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Cranberry Cheesecake Streusel Bars

Put your leftover cranberry sauce to good use with these deliciously festive cranberry cheesecake streusel bars! They're quick, easy, and gluten-free too!

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
45 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 313 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1 cup gluten-free flour blend or all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup light brown sugar packed
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 4 oz cold unsalted butter
  • ⅔ cup finely chopped/crushed unsalted walnuts
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 1/4-1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon orange zest
  • 1-1.5 cups leftover cranberry sauce
VANILLA GLAZE
  • ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 TBSP milk
  • ¼ tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a square 8x8-inch square baking pan. For easy removal, make a parchment paper sling by cutting a sheet to drape over edges of the pan.
  2. Set out your cream cheese to soften.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine flour [gluten-free or regular], oats, brown sugar, and salt.
  4. Next grab a cold stick of butter from the fridge and cut it into the streusel by either chopping into small pieces, grating with a box grater, or using a good old fashioned pastry cutter! This will create the streusel for the base and the topping of the bars.
  5. The trick to a good streusel is getting your hands dirty and using your fingers to rub the butter into the flour/oat mixture. I keep squeezing and finger-mashing the mixture until it's nice and crumbly and no leftover bits of dry flour remain. It will resemble crumbly slightly wet sand.
  6. Next stir in your chopped walnuts and grab a measuring cup.
  7. Measure out 2 cups of streusel and press it firmly into your greased/lined baking pan to make a crust.
  8. In a separate bowl, beat together cream cheese and 1/4 cup granulated sugar until smooth. You can use a stand mixer or a hand-held electric mixer for this.
  9. Once incorporated, add egg, vanilla, and orange zest and mix to combine.
  10. Pour over crust and top with cranberry sauce. Some sauces are pourable but if yours is not, add little spoonfuls all over the top of the cheesecake mixture and lightly spread with a baking spatula. Take the remaining streusel and crumble over the top.
  11. Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes.
  12. Allow to fully cool. Then transfer to the fridge to set before cutting into 9-12 squares. I like to leave mine in the fridge for a few hours so they're extra chilled!
  13. For vanilla glaze (optional but delish!) whisk ingredients well and drizzle over bars before serving. Enjoy!

Notes

  • I kept these gluten-free but you can absolutely use all purpose flour in the recipe if needed! It works great both ways! Double check your oats to make sure they're GF certified and you're good to go!
  • If you're using an especially tart sauce and have a bit of a sweet tooth feel free to sweeten your sauce with a few spoonfuls of honey, agave, or sugar.
  • Nutrition Facts below are estimated using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Adjust as needed and enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Calories 313kcal (16%) Carbohydrates 42g (14%) Protein 4g (8%) Fat 15g (23%) Saturated Fat 9g (45%) Cholesterol 55mg (18%) Sodium 126mg (5%) Potassium 74mg (2%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 30g (60%) Vitamin A 520IU (10%) Vitamin C 1mg (1%) Calcium 43mg (4%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 313

% Daily Value*

Calories 313kcal 16%
Carbohydrates 42g 14%
Protein 4g 8%
Fat 15g 23%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Cholesterol 55mg 18%
Sodium 126mg 5%
Potassium 74mg 2%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 30g 60%
Vitamin A 520IU 10%
Vitamin C 1mg 1%
Calcium 43mg 4%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.