it when I was a kid and we had it at school as well. Hope you can help and have a very Merry Christmas.
Your fan,
Gail
Hi, Gail! I don’t have a crisp recipe specifically for apples. But you could use this Pear and Plum Crisp recipe and substitute apples. I often like to cook apples in a skillet (with the other filling ingredients) for about 6 to 8 minutes before baking them in a crisp, but that’s just my preference.
Definitely will try these – I brought back some wonderful dried cherries from Michigan that I will try with these also.
these sound amazing and perfect for sharing, mom always used Glabber Girl so I followed along now my daughter lives on her own and she bakes w/it too
Yay for more cranberries! I do have a few (bags) left in the fridge, so obviously I need to give these bars a try!
This recipe sounds divine! I love the cranberry and cheesecake combination!
Can you use frozen fresh cranberries?
I think that would be fine.