Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

This Sopapilla Cheesecake dessert recipe is a delicious combination of the flavors of sopapillas, churros, and cheesecake all in one! A sweet cream cheese filling sandwiched between layers of buttery cinnamon sugar crust makes this dessert irresistible and perfect for Cinco de Mayo, or any party or potluck!

Just in case you’re not familiar with the regular sopapilla, this New Mexico specialty is the southwest’s version of a fried dough dessert. The sopapilla is made and served in a variety of ways in Latin culture, which are not all sweet. I’m most familiar with the Tex Mex sopapilla which is always a fried pastry dessert flavored with cinnamon and drizzled with honey, very similar to a churro.

This easy Sopapilla Cheesecake Bar recipe is based on this sweet pastry with a coating of butter, cinnamon, and sugar. As yummy as that is on its own, imagine it stuffed with cheesecake!

I’ve served these at several events and guests always rave about them. Only requiring a few ingredients and less than an hour, they are a go-to whenever I want a dessert for a Mexican-themed party.

One of the times I’ve served them was at my Margaritaville themed party – a Mexican/Hawaiian/Summer mashup!

• Refrigerated crescent rolls
• Cream cheese
• Vanilla
• Egg
• Granulated sugar
• Unsalted butter
• Ground cinnamon

See the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements and directions.

1. Make the Filling: Beat together room temperature cream cheese, a cup of the sugar, egg, and vanilla until combined and creamy.
2. Bottom Crust: Roll out one of the cans of crescent rolls into a 9×13 baking dish.
3. Spread the Filling: Spread the filling over the bottom crust.
4. Top Crust: Roll the second crescent roll sheet over the cheesecake filling layer.
5. Butter: Melt the butter and spread over the top crust.
6. Cinnamon and Sugar: Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar over the entire top crust.
7. Bake: Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown.
8. Cool and slice: Let cool completely (at least an hour or chill overnight) before slicing and serving.

Sopapilla cheesecake bars can be served warm, cold, or at room temperature. When fresh, the top crust is crunchy and complements the creamy cheesecake center so nicely!

For easy, clean cutting, chill them first. You can rewarm them easily by just popping them in the microwave for a few seconds.

This dessert is already quite sweet, but if you want to take it up a notch and serve them just like a sopapilla, drizzle them with honey…yuuummmmm!

Other topping ideas:

• Ice cream
• Caramel sauce
• Raspberry sauce
• Apple filling

Yes! One of the wonderful reasons this dessert is perfect for parties is it can be prepared ahead of time and stored.

The leftovers should be refrigerated. The crust does become less crispy when refrigerated, but still tasty!

Yes, you can! Freeze them for up to two months in a freezer safe bag or container. Again, the crust won’t be crispy but they will still be delicious.

For your next Cinco de Mayo meal, Mexican themed party, or just any get together, try bringing these…everyone will love them!

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