Churro Cheesecake Bars

Churro cheesecake bars sandwich creamy vanilla cheesecake between cinnamon sugar crusted crescent dough for the dessert that broke the algorithm. ♡

These viral churro cheesecake bars are the cinnamon sugar dream that flooded TikTok in 2024. A bottom layer of crescent roll dough holds a thick layer of creamy vanilla cheesecake, then gets topped with another crescent layer rolled in cinnamon sugar that bakes into the iconic crispy churro outside. (more viral cheesy garlic bread chicken ideas).

Mexican dessert mashup with the easiest 5 ingredient base. Let’s make it together.

Ingredients

Churro Cheesecake Bars

• 2 tubes (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 16 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar, for filling
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg, room temp
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, for topping
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon

How to Make Churro Cheesecake Bars

1. Heat. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×13 inch pan with nonstick spray.
2. Bottom. Unroll one tube of crescent dough and press into the pan, sealing all the seams together to make one solid sheet.
3. Beat. Beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, vanilla, and egg 2 minutes until smooth and lump free.
4. Spread. Spread cheesecake mixture evenly over the bottom crust.
5. Top. Unroll the second crescent tube and lay over the cheesecake, pressing seams together to seal.
6. Coat. Brush top with melted butter. Mix 1/2 cup sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle generously over the buttered top.
7. Bake. Bake 30 minutes until top is deep golden and crisp. Cool 1 hour before slicing into 12 bars.

Why This Recipe Works

These bars went viral because they take a 5 ingredient sopapilla cheesecake template and amp up the cinnamon sugar to taste like real churros. The viral version on TikTok hit over 250 million views in 2024 thanks to the satisfying ASMR shot of the crispy cinnamon top breaking under a fork while the cheesecake layer wobbles below.

Using crescent roll dough instead of homemade pastry is the hack that makes this 5 minute prep work. Pillsbury crescent dough laminates butter through the layers like puff pastry, so it bakes into a flaky golden crust with no rolling or kneading. Two sheets of crescent dough sandwich the cheesecake for a top and bottom layer that crisps in the same bake.

Melting butter and brushing it over the top before adding cinnamon sugar is what creates the classic churro coating. Dry cinnamon sugar tossed onto raw dough falls off in baking, while butter brushed first acts as glue that locks the cinnamon sugar to the dough surface and bakes into a candy crust that crackles when sliced.

Tips

• Use full fat cream cheese softened 1 hour for a smooth filling.
• Press the crescent dough seams together to seal them before adding the cheesecake layer.
• Brush melted butter over the top crescent dough before adding cinnamon sugar so it sticks.
• Cool fully before slicing for clean cinnamon sugar cuts.
• Store in the fridge in an airtight container up to 4 days.
• Common mistake: do not roll the cinnamon sugar into the dough. Sprinkle on top after the butter brush.

For more on the cinnamon, dig into the food science.

Variations

• Drizzle dulce de leche over the top after baking for a caramel churro version.
• Add 1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla to the cheesecake for the most authentic flavor.
• Sprinkle chocolate chips into the cheesecake layer for chocolate churro bars.
• Add 1/4 teaspoon cardamom to the cinnamon sugar for a warm spice twist.
• Drizzle melted Mexican chocolate over the top after baking.
• Use puff pastry instead of crescent dough for a flakier crust.

Want another twist? Try our dubai chocolate strawberry cups for a different sweet treat.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Skipping the butter brush. Brush melted butter on the top crust before sprinkling cinnamon sugar. Without butter the sugar slides off.
• Not sealing the bottom seams. Press crescent roll seams closed with your fingers. The cheesecake leaks through any gap during baking.
• Slicing while warm. Cool fully 1 hour before slicing. Warm bars smear together and lose layer definition.
• Using cold cream cheese. Soften 1 full hour. Cold cream cheese stays lumpy and ruins the smooth filling.

Churro Cheesecake Bars

Viral churro cheesecake bars sandwich vanilla cheesecake between cinnamon sugar crescent dough. Easy mexican dessert. Get the recipe!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Servings: 12 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Mexican

Calories: 380

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2 tubes (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 16 oz cream cheese softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar for filling
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg room temp
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar for topping
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon

Method

 

1. **Heat.** Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9x13 inch pan with nonstick spray.
2. **Bottom.** Unroll one tube of crescent dough and press into the pan, sealing all the seams together to make one solid sheet.
3. **Beat.** Beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, vanilla, and egg 2 minutes until smooth and lump free.
4. **Spread.** Spread cheesecake mixture evenly over the bottom crust.
5. **Top.** Unroll the second crescent tube and lay over the cheesecake, pressing seams together to seal.
6. **Coat.** Brush top with melted butter. Mix 1/2 cup sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle generously over the buttered top.
7. **Bake.** Bake 30 minutes until top is deep golden and crisp. Cool 1 hour before slicing into 12 bars.

Notes

Use full fat cream cheese softened 1 hour for a smooth filling. Press the crescent dough seams together to seal them before adding the cheesecake layer. Brush melted butter over the top crescent dough before adding cinnamon sugar so it sticks.

FAQ

Hungry for more? Check out our oreo dirt cake recipe next.

Something you might like :

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Brownies Brookies (Brownie Cookies)