Ultimate Cranberry Cheesecake Bars with Orange Cranberry Swirl Recipe
These Ultimate Cranberry Cheesecake Bars combine a crunchy graham cracker crust with a creamy cheesecake filling swirled with a zesty orange cranberry jam, offering a perfect balance of sweet and tart flavors. Ideal for festive occasions or a delightful dessert any time.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours 50 minutes
- Yield: 24 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Crust
- 2 sleeves graham crackers (10 oz.)
- 6 tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ cup salted butter, melted
Orange Cranberry Jam
- 1½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries (6 oz.)
- 2 tsp orange zest (from about one orange)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup orange juice (zest oranges before juicing)
Cheesecake Filling
- 12 oz. cream cheese
- ⅔ cup Greek yogurt
- 2 tsp orange zest (from about one orange)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Prepare the graham cracker crust: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving extra over the long edges as handles for easy removal, and spray with cooking spray.
- Make the crust mixture: In a food processor, combine the graham crackers, 6 tablespoons of sugar, and melted butter. Process until crumbs are fine and well mixed. Alternatively, crush graham crackers in a zip bag with a rolling pin and mix with sugar and butter manually.
- Form the crust: Press the graham cracker mixture tightly into the bottom of the prepared pan, smoothing it into an even layer with your hands or the bottom of a cup.
- Bake the crust: Bake for 10 minutes at 350°F, then remove from oven and set aside.
- Make the orange cranberry jam: In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, 2 teaspoons orange zest, ¾ cup sugar, and orange juice. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-high and boil for 5 minutes.
- Finish the jam: Remove from heat and mash the cranberries using a potato masher or blend slightly with an immersion blender, being cautious of the hot mixture. Set aside.
- Prepare the cheesecake filling: In a food processor, blend cream cheese, Greek yogurt, 2 teaspoons orange zest, vanilla extract, and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Alternatively, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer, then incorporate remaining ingredients until fully mixed.
- Assemble the bars: Pour the cheesecake filling evenly over the baked crust. Use a spoon to pipe lines of the cranberry jam along the short side of the pan, then create swirls by dragging a knife through the jam horizontally and vertically to marble it through the cheesecake.
- Bake the bars: Bake for 22-25 minutes, until the center is set and edges are lightly browned.
- Cool and chill: Let the bars cool for 30 minutes at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 3½ hours or preferably overnight.
- Slice and serve: Use the parchment paper handles to lift the bars from the pan. Cut into 24 pieces, rinsing the knife in water between slices for clean cuts.
Notes
- Using parchment paper with handles makes removing the bars easy and clean.
- For best flavor, allow the bars to chill overnight before serving to let the cheesecake and jam fully set.
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can crush the graham crackers manually and beat the cheesecake filling using a mixer or by hand.
- Rinsing your knife under hot water between slices prevents sticking and helps you get clean edges.
