Churro Cheesecake Bars with Cinnamon Sugar Crust

Last weekend, my kitchen smelled like a fancy bakery. The sweet cinnamon smell filled every room in my house. My kids kept peeking into the kitchen asking, “Is it ready yet?” about a hundred times. What caused all this excitement? My churro cheesecake bars!

Table of Contents

I first tried these bars at my friend Maria’s house. She brought them to our book club meeting, and everyone went nuts over them. We all forgot about the book we were supposed to talk about! I begged her for the recipe, and after tweaking it a bit, I think my version might be even better (sorry, Maria!).

Churro Cheesecake Bars – Quick Facts
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 45 minutes
Cooling Time: 3 hours (I know, the waiting is the hardest part!)
Makes: 16 bars
Difficulty: Medium (but worth every bit of effort)
Best Served: Slightly chilled with a drizzle of honey or caramel

Why These Bars Will Rock Your World

Have you ever had a real churro? Those crispy, fried dough sticks covered in cinnamon sugar that make your fingers all sticky but you don’t care because they’re so good? Now imagine that taste wrapped around a creamy, rich cheesecake. That’s what these bars are all about!

The bottom and top layers taste just like churros, but they’re baked, not fried. The middle is a smooth, vanilla cheesecake that melts in your mouth. And the whole thing is topped with more cinnamon sugar that gets a little crunchy in the oven. It’s like the best of two desserts smooshed together!

My neighbor Tom, who swears he doesn’t like cheesecake (weird, right?), ate three of these bars in one sitting. Then he asked if I could make them for his birthday next month. That’s how good they are!

What You’ll Need to Make the Magic Happen

For the Churro Crust and Topping

2 tubes of crescent roll dough (the kind that comes in those pop-open cans)
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon (yes, tablespoons!)
1/2 cup butter, melted

For the Cheesecake Filling

2 blocks (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract (the real stuff makes a difference!)
1 egg

Let’s Get Baking!

Step 1: Get Everything Ready

First things first – turn your oven on to 350°F. While it’s heating up, grab a 9×13 inch baking pan and spray it with cooking spray or rub it with butter.

Take the cream cheese out of the fridge about an hour before you start baking. Trust me on this one – cold cream cheese makes lumpy cheesecake, and nobody wants that!

Step 2: Make the Cinnamon Sugar Mix

In a small bowl, mix the cup of sugar and the cinnamon together. It should look like brown sand when you’re done. Try not to sneeze while doing this – I learned that the hard way and had cinnamon all over my kitchen!

Step 3: Prepare the Bottom Crust

Open one tube of crescent roll dough. Instead of tearing it into triangles like you would for regular crescents, keep it as one big rectangle. Press it into the bottom of your baking pan. Stretch it a bit to cover the whole bottom.

Brush half of the melted butter onto the dough. Be generous! Then sprinkle about 1/3 of your cinnamon sugar mix over the butter. Pat it down gently with your hands.

Step 4: Make the Cheesecake Filling

In a big bowl, beat the cream cheese until it’s fluffy and smooth. Add the cup of sugar and keep mixing. Then add the vanilla and the egg, and mix until everything is combined and looks creamy.

Pour this mixture over the crust in the pan. Spread it evenly with a spatula. If some of the cinnamon sugar from the crust mixes in, that’s totally fine – it just adds to the flavor!

Step 5: Add the Top Crust

Open the second tube of crescent roll dough and place it on top of the cheesecake layer. Again, keep it as one big rectangle. This part can be a bit tricky because the dough is thin. If it tears, don’t worry! Just patch it together with your fingers.

Brush the rest of the melted butter on top of this layer. Then sprinkle most of the remaining cinnamon sugar all over it. Save a little bit for later!

Step 6: Bake to Perfection

Put the pan in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Then check on it – the top should be getting golden brown. If it needs more time, give it another 10-15 minutes.

When it’s done, the top will be crispy and golden, and if you gently shake the pan, the middle should not be jiggly anymore.

Step 7: The Hardest Part – Waiting!

Take the pan out of the oven and sprinkle the last bit of cinnamon sugar on top while it’s still hot.

Now comes the really hard part – you have to let it cool completely! I know, I know, it smells amazing and you want to dig in right away. But trust me, if you cut it while it’s hot, it will be a gooey mess. Let it cool on the counter for an hour, then put it in the fridge for at least 2 more hours.

The Day My Churro Bars Saved the Bake Sale

Last spring, I signed up to bring something to my son’s school bake sale. I completely forgot about it until the night before! In a panic, I checked my pantry and found I had the ingredients for these bars. I made them, let them cool overnight, and cut them into squares in the morning.

When I dropped them off, the PTA mom in charge looked doubtful. “Cheesecake bars? Those won’t sell as well as cupcakes,” she said. Boy, was she wrong!

My son told me they sold out in 20 minutes flat. The principal even came by to buy one after hearing kids talk about the “amazing churro things.” The next day, I got three emails asking for the recipe!

Tips From My Kitchen Disasters

Don’t use low-fat cream cheese. I tried it once to be “healthier” and the filling never set right. Some things just need the real deal fat!
If your crescent dough sticks to your hands, try spraying your fingers with a tiny bit of cooking spray.
Cut these with a sharp knife that you clean between cuts for the neatest squares.
These freeze well! I make a double batch and freeze half for emergency dessert needs.

Why Kids Go Crazy for These Bars

My daughter’s friend Lily is the pickiest eater ever. She once told me she didn’t like pizza. Who doesn’t like pizza?! But even Lily loves these churro cheesecake bars.

I think it’s because they’re familiar but different. Kids know and love cinnamon toast, and they know and love cheesecake. Put them together, and it’s like a dessert superhero was born!

My son likes to help make these by spreading the cinnamon sugar. Yes, he gets it everywhere, and yes, I’m still finding cinnamon in weird places days later. But cooking together makes the best memories, even if my kitchen looks like a cinnamon bomb went off!

The Secret to Making These Even Better

Want to know what takes these bars from awesome to mind-blowing? Serving them with a little something extra. Here are my favorite ways:

Drizzle with honey right before serving
Add a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on top
Pour a little caramel sauce over them
Put a dollop of whipped cream on each bar

My husband likes his with a cup of strong coffee. He says the bitter coffee and the sweet bars balance each other perfectly. I think he just wants an excuse to have dessert with his morning coffee!

These churro cheesecake bars have become my go-to dessert for potlucks, family gatherings, and anytime I need to impress someone with my baking skills. They look like they took hours to make, but they’re actually pretty simple. That’s our little secret, though!

Now I’m craving these bars again. I think I know what I’m making this weekend!