Cranberry Cheese Bars
Submitted by mrspike
Three-layer cranberry cheese bars with a buttery oat crumble crust, tangy cream cheese filling, and whole berry cranberry sauce on top. Makes 24 bars for holiday baking trays.
YIELD
24 barsPREP
30 minCOOK
60 minREADY
90 minThese bars are triple-threat baking at its finest: buttery oat crust on the bottom, tangy cheesecake in the middle, ruby-red cranberry sauce on top, all finished with a crumbly golden streusel.
The base is a brown sugar and oat crumble pressed into the pan and pre-baked until just set, giving you a sturdy foundation that stays crisp even under all those layers.
The cream cheese filling gets whipped with sweetened condensed milk and lemon juice until smooth and tangy, then whole berry cranberry sauce goes right on top.
Reserved crumble scattered over everything bakes into a golden, crunchy hat.
Chill them well before cutting for the cleanest slices and the prettiest layers.
Kitchen Tips
- Soften the cream cheese fully before beating; cold cream cheese leaves lumps that won’t smooth out
- Reserve the 1.5 cups of crumble mixture before pressing the rest into the pan. It’s easy to forget this step and press it all in
- These bars need to be chilled thoroughly before cutting. Warm bars will smear and lose their gorgeous layered look
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
In large bowl, combine flour, oats, ¾ cup of sugar, and butter; mix until crumbly.
Reserving 1½ cup of the crumb mixture, press remainder firmly on bottom of greased 9×13” pan.
Bake for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat cheese until fluffy.
Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth; stir in lemon juice.
Spread evenly over prepared crust.
In another small bowl, combine remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and cornstarch; stir in cranberry sauce.
Spoon evenly over cheese layer.
Top with reserved crumb mixture.
Bake 40 min or until golden. Cool. Chill. Store covered in frig.
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