Cream Cheese Streusel Bars
Every now and then you stumble across a new recipe that’s a real find. Like a “knock your socks off” find! Cream Cheese Streusel Bars is one of those recipes! It has a lovely chocolate crust and chocolate streusel topping. The middle layer uses cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and egg and vanilla. These bars are rich, decadent and heavenly!
Follow Me On Instagram!
I signed up to make a meal for a gal in our church after the birth of her first baby. As it happened, my oldest son’s second daughter came around the same time, so I ended up with meals to make for two families on the same day! It was easier to double up on everything so I made Pork Chop Supper (which includes carrots and potatoes). I made one regular version and one gluten free version, since my daughter-in-law’s sister was there to help with the baby and she needs gluten free. I added Kiwi-Strawberry Spinach Salad (an old time favorite), a loaf of our favorite homemade bread and these luscious Cream Cheese Streusel Bars. I also added some GF brownies with icing and sprinkles for the sister, so she had some sweet treats to eat for the week she was there helping with the baby.
It was a wonderful meal and both families were glad to escape from cooking after getting home from the hospital. The nice thing about these bar-type cookies is you can make them a day in advance and keep them in the refrigerator until serving. That helped me when I was trying to prepare two meals on the same day! One loaf of bread went into the breadmaker early in the morning and the second loaf in about 2 1/2 hours after that loaf was done and the breadmaker had cooled. The salads were made in the morning so I had two large 14-inch skillets with the pork chops, potatoes and carrots cooking at the same time right before I was ready to make my deliveries. (But everything else was already done, yay!)
Cream Cheese Streusel Bars are really the ultimate in a dessert bar. They’re perfect for potlucks, tailgating parties, backyard barbecues or for company dinners. Everyone falls in love with these luscious goodies! 🙂
Cream Cheese Streusel Bars will rock your world!
Every bite will have you drooling.
If you enjoy cheesecake in brownies, you’ll LOVE these bars.
Cream Cheese Streusel Bars are wildly delicious!
Here’s what I did.
I used these ingredients.
Combine unbleached flour (bleached flour toughens baked goods), powdered sugar, cocoa and salt in a mixing bowl.
Stir ingredients to combine.
Cut in butter with a pastry blender until coarse crumbs form.
Here, coarse crumbs have formed.
Measure out one cup of cocoa mixture for topping. DO NOT FORGET THIS STEP!
Press mixture into a greased 8×12″ glass baking dish.
Bake 12-15 minutes at 325 degrees until mixture is set.
While crust is baking, make cheesecake layer. Place softened cream cheese and egg in a mixing bowl. Add Sweetened Condensed Milk.
Add vanilla extract.
Beat with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until mixture is completely smooth and no lumps of cream cheese remain.
Remove hot dish from oven with oven mitts; spread cream cheese layer over top. Return to oven and bake 15 more minutes.
Remove hot dish from oven with oven mitts. Sprinkle reserved cocoa crumbs over top of cream cheese layer. Return to oven for the third time.
Bake an additional 5-10 minutes at 325 degrees until filling is completely set; remove from oven to cool.
After bars cool completely, store in refrigerator.
Cream Cheese Streusel Bars will captivate your senses!
If desserts (and chocolate, in particular) are your comfort food of choice, you’ll gorge over these rich, decadent brownies!
The cheesecake layer in the middle makes these brownies so heavenly.
Here’s the recipe.
CREAM CHEESE STREUSEL BARS
(Recipe adapted from Taste of Home, Light and Tasty, 2008, pg. 202, “Makeover Cream Cheese Streusel Bars”)
Cream Cheese Streusel Bars
Equipment
- 1 8×12" glass baking dish
- 1 electric mixer
- 2 medium mixing bowls
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 rubber spatula
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 wire cooling rack
- 1 pastry blender
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (bleached flour toughens baked goods)
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1/2 cup baking cocoa
- 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 1 cup salted butter cold (2 sticks)
- 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese softened
- 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, confectioners’ sugar, cocoa and salt.
- Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until crumbly and coarse crumbs form.
- Reserve one cup of crumb mixture for topping.
- Press remaining crumbs very firmly into a greased 8×12” glass baking dish.
- Bake at 325º for 12-15 minutes, or until mixture is set.
- Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, condensed milk, egg and vanilla for 2-3 minutes until cream cheese is completely smooth, well-blended and no lumps remain.
- Pour over top of hot crust.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove dish from oven and top with the cup of reserved crumb mixture.
- Return dish to oven and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, or until filling is set.
- Cool dish on wire rack.
- Store in refrigerator.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home.
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
This recipe has three layers – each of which is baked separately so be sure to follow the recipe closely!
Chocolate lovers will rave over this dessert!
Excellent dessert for tailgating parties, potlucks and backyard barbecues.
Eat and enjoy.
You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!
Gluten Free Cheesecake Brownies
Chocolate Chip Ooey Gooey Bars
