Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars
These snickerdoodle cheesecake bars are a dreamy dessert made with a snickerdoodle shortbread crust, creamy cheesecake filling, and topped with a crunchy brown sugar cinnamon streusel; these bars are a little slice of heaven!
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They’re a perfect make-ahead dessert when you’re wanting a little something fancier than cookies or cupcakes to bring to a party or get together.
The first time I made these I was blown away at the combination of textures and flavors. The butter and brown sugar in the crust caramelized around the edges. That along with the cinnamon on top and cheesecake almost tasted like a cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting, but in cheesecake form. What’s not to love about that?!
This recipe is easy to make but it has a few steps to make each layer; don’t worry, I’ll walk you through the whole thing with step by step photos!
We begin with an easy shortbread crust, and bake it until set. Then we make a simple cheesecake filling, and top it with a quick streusel. Once baked, they’ll need to cool for an hour at room temp and then chill a few hours (up to overnight) in the fridge. The waiting is the hardest part!
Let’s bake!
Ingredients for Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars
I know this looks like a lot, but they’re all basic pantry ingredients.
To make the snickerdoodle crust:
- salted butter, 1/2 cup
- brown sugar, 1/3 cup
- granulated sugar, 1 tbsp
- vanilla, 1/2 tsp
- cream of tartar, 1/2 tsp
- cinnamon, 1/2 tsp
- salt, 1/4 tsp
- all purpose flour, 1 1/4 cup
For the cheesecake filling:
- cream cheese, 1 block (8 oz.), room temp
- egg, 1, room temp
- granulated sugar, 1/4 cup
- vanilla, 1 tsp
- salt, 1/8 tsp
For the streusel topping:
- salted butter, 1.5 tablespoons
- all purpose flour, 1/4 cup
- brown sugar, 1/4 cup
- cinnamon, 1/4 tsp
- salt, 1/8 tsp
Tools you may need
Grab a metal 8×8 pan, parchment paper, a medium & small mixing bowl, and a hand mixer and spatula
To make the shortbread crust:
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
In a microwave safe bowl, heat 1/2 cup butter for 30 to 45 seconds until mostly melted. Add 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp white sugar, 1/2 tsp each cinnamon, cream of tartar, and vanilla, and 1/4 tsp salt and whisk together. Then add 1 and 1/4 cups of all purpose flour and mix together with a spatula until no white streaks remain. The batter will be thick and clumpy.
Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper and press the shortbread dough in an even layer. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the crust is golden and beginning to brown at the edges. Place on a wire rack to cool for a few minutes while you make the filling & topping.
For the cheesecake filling:
In a medium mixing bowl, beat 1 (8 ounce) block of softened cream cheese with the 1/4 cup sugar until smooth. (You’ll want to make sure the cream cheese is room temp and soft, you may need to microwave it for a few seconds if it’s still cool). Add the egg, 1 tsp vanilla, and 1/8 tsp salt. Whip together until well mixed and smooth. Pour over the crust and spread evenly.
To make the topping:
Melt 1.5 tbsp butter. Add in 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon and a pinch of salt (about 1/8th tsp). Mix together until it looks like course sand.
Sprinkle the topping over the filling and bake for 25-30 minutes. The cheesecake layer should look set, and barely have a jiggle in the center. Place on a wire rack to cool for one hour, then in the fridge to chill for 2-3 hours, up to overnight.
Once the bars have chilled completely (feel the bottom and sides of the pan to see if they feel cold), remove from the pan and use a sharp knife to cut even squares. If you’ve chilled them for only a few hours, they will still taste fantastic but the cheesecake layer won’t quite be as firm or have the same texture as you might expect cheesecake to be. An overnight chill will give you a firmer texture if it feels a little soft.
Any Tips to help me with this?
- Make sure your cream cheese is very soft before mixing. If it’s still quite cool, the mixture will be clumpy instead of smooth. I often microwave my cream cheese for about 15-20 seconds just to make sure it’s soft enough to whip.
- Don’t skip the pinch of salt in the filling and topping! The salt balances the sweet flavors.
Ideas for Variations:
Want more of a cheesecake layer? The filling can be doubled, as can the topping layer. You’ll need to bake for an extra ten minutes if making a double layer of filling.
Questions?
Can this be made ahead?
Absolutely! Cheesecake bars are a great recipe to make a day ahead of time to ensure the filling gets plenty of time to chill and set into an ideal texture. They keep well in the fridge for several days stored in an airtight container.
Can you freeze this recipe?
Yes, these bars can be frozen and thawed in the fridge when ready to serve.
More recipes you’ll love…
Apple Brownies (Blondies)
Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars
Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Snickerdoodle Shortbread Crust
- 1/2 cup (112 g) salted butter
- 1/3 cup (64 g) brown sugar
- 1 tbsp (13 g) sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cup (171 g) all purpose flour
Cheesecake Filling
- 1 block (8 ounces) softened cream cheese
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1/8 tsp salt
Streusel Topping
- 1.5 tbsp salted butter
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup (51 g) brown sugar
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line an 8×8 pan with parchment paper or spray it with nonstick baking spray. I prefer parchment so you can lift the bars easily once they're finished.
Make the crust
- Heat the butter in a microwave for 30 to 45 seconds, until everything is soft and mostly melted. Add the sugars, cinnamon, cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla. Whisk together until well blended.1/2 cup (112 g) salted butter, 1/3 cup (64 g) brown sugar, 1 tbsp (13 g) sugar, ½ tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp cream of tartar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt
- Add the flour and stir until no white streaks remain. You'll have a thick, clumpy dough. Press evenly into the bottom of the pan and bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the crust is golden and beginning to brown at the edges.1 ¼ cup (171 g) all purpose flour
- Cool on a wire rack while making the filling and the topping.
Make the filling
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat the softened cream cheese and sugar together until smooth. Add the egg, vanilla, and salt and beat on low until everything is mixed and smooth. Pour over the crust and spread evenly.1 block (8 ounces) softened cream cheese, ¼ cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 egg, 1/8 tsp salt
Make the topping
- In a small mixing bowl, melt the butter. Then add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir together until the mixture looks like course sand. Sprinkle in an even layer across the top of the filling. Don't press it in.1.5 tbsp salted butter, ¼ cup all purpose flour, ¼ cup (51 g) brown sugar, ¼ tsp cinnamon, ⅛ tsp salt
- Bake the bars for 25 to 30 minutes, just until the topping looks golden brown and there is only a slight jiggle in the center of the cheesecake. Cool on a wire rack for 1-2 hours at room temp, then 2-3 hours in the fridge.
- Once the bars have cooled completely (feel the bottom of the pan to see if it's chilled through), use the parchment paper to lift the bars out of the pan and cut into squares.
Notes
I’d love to hear from you!
If you try this recipe and love it, I’d love for you to leave a comment (and a star rating!) and let me know how it went. Happy Baking!
