Description
Festive, creamy, and indulgent, Christmas Cherry Cheesecake Bars combine a sugar cookie crust, creamy cheesecake filling, tart cherry topping, and a crunchy almond crumb. Perfect for holiday gatherings!
Ingredients
Scale
- 8.5 ounces sugar cookie mix
- 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 can cherry pie filling
- 1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square pan with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Mix sugar cookie mix and cold butter until crumbly. Reserve 3/4 cup of the mixture for the topping.
- Press the remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes until slightly underdone.
- In a bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla, and egg until smooth.
- Spread the cheesecake filling evenly over the pre-baked crust.
- Spoon cherry pie filling over the cheesecake layer.
- Mix the reserved crumbs with toasted almonds and sprinkle evenly over the cherries.
- Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown.
- Cool for 30 minutes at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
- Slice into bars and serve.
Notes
- You can substitute cherry pie filling with other flavors like blueberry, raspberry, or peach.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Toasting the almonds enhances their flavor and adds a nutty aroma.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bar
- Calories: ~290
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 110mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 45mg