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These Cranberry Cream Cheese Bars are the perfect sweet-tart holiday dessert: a buttery crust, a creamy cheesecake-style layer, a generous swipe of cranberry sauce, and a golden streusel topping. They’re easy to make ahead, slice beautifully, and (best part) no overnight chilling required.
Make them with leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving, or use your favorite store-bought sauce, either works.
What Makes My Cream Cheese Bars So Good
- Easy to make ahead and freeze
- Sweet and tangy flavor from creamy cheesecake filling and cranberry sauce
- Crunchy streusel topping for the best texture
- Great use for leftover cranberry sauce
- Holiday-friendly dessert that travels well
- No overnight chill needed, just cool until set
Ingredients You’ll Need
- All-purpose flour – Forms the structure for both the crust and the crumble topping so the bars hold together and slice cleanly.
- Light brown sugar – Adds sweetness plus a caramel-like flavor and helps the streusel brown. Dark brown sugar works too.
- Kosher Salt – Balances sweetness and boosts the cranberry/vanilla flavor. If using salted butter, reduce slightly.
- Unsalted butter (cold, cubed) – Cold butter creates a crumbly streusel and a buttery crust as it melts in the oven. Keep it cold for the best texture.
- Cream cheese (full-fat, brick-style, softened) – Makes the filling creamy and sliceable. Avoid whipped cream cheese.
- Granulated sugar – Sweetens the filling without changing the texture.
- Egg – Sets the cream cheese layer so it bakes up creamy (not runny). Mix in just until combined.
- Vanilla extract – Rounds out the flavor and pairs perfectly with cranberry.
- Cranberry sauce (whole berry or jellied) – Adds the sweet-tart layer. Whole berry gives more texture; jellied spreads extra smooth. If thick, stir briefly before spreading.
For the full ingredient list, measurements and instructions, see the recipe card below.
How to Make Cranberry Cream Cheese Bars
These Cream Cheese Bars couldn’t be simpler to make. It’s one of my favorite Christmas Cookie bars for gift giving and holiday cookie trays.
- Prep the pan. Preheat the oven and line a 9×9-inch pan with parchment paper (leave an overhang so you can lift the bars out easily).
- Make the crust/streusel mixture. Mix the flour, brown sugar, salt, and butter until crumbly. It should look like coarse sand with some pea-sized bits. Press about 2/3 of the mixture firmly into the pan to form the crust. Reserve the rest for topping.
- Par-bake the crust. Bake the crust until it’s lightly golden and set. This helps prevent a soggy bottom.
- Mix the cream cheese layer. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth, then mix in the egg and vanilla just until combined (don’t overmix). Spread over the warm crust.
- Add cranberry sauce. Spoon cranberry sauce over the cream cheese layer and gently spread it into an even layer.
- Add streusel and bake. Sprinkle the reserved crumble mixture evenly over the cranberry layer. Bake until the center is mostly set and the streusel is golden.
- Cool. Cool to room temperature, then chill just long enough to firm up for clean slicing.
Kellie’s Tips for Perfect Bars
- Want extra holiday flavor? Add 1 teaspoon orange zest to the cream cheese layer.
- Use full-fat block cream cheese for the creamiest, most stable filling.
- Don’t overmix the egg into the filling (it can introduce air and affect texture).
- Par-bake the crust to keep it from getting soft under the filling.
- If your cranberry sauce is very thick, stir it briefly to loosen before spreading.
How to Get Clean Slices
For bakery-style squares:
- For extra neat edges, warm the knife under hot water, then wipe dry before slicing.
- Chill the bars until firm (usually 1–2 hours is plenty).
- Lift out using the parchment sling.
- Use a sharp knife, wipe clean between cuts.
Make Ahead, Storage, and Freezing
- Make ahead: Bake the bars 1 day ahead, cool, and refrigerate. Slice before serving.
- Storage: Because of the cream cheese layer, store these covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Freeze sliced bars in a single layer until firm, then transfer to a freezer-safe container with parchment between layers. Freeze up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
More Easy Holiday Baking Ideas
- Best Gingerbread Cookie recipe ever, I make this every year.
- The Best Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are fudge perfection.
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies are my new favorite.
- The Best Pizzelle Recipe is crispy and buttery.
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Cranberry Cream Cheese Bar Recipe
Buttery crust and streusel meet a creamy cheesecake-style layer and a sweet-tart cranberry sauce ribbon in these Cranberry Cream Cheese Bars. They’re easy, holiday-perfect, and slice cleanly after a short chill, no overnight setting required.
Equipment
- pastry blender or fork
- hand mixer
- square baking pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Cream Cheese Filling
- 1 8- ounce package cream cheese
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Streusel Topping
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup cranberry sauce, You can use whatever variety you’d like, I used my Easy Cranberry Sauce.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and flour until crumbly and combined thoroughly. Transfer the mixture to an ungreased 13×9 inch baking dish and pat the crust firmly and evenly into the dish using your hands. Bake for 15 minutes, remove and allow to cool completely.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth on medium speed. Add the egg and vanilla and continue beating until combined. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, using a pastry blender, combine the flour, confectioners’ sugar, butter and salt until the mixture comes together and forms coarse crumbs. Using your hands or a fork, toss until the ingredients are combined and set aside.
- Once the crust has cooled, spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the top of the crust leaving a 1/4 inch edge all the way around. Spread a thin layer of cranberry sauce over the cream cheese and then sprinkle the streusel topping over the entire top.
- Bake for 40 minutes, remove and cool completely on a wire rack for 1-2 hours.
- Cut into bars and store in an airtight container, refrigerated.
Notes
- Cranberry sauce: Whole berry adds texture; jellied spreads smoother. If very thick, stir briefly before spreading.
- Cream cheese: Use full-fat brick-style cream cheese for the best texture (skip whipped).
- Don’t overmix: Mix the egg into the filling just until combined to keep the layer creamy.
- Clean slices: Chill 1–2 hours, lift out with parchment, and wipe the knife between cuts.
- Storage: Refrigerate covered up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Freeze sliced bars (parchment between layers) up to 2 months; thaw in the fridge.
Nutrition
Serving: 0g, Calories: 124kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 23mg, Sodium: 48mg, Potassium: 19mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 245IU, Vitamin C: 0.05mg, Calcium: 8mg, Iron: 0.4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe?Leave a comment below!
Do Cranberry Cream Cheese Bars need to be refrigerated?
Yes. The cream cheese layer means these should be stored in the refrigerator.
Can I use canned cranberry sauce?
Absolutely. Whole berry or jellied both work, use what you like.
Can I make these in a 9×13 pan?
Yes, double the ingredients and bake a bit longer. Keep an eye on the center, bake until it’s set and the topping is golden.
Why are my bars too soft to cut?
They likely need a bit more chill time. Refrigerate 1-2 hours, then slice with a clean knife.
Can I swap the cranberry sauce for jam?
Yes, raspberry, strawberry, or cherry jam are great substitutes (choose a thick jam for easiest layering).
Should the strusel be browned a bit?
Yes, it just doesn’t look browned in the photo because I wasn’t very good at photography back then. 🙂
What could be substituted for the cranberry sauce as it is not popular with my kids.
You could use any jam or jelly, sometimes we just sub the cranberry for strawberry jam.
they sound amazing!
They do sound amazing but there’s two different pan sizes named- 9 by 9 and then 9 by 13. What’s up with that? Which is it?
I use 9×9 most recently because I like a thicker bar. Use a 9×13 for a thinner bar. Thank you for letting me know there’s a discrepancy.