Snickerdoodle cheesecake bars

A perfect mashup of snickerdoodle cookies and a luscious cheesecake – all in a bar form! No water bath required!

snickerdoodle cheesecake bars

Ah, the holidays are just around the corner, which means it’s cheesecake season in the Eva Bakes kitchen. I usually bake a few cheesecakes for my husband’s family and sometimes make one for ourselves or my extended family. While I love cheesecakes, they do take a while to make.

These snickerdoodle cheesecake bars have all the flavor of a traditional cheesecake but without the fuss of having to make a crust or worrying about your cheesecake cracking (hooray for no water bath!). Plus, these bars have a wonderful cinnamon flavor and aroma that will make your kitchen smell like the holidays.

snickerdoodle cheesecake bars

I made these for an outdoor neighbor block party last month and was sad that they didn’t get gobbled up. However, I failed to label them and it was getting dark by the time people ate. I did give some to my skating friends and they loved them. My family did too, so there’s that.

snickerdoodle cheesecake bars

I was shocked when my husband rated these a perfect 5 out of 5. He said that he was thinking about what could have been done to improve them, and he could not think of a single thing. I think I would have upped the cinnamon flavor a bit and used a coarser sugar for the topping to add a textural contrast. Otherwise, I liked these bars a lot.

Husband’s rating: 5 out of 5 (a rare perfect score!)
Addie’s rating: 3.5 out of 5
My rating: 4.5 out of 5

Snickerdoodle cheesecake bars

These snickerdoodle cheesecake bars are a perfect mashup between a sweet, cinnamon cookie and a luscious cheesecake.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Chilling time1 hour
Total Time2 hours 5 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Bars, Cheesecake
Servings: 24
Author: Eva Bakes

Ingredients

Cheesecake layer

  • 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese softened
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Snickerdoodle cookie layer

  • 2 and ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 and ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¾ cup (1 and ½ sticks) unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar packed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cinnamon sugar topping

  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Cheesecake layer

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F. Generously grease or line a standard 9”x13” pan and set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the eggs, and vanilla and mix until well combined. Set aside (if you only own one stand mixer bowl like I do, you will want to transfer this batter into a separate large bowl since you will use the stand mixer bowl again in the next step).

Make the snickerdoodle layer

  • In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and ground cinnamon. Set aside.
  • In a clean bowl of a stand mixer or in a separate large bowl if using a handheld mixer, cream the butter and sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
  • Turn the mixer to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients. Mix until everything just comes together.
  • Transfer about ⅔ of the cookie dough to your prepared baking pan. Use a spatula to smooth out the top.
  • Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the cookie layer. Add the remaining cookie dough on top of the cheesecake layer. I used my hands to break it up into smaller chunks and sprinkling it over the batter.

Make the cinnamon sugar

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon and the sugar. Sprinkle this on top of the cookie layer.
  • Bake in your preheated oven for 35-40 minutes. The edges should be set and the center might look underdone and jiggle if you shake it.
  • Allow the bars to cool before transferring to your refrigerator to cool completely, at least 1 hour.
  • Slice and serve.

Notes

Leftover bars should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and will keep several days. 
Source: Leigh Anne Wilkes

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