Heres hoping everyone is not turned off by sweets yet as we near the end of another holiday season. But I felt we needed to add one more sweet treat to finish the year off right! What’s better than a little cheesecake, am I right? Today I’ve got a very easy way to bring cheesecake into your life, instead of a whole cake we’re going with sliced cheesecake bars! And since it’s still a festive time of year I’m jazzing things up with these special spiced cranberry orange cheesecake bars. Creamy cheesecake filling swirled with a fresh made spiced cranberry orange jam, all sitting atop a Biscoff cookie crust!
I’m sure many of you still have some cranberries hanging out in your fridge or freezer that are just begging to be used up. And to help you with that we’ll start off this recipe by making a quick fruit jam. Begin by cooking down the cranberries with some fresh orange juice and zest, a little sugar and of course throw in a touch of spice, because why not. Make sure to squish down all of the cranberries to release their juices and help the jam thicken up. You can do this either with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon, your choice! Once cooked, immediately place the fruit mixture into a fine mesh strainer and work out as much of the juices as you can. It’s easier to work with the fruit while it’s still hot.
Next, prepare the crust. If you can’t find cookie crumbs already prepared you can use a food processor to crush up whole cookies into crumbs. Press the crust mixture firmly and evenly into the bottom of the pan. I find it nice to use my hands to distribute and press the crumbs into place. But using a small measuring cup will also help firmly compact the crust together. Give the crust a quick bake in the oven just to firm up before we add the creamy filling.
While the crust bakes it’s time to whip up the filling. A quick mix to get everything smooth and creamy is all you need. Pour into the prepared crust and gently shake the pan to create a smooth top layer. Carefully add the cranberry orange topping and have fun swirling into the cheesecake layer.
All that’s left is some serious patience while this lovely little thing bakes up and cools down. 😎 Trust me it’s worth the wait! A wonderful cookie crust, creamy dreamy cheesecake, and a touch of holiday flavor in the spiced cranberry orange swirl! I call that a win, win, win!
I hope you give this recipe a try! And if you do be sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see! Happy baking and Happy New Year!
Spiced Cranberry Orange Cheesecake Bars
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 9–16 square bars (One 8x8 inch square pan) 1x
Description
Creamy cheesecake bars swirled with fresh made spiced cranberry orange jam, on top of a Biscoff cookie crust!
Ingredients
Spiced Cranberry Orange Swirl
- 3/4 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 large orange
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of ground cloves
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups Biscoff cookie crumbs (about 25 cookies)
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Filling
- 16 oz cream cheese, softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
To Make Swirl
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, until thickened, breaking down the cranberries with a spoon.
- Remove from heat and place cranberry mixture in a fine mesh strainer. Press through all of the liquids, using a spatula to help squeeze out as much of the juices as you can. Discard remaining solids. Let cool.
Crust/Filling
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 inch pan with foil or parchment paper and lightly grease with cooking spray.
- Mix crust ingredients until they are the texture of wet sand. Press firmly into pan. Bake for 8 minutes.
- Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Next beat in sugar, egg and vanilla extract until well incorporated. Pour filling on top of crust.
- Gently pour cranberry orange swirl on top of filling in a few lines. Use a toothpick or skewer to decoratively swirl the cranberry orange topping.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes (start checking after 30 minutes), until cheesecake is set but not browning in color. It will still jiggle a bit in the center and that’s ok. Allow to cool at least 1 hour. Chill in the fridge for a few hours before cutting into squares.
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