Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

Thanks for sharing!

Sweet fluffy crescent dough stuffed with cream cheese and topped with cinnamon sugar.  It is really hard to go wrong with something as good as these easy sopapilla cheesecake bars!

These fun bars are an easy Tex-Mex inspired dessert that is perfect for your next fiesta.  They come together quickly, and take just a few ingredients. 

Drizzle them with just a touch of honey to take them to the next level of goodness.  The best part is they are a great make ahead treat and they travel well, so they are perfect for so many occasions.

I am honestly surprised this is my first time sharing this recipe with you guys.  MiMi has been making them for quite a number of years.

I can’t remember the first time she made them, but I had to have still been living at home.  Considering I am creeping closer to 40 every day, you can imagine they have been a hit with my family for quite a few years.

I am honestly not quite sure why they are called sopapilla bars.  They aren’t a whole lot like the sopapillas I had visiting family in Texas during my childhood.

Sopapillas are fried dough that get super puffy.  We always had them for dessert at the Mexican restaurants.

You would break a hole in them and drizzle some honey inside.  Then the sweet sticky goodness was really on!

I suppose the flaky crescent rolls are somewhat reminiscent of them.  And I am not one to complain about a cheesecake filling in almost any circumstance.

So lets not get too picky about the name and how close they are to the real deal.  Instead, lets just agree that these taste amazing.

They also smell amazing when they are baking.  So that is an added bonus.

So bake some up for your Cinco de Mayo celebration, or make them for taco Tuesday.  Heck, they are great after some BBQ, or or a salad.  Goodness, eat one for breakfast if you want… I won’t judge a bit!

Making a double batch:

Usually MiMi makes them in a 9×13″ pan.  There are so many of us, it doesn’t make sense to bake anything smaller.

I made a half batch in a 8″ square pan to share with you.  The three of us have too many sweets around as it is, so we didn’t need a huge pan to ourselves.

Feel free to double the recipe and make a bigger batch.  I wouldn’t blame you at all if you did!

The instructions don’t change much if you do, just bake it for about 30 minutes and you will be good to go.  Then you will have plenty of sweet, creamy, cinnamon-y goodness to share!

Fun Swaps and Changes to Try:

Try using brown sugar instead of granulated sugar in the filling.  It adds great depth of flavor.

If you don’t have an egg for the filling (or if you’re allergic), feel free to leave it out.  It’s great both ways!

You can save a few minutes by not baking the bottom crust for a few minutes first.  It just won’t be as flaky in the final dish.

You can serve them warm or warmish if you’d like.  They will taste amazing that way.  However, they will also be a hot mess to serve.

To get clean pieces, you will want to cool the bars after they are baked and then chill them.  The set centers will make it a lot easier to get a nice looking piece.

A few seconds in the microwave can get you back to that warm and gooey goodness if that is what you want.  Honestly they are great both ways!

For a fruity twist, you could thinly spread or add small dollops of your favorite preserves over the cream cheese mixture before you top it with the crescents.

More Fun Recipe Ideas:

For another fun Cinco de Mayo type recipe, try fried ice cream bars. You get the flavor and texture of the restaurant favorite, without having to fry a thing!

If it’s the cheesecake you like, check out my super easy recipe for sweetened condensed milk cheesecake.  It never cracks and only requires a few ingredients to make!

Thanks for sharing!