Description
Delight your family and friends this holiday season with these delicious Christmas Cherry Cheesecake Bars. Featuring a buttery sugar cookie crust, creamy cheesecake filling, and a vibrant cherry topping, these bars are perfect for any festive gathering.
Ingredients
- Sugar Cookie Mix: 8.5 ounces
- Cold Unsalted Butter: 4 tablespoons
- Softened Cream Cheese: 8 ounces
- Granulated Sugar: ¼ cup
- All-Purpose Flour: 1 tablespoon
- Vanilla Extract: ½ teaspoon
- Egg: 1 large
- Cherry Pie Filling: ½ can
- Toasted Sliced Almonds: ⅓ cup
Instructions
- Prepare Baking Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8×8-inch or 9×13-inch baking pan with foil and coat it with non-stick spray.
- Make the Crust: In a large bowl, combine the sugar cookie mix and cold butter. Use a pastry blender to mix until it forms a crumbly texture. Set aside about ¾ cup of this mixture. Press the rest into the bottom of the pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then let it cool. The crust will still look slightly underdone.
- Prepare Cheesecake Layer: While the crust cools, mix the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, flour, vanilla extract, and egg in a separate bowl until smooth and creamy.
- Assemble Layers: Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the cooled crust. Spoon the cherry pie filling over the cream cheese layer, ensuring an even layer.
- Add Topping: In a small bowl, mix the reserved crumbly cookie mixture with the toasted almonds. Sprinkle this evenly over the cherry layer.
- Final Bake: Return the pan to the oven and bake for 40 minutes if using an 8×8 pan or 45 minutes if using a 9×13 pan, until the top turns light golden brown.
- Cool and Store: Allow the bars to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then chill in the refrigerator for a few hours. Store the bars in the refrigerator, covered
Notes
- For a gluten-free version, use a gluten-free sugar cookie mix.
- These bars can be made a day in advance and stored in the refrigerator for the best flavor and texture.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: 210
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 26g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 30mg