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Made with crescent roll dough, these Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars are easy and quick to make. You’ll love the layers of cinnamon sugar and sweet cream cheese.
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Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars are loosely based off of Spanish sopaipillas – round, flat pieces of fried dough. Sopaipillas can be sweet or savory and the toppings vary by region. In Peru, they sprinkle them with cinnamon and sugar. That’s where this recipe comes from. You will love how easy it is to make this delicious dessert! Plus, when I was shopping for the ingredients to make Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars, I found a crescent roll dough that wasn’t perforated. That made it even easier because usually I have to squish the edges together. So, if you find that dough in your grocery store, get that instead of the perforated dough.
Ingredients
- Refrigerated crescent rolls
- Cream cheese – softened
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Butter – melted
For the Cinnamon Sugar:
- Sugar
- Cinnamon
Step by Step Instructions
Here is our step-by-step guide to making Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars.
- First you want to preheat the oven to 350. Then line your un-greased 9×13 pan with the first tube of crescent roll dough. (See how nice that looks when it comes in one piece?)
- Then, in a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
- Spread the cream cheese layer over the first crescent roll layer. Make sure to push it all the way to the edges.
- Then, place the second sheet of crescent roll dough over the cream cheese layer. Again, make sure it goes all the way out to the edges.
- Now for the top – the part that is most like a sopapilla. Melt about ¼ cup butter. Using a pastry brush, spread the butter over the top of the crescent roll dough. You probably won’t use the whole ¼ cup of butter.
- Then mix up your cinnamon sugar and sprinkle it generously over the top. Pat it down into the butter.
- Bake for 30 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, take the pan out of the oven and lightly drizzle some honey over the top (optional).
- Cool to room temperature, slice, and serve!
Frequently Asked Questions
It is said that sopapillas began and took their original form in New Mexico more than 200 years ago. Sopapilla is a modified word of “sopaipa”, a Spanish word that came from the Mozarabic language “xopaipa” which means bread soaked in oil. Sopapillas have, themselves become modified to be a puffy piece of fried dough that is sweetened with a drizzle of honey. They are now very popular in the South and in Tex-Mex cooking.
The main difference is the shape- churros are long and thin, whereas sopapillas are smaller and puffier. They have a similar flavor, both being fried and covered in cinnamon sugar. The churro is my favorite Mexican dessert, actually. A churro cheesecake might be kind of delicious, right?
Read More: 33+ Easy Dessert Ideas
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If you like these Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars, try some of our other favorite dessert bars!
How to Make Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars
Sopapilla Cheesecake
Video
Equipment
- Pastry Brush
- Electric Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- 9 x 13 Glass Pan
Ingredients
- 2 (8 ounce) tubes refrigerated crescent rolls
- 2 (8 ounce) package cream cheese softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Unroll and spread 1 can of crescent rolls on the bottom of an un-greased 9×13 pan.
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Spread mixture over the crescent rolls in the pan.
- Unroll and spread the remaining crescent rolls over the cream cheese mixture.
- In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar. Spread melted butter over the top of the crescent rolls (you probably won't use the whole ¼ cup) and and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Optional: Lightly drizzle with honey.
- Cool to room temperature and serve. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Notes
- If you want to save this sopapilla cheesecake recipe for later, place in an airtight container in the refrigerator, although this delicious confection won’t last in the fridge long.. everyone will be sneaking back for more!
Oh, how these are so good!! We love cinnamon desserts & bars are perfect & so easy to make!
Using the crescent dough, makes these super easy & super delicious!! Nice & gooey!
This is super easy to make and taste so delicious! Loved it!
Easiest Recipe EVER! So delicious too! Making again this summer. I should have made to batches.
My new favorite! Super easy to make and it taste really amazing! I highly recommend this sopapilla cheesecake bars recipe! Will make it again for sure!
Love how easy this recipe is. Can’t wait to try it this weekend.
I will be making these bars again!! Delicious!