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With an oat-filled crust, tangy cheesecake filling, cherry preserves, and crumb topping, these cherry cheesecake bars are one delicious dessert the whole family will love.
It’s no secret that cheesecake recipes are some of my very favorite recipes to make.Â
Whether it’s making my pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving or my nana’s easy cheesecake for a party, I love it all.Â
These cherry cheesecake bars combine two of my favorite things: cherry cheesecake and bar desserts. They’re perfect for sharing with neighbors, taking to a cookout, or enjoying for a special brunch treat.
Why you’ll love these cherry cheesecake bars
You know I love layered desserts. Cookie dough cheesecake bars, layered pistachio pudding dessert, brownie trifle…I love layers of flavor and texture in my desserts.
And that’s exactly what we’ve got here in these cherry cheesecake bars.
We start with a buttery crust made with oats, which adds a fantastic depth of flavor. Then there’s the cheesecake layer, with a touch of almond extract to make it special.
Cherry preserves get swirled into the cheesecake filling, and then the whole thing gets topped off with more of the crust mixture, which is great. The oats really give it some texture and crunch.
This recipe makes one 8×8-inch pan—9 large servings or 12 small ones. That’s just enough for a family dinner and snack the next day, without days worth of leftovers.
And yeah, technically these cheesecake bars are supposed to be dessert. But honestly, the crumb topping totally makes them acceptable to serve at brunch, too.Â
That’s how it works, right??
How to make my cherry cheesecake bars
Like most crumb bars, these cherry cheesecake bars aren’t too hard to make. You’ll have to prepare the crust and the filling separately, but they come together pretty easily!
Ingredients you’ll need
You’ll make the crust for these bars first. For that, you will need:
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sliced almonds
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup light corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons lightly packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup softened unsalted butter
This recipe uses quick-cooking oats. Rolled oats will also work, but do NOT use instant oats.
I like adding sliced almonds into the crust/crumb mixture. If you are allergic to nuts, feel free to leave these out.
If you don’t want to use corn syrup, honey would work just fine in this recipe.
Make sure your butter is softened before you start mixing the crust. If you forget to set it out ahead of time, check out my post on how to soften butter quickly.
For the cheesecake filling, you will need:
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large room-temperature egg
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- â…” cup cherry preserves
Like the butter for the crust, make sure the cream cheese is softened to make the smoothest filling. Check out my tips for softening cream cheese quickly.
Bonne Maman are my favorite fruit preserves and are what I like to use in this recipe. You could also use homemade cherry jam.
Making these cheesecake bars
Grab your favorite 8×8-inch pan and line it with parchment, then give it a spritz of nonstick spray.
Using a mixer, mix the oats, flour, almonds, cinnamon, corn syrup, brown sugar, and butter until crumbly. Take about 2/3 of the mixture and press it into the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside the remaining crumb mixture.
In a separate bowl with an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg, almond extract, and vanilla until smooth. Pour this mixture over the prepared crust.
Microwave the cherry preserves for 5-10 seconds, just until they’re easy to spoon onto the filling.
Drop spoonfuls of the preserves over the cream cheese mixture, then use a knife or chopstick to swirl the two together.Â
Sprinkle on the rest of the crumb mixture, then bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes, or until the center of the bars is set.
Allow the cherry cheesecake bars to cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Storage and freezingÂ
Store cherry cheesecake bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.Â
If you would like to freeze them, do so in an airtight container for up to a month. Allow the bars to thaw overnight in the fridge before enjoying.Â
Recipe variations
I think it’s pretty hard to beat the combination of cherries, almonds, and cream cheese, but you can use other jam flavors to make these cheesecake bars, too!
Blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, and even peach preserves would all work well. You can leave in or omit the almonds and almond extract with any of these flavors.
You could even make a citrus version! Omit the cinnamon and almond extract, add some lemon zest to the crust, and use lemon curd instead of the preserves.
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Line (1) 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
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In a large bowl with an electric mixer, mix oats, flour, almonds, cinnamon, corn syrup, brown sugar and butter until crumbly. Press about 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Reserve remaining crumb mixture for topping.
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In a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, sugar, egg and extracts until smooth. Pour over crust. Microwave cherry preserves in microwave-safe container on high for 5-10 seconds. Drop spoonfuls of preserves over cream cheese mixture. Use a knife to swirl it through cream cheese. Top with reserved crumb mixture.
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Bake 25-30 minutes or until center is set. Cool on wire rack and cut into bars.
Serving: 1bar, Calories: 350kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 57mg, Sodium: 115mg, Potassium: 109mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 34g, Vitamin A: 635IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 68mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
