Caramel Cinnamon Swirl Cheesecake Bars
Creamy, soft cheesecake bars that are layered with dulce de leche in the middle and swirled with sugar cinnamon mixture. Nothing but pleasure for your taste buds!
Cheesecake Bars
I just can’t stay away from cheesecake. I think that I must be going through some kind of withdrawals if I don’t make cheesecake at least once a month. It helps that I have a steady supply of cream cheese in my fridge. It’s a habit now, I think, to grab 3-4 cream cheese packs every time I shop.
I always seems to run out of it fast too. Whether I’m making dips, cheesecakes or just to go with bagels, that’s one thing that keeps reappearing on my shopping list.
I was definitely craving a cheesecake last week and I know that I wanted to make some cheesecake bars and I wanted them swirled with something good. The idea for this cheesecake actually came to me while I was splitting a snickerdoodle cookie with my little guy. It hit me like lighting and I had to run and make sure I had everything on hand. I jumped up so fast that I scared the hell out of the cat. (Not to be mean, but I laugh my butt off when I can startle the cat so much that he jumps 3 feet in the air.)
Luckily, I had all the ingredients on hand and I made it that night. It’s cruel for me to make a cheesecake in the evening because I have to leave the “hands off until I get a chance to take pictures” sign on it until the next day. But such as life, great ideas some at unexpected moments and these cheesecake bars are well worth the wait!
Cinnamon Swirl & Caramel Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 13.4 oz can dulce de leche slightly warmed
Cheesecake:
- 24 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 Tbsp corn starch
Topping:
- 3 Tbsp white granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
Instructions
- ~ Grease a 13x9 baking dish and set it aside. Preheat the oven to 325.
- For crust: Mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter and vanilla. Stir very well, until all incorporated. Press graham cracker mixture into the baking dish, evenly, all over the bottom.
- Warm up dulce de leche (take it out of the can and warm it up) so it spreads easily and drizzle it all over the crust. Use a lightly greased rubber spatula to even out dulce de leche.
- Cheesecake:
- Start beating cream cheese and sugar on medium high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
- Add vanilla extract and sour cream. Mix until combined.
- Add egg and mix until incorporated. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl and beat until all incorporated.
- Add corn starch and while on medium low, pour in heavy cream. Mix until all combined, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix a little more.
- Scoop the cheesecake batter all over the top of the crust and using your hands, gently spread and even it out. Try not to disturb much or mix dulce de leche into the cheesecake mixture.
- Mix cinnamon and sugar well and sprinkle it evenly, all over the top of the cheesecake.
- Using a butter knife, gently make swirls of cinnamon mixture into the cheesecake, be careful not to dig too deep.
- Bake for 40 minutes and then turn off the oven and open the oven door about 1/2 way. Let cheesecake rest for about 5 minutes.
- Take out the cheesecake and gently run a greased, thin spatula (or butter knife) along the edges of the cheesecake to gently separate it from the side.
- Let it cool to room temperature before cutting or refrigerating.
- You can eat it warm but it's best after being refrigerated for at least 4 hours.
Notes
Nutrition
Check out these great recipes from other bloggers:
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars from Rasa Malaysia
Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars from Shugary Sweets
Oreo Cheesecake Bars from Table For Two
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars Recipe from Roxana’s Home Baking
Some More Sweet Recipes From Me:
Vanilla Bean Lemon Cheesecake Bars
White Chocolate Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
Have you tried carmel sauce instead of the dolce de leche? I cant find it anywere!
Hi Ashley!
I personally like the taste of dulce de leche better than caramel but the main reason I use it is because of thickness. It’s much thicker than caramel sauce. If you want caramel, there is “caramel topping” that they sell at the grocery stores that is actually thicker than dulce de leche so you can try that 🙂
Oh sorry, it’s caramel topping is thicker than caramel sauce!
These were beautiful and and absolutely delicious! I just squeezed a thin layer of carmel from the bottle I use to top my coffee with, i worked wonderfully! Thanks for sharing!!!
I’m so happy it worked well! Thank you, Ashley 🙂
This cheesecake looks so delicious! Wonderful flavors, thank you!
Thank you so much, Debbie!
Those bars really look scrumptious! And I certainly can understand getting inspired and hurrying to make the dish — especially cheesecake. The tiramisu cake was a big success. My daughter wants it for her birthday — she usually asked for Italian Cream Cake. And it is difficult getting some good shots of dishes when you take them somewhere. Especially anxious grandsons wanting to dig in. I got the best that I could under the circumstances 🙂
Awesome! That’s what I love to hear 🙂
(I want some Italian Cream Cake now)
I know how hard it is to take photos under pressure of hungry kids. Can’t wait to see it.
Thank you, Marisa!
Mmm those sound terrific! With caramel AND cinnamon it has to be good 🙂
Absolutely! Thank you, June 🙂