The cinnamon-sugar topping on Cinnamon Cream Cheese Bars reminds me of an elephant ear or churros. This dessert bar recipe is much easier to make at home with crescent roll dough and has a layer of cream cheese for extra goodness!
Cream Cheese Bars
Imagine a crescent roll crust with a perfect combination of cinnamon and sugar then filled with a rich cream cheese mixture. Whether you’re imagining or eating these cream cheese bars this is a dessert recipe that leaves you and your guests wanting more!
Growing up in a dairy farming family we love the rich flavors of dairy products. Being human we love how sprinkling a cinnamon sugar evenly over melted butter and crescent dough really makes the magic happen in this recipe. Pop this combination in the oven to make a unique dessert is a hit at every get-together.
Also called Sopapilla Cheesecake, Cinnamon Cheesecake, Cheesecake Bars, Cream Cheese Squares and Mexican Cheesecake this is one of those recipes that is perfect for a potluck or holiday meal. It is easy to make, it will be different from the other desserts and people will devour it!
Some other unique yet crave-worthy recipes we have for potlucks are No-Bake Pineapple Pretzel Salad, Almond Bark Specials, 5 Ingredient Chocolate & Peanut Butter Bars, Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats and Gooey Marshmallow Brownies.
We’ve had some debate about whether these cream cheese bars are more of a dessert sandwich or bar cookie. Whatever you call it I bet you love the taste. They’re so good we recently made a chocolate version called Chocolate Cream Cheese Crescent Bars.
Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Bars
Semi-homemade recipes are some of our favorites! We don’t mind spending a little time in the kitchen, but we don’t want to spend days in the kitchen.
This cream cheese dessert with a taste of cinnamon and sugar is very convenient to make with refrigerated crescent dough. Crescent rolls work well or the sheets of crescent dough work great too! The sheets fit very well in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
Our Honey Bun Cake is similar in that it has a homemade taste, but allows taking some short cuts by using easier ingredients. Both these crescent roll cream cheese bars and the box mix cake make a great dessert or a really rich addition to the brunch table.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Bars Recipe
- Spread one package of crescent roll dough in an ungreased 9 x 13 pan.
- Beat filling ingredients – cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Spread mixture over rolls.
- Spread second package of crescent rolls across top of the cream cheese mixture.
- Melt butter and spread evenly over the top.
- Mix cinnamon and 1/4 cup of sugar and sprinkle over top.
- Bake at 350° for 25 – 30 minutes until lightly browned.
- Cool completely before cutting. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Tips for Making Cream Cheese Dessert Bars
- Let cream cheese soften so it’s easier to mix and spread
- Sheets of crescent dough
- When pouring butter over the top be sure it’s spread evenly, we use a basting brush to spread the melted butter around
- Ensure there are no pools of butter, keep spreading it out if butter puddles exist – this will make a more uniform looking top crust
- Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture with your fingers evenly across the melted butter
- Store extras in the refrigerator
How to Make Cinnamon Sugar Cream Cheese Bars
Begin by unrolling one package of crescent roll dough in the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan.
In a mixing bowl beat softened cream cheese, then mix in sugar and vanilla.
Next spread cream cheese layer over crescent roll dough.
Unroll second package of crescent roll dough over cream cheese filling.
Pour melted butter as evenly over top as possible. Use a pastry brush to help spread around if necessary.
Mix together cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle evenly over top. Use pastry brush to help mix butter and sugar mixture if necessary.
Bake in a 350°F for 25 – 30 minutes. I usually check to see how the dessert is baking about 20 minutes. When the top is evenly and lightly browned the cream cheese bars are done.
Allow to cool just a bit so the cream cheese can set up. When the dish cools more a clean cut can be made. Warm bars will be soft and will not cut as cleanly, but they all taste delicious!
Other Easy Dessert Recipes:
- Mini Cheesecake Dessert Bars
- Fudge Meltaway Cookies
- Chocolate Delight
- Candy Land Dessert
- Cinnamon Applesauce Cake
- The Best Rich & Moist Chocolate Cake
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Printable Cinnamon Cream Cheese Bars Recipe
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Bars
Ingredients
- 2 packages crescent rolls
Filling
- 2 – 8 ounce packages of cream cheese
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping
- 1 stick butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread one package of crescent roll dough across an ungreased 9 x 13 pan.
- Beat two packages of cream cheese with one cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Spread mixture over rolls.
- Spread out second package of crescent rolls and lay on top of the cream cheese mixture.
- Melt butter and spread evenly over the top.
- Mix cinnamon and 1/4 cup of sugar and sprinkle over top.
- Bake at 350° for 25 – 30 minutes until lightly browned.
- Cool completely before cutting. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Store extras in the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
- Let cream cheese soften so it’s easier to mix and spread
- Sheets of crescent dough
- When pouring butter over the top be sure it’s spread evenly, we use a basting brush to spread the melted butter around
- Ensure there are no pools of butter, keep spreading it out if butter puddles exist – this will make a more uniform looking top crust
- Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture with your fingers evenly across the melted butter
- Store extras in the refrigerator
Equipment
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Nutrition
Shared Weekend Potluck and Meal Plan Monday
I put some drain pineapple in the mix tooI
That sounds great! I want to try making a lemon flavored version too!
Sopapilla cheesecake! This is a church social favorite and so easy to make.
Where do you find the printed recipe?
Thanks for asking! At the bottom of the page is a printable recipe. I hope you love this recipe!
I’m going to try this with Splenda and coconut!
That variation sounds delicious! I hope it turns out great for you!
I used monk Fruit sweetener and light cream cheese. The taste was as good as the original.
can I freeze them?
Great question! We haven’t tested freezing them yet, but I love the idea. I’m also curious how the baked crescent dough would hold up in the freezing and thawing process. Please let me know if you test this and I’ll let you know when we test freezing! Thanks!
Mmmm! Such a yummy and easy treat. They’re perfect for Cinco de Mayo.
Thanks so much! We enjoy them all year around!
These look amazing! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thanks so much! We hope you enjoy the recipe as much as we do!
This is a great recipe try making a chocolate version soon
Thanks so much! I’ve added trying out a chocolate version to my list. Great idea!
So bummed. Baked for additional 20 min but my top layer of dough still is not cooked in the middle. 🙁
So sorry to hear this! We love making these and haven’t had this trouble. Thanks for giving the recipe a try.
I didn’t have Crescent rolls so used Biscuits and flattened then and covered it just like it said. Oh my gosh! I may make this once a week. It was so easy and so good!
So glad to hear this! Great idea to make due when grocery supplies are limited. Thanks so much for trying the recipe and sharing this great report!
Love love love this recipe. It was easy and delish.
Does refrigerating affect the crispness of the crescents? I’ve made these before and loved them, but due to time constraints, had to cut them before completely cool (which as you know is really messy).
I was thinking about making them the night before and refrigerating overnight, and then cutting before serving,but I worry a bit about the change in texture.
Hey There! I haven’t tested this, but I have friends who have and they told me it worked really well. Hope you love this recipe as much as we do!
So Yummy! I halved the recipe and used an 8×8 glass pan. It turned out wonderfully. This will be my contribution to the next teacher potluck lunch. Thanks so much for the recipe.
So glad to hear this! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Would light cream cheese work as well?
Hey There! I haven’t tested light cream cheese yet, but I think it should work okay. Will you please let me know if you give it a try? Thanks!
I used light cream cheese and it turned out wonderfully.
This looks delicious, thank you for sharing!
Made these for my husband and teen sons. Super easy and delicious! Will definitely make again. I started watching them after 20 min to make sure not to burn or over bake. I ended up pulling them around 28 min.
Easy to make. Recipe was good but both me and my husband thought it needed one more note of flavor.
I don’t know if this is a dumb question or not, Im no good in the kitchen lol but the butter is that salted butter or unsalted?
Good question! Unsalted is best, but I’ve used both kinds and I don’t think it makes a big difference. Hope you love the recipe as much as we do!
How long will these last in the refrigerator?
They taste best eaten in the first 2 to 3 days.
Had a great time making these with my 4 year old grandson today! They were so fun, easy, and delicious!
I’ve made this several times but today was my first using the crescent sheet as opposed to the rolls. There seems to be a lot of butter left puddled at the top and the top crust is inconsistent in doneness as a result. I will go back to using the rolls with the slits or else slit the sheet if that’s all I have.
On another note, I love to replace the vanilla with whiskey. Revel Stoke Pecan Whiskey is AMAZING 🙂
Easy making and great taste
I made this and brought it to our family Christmas dinner. It was a huge hit. I had so many people ask me for the recipe and that never happens to me! I’ve been asked to bring it to every family dinner in the future and I’m thrilled. It’s so simple and tasty!
Do you ever put fruit or chocolate on top when serving?
Oh I love that idea! I haven’t tried it yet, but sounds like a great idea for Valentine’s Day 🙂
I just made these today and I forgot to take a pic but let me tell you…it is amazing♥️♥️
Can this recipe be cut in half? There is only me and my husband and I’m afraid it might get soggy before we could eat all of it. I’m dying to try it because it looks delicious!!!
Yes! Great question! Just use an 8×8 or 9×9 pan and one sheet of crescent dough along with half of the other ingredients. Hope you enjoy it 🙂
Can these be made a day ahead of time? Does the roll part get soggy in the refrigerator? Thanks,
Hey There! Yes, they can be made a day ahead and served cold. I would recommend serving within 24 hours for best results. Hope you enjoy!
Hi
I made it recently mixing Nutella with the cream cheese, it went down a bomb. I’ve got another cooking now and mixed drained tinned strawberries, hope it turns out a winner too.
Shelagh, Scotland
Love these variations! Thanks so much for sharing!
Excellent! I’m serving these for a Cinco de Mayo party, and I made a trial run to make sure I loved them. I do!!! The only thing I’ll do differently next time is to make a little more cinnamon sugar for the top and add some finely chopped pecans to the topping. I can’t wait for my guests to try them!
After refrigerating due to making them ahead of time, can I reheat them or do they need to be room temp ? Will the crust be soggy
Hey There! I’ve heard from many people who love these warm and many who love them chilled or at room temperature. They store well for one day, but after a few days the moisture can cause a little sogginess. Hope you love the recipe as much as we do!
These things are amazing! Highly addictive! So easy to make and just so tasty!! Thanks Pam for the share. (And the introduction to these amazing delights!)
Can i make them and store uncooked till I want to bake serve? Can i store it 5 days in the fridge uncooked?
Hmm…good question. I haven’t tested this method, but I do wonder if the melted butter and all of the moisture would affect the dough for that period of time?
Also can i use homemadr crescent dough instead of store bought? Are there any big differences between homemade crescent dough or canned? Im making some crescents for a family get together and thought i’d make a dessert too.
Hello! Great question! I’ve never used homemade crescent dough, I’ve always taken the shortcut, so if you give this a try please let me know. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!
So I made my own dough & it was excellent! I also stored it pre cooked overnight & it cooked great!
Crescent Roll Recipe
https://inquiringchef.com/1-hour-light-buttery-crescent-rolls/
Has anyone tried these warm? I make the Crescent Cheesecake Roll-Ups all the time and we like those better warm. The ingredients are basically identical. The biggest difference is the oven and stove top. I was wondering if anyone has had these warm and if so did you like them that way ?
One of the magical things about this recipe is that they seriously taste so good warm, room temp and chilled! Hope you love them as much as we do 🙂
Easy and delicious!!!
Been making this for years but I use one cream cheese and than a layer canned sliced peaches before adding top…so awesome .
Delicious, easy, can’t ask for more than that.
Excellent and delicious. Everyone loved it except we had one that doesn’t like cinnamon. Has anyone tried a variation that doesn’t use cinnamon?