Decadent sopapilla cheesecake bars are a cinnamon-sugar dream come true

Cheesecake might be the ultimate decadent dessert. But making a cheesecake can strike fear in the heart of even the most adventurous baker. That’s probably why so many creative home bakers have come up with alternatives to the traditional cheesecake that are both tasty and a lot easier to bake than the classic version.

From cheesecake-stuffed strawberries to peanut butter cheesecake truffles, there are quite a few options out there for whipping up a quick cheesecake dessert, but here’s one more that will delight anyone who is a big fan of cinnamon: Aimee at Shugary Sweets has developed a praise-worthy Sopapilla Cheesecake Bar recipe that’s simple, easy and delicious.

Sopapillas are crispy, fried dough desserts usually served in Mexico and Latin America. Sometimes they are sprinkled with cinnamon and served with honey on the side. Obviously, using sopapillas as the inspiration for an easy cheesecake dessert is just genius.

To get started, you’ll need to get a few basic ingredients, many of which you probably already have on hand in your pantry and refrigerator, and this cinnamony cheesecake treat will be out of the oven in less than an hour.

First, gather the ingredients, including sugar, vanilla extract, unsalted butter, cinnamon, softened cream cheese and Crescent roll sheets. This ready-made dough creates the flaky foundation of your sopapilla cheesecake, and it’s one of the reasons this dessert comes together so quickly.

From there, it’s a simple matter of building layers of flavor for your sopapilla cheesecake bars. One standout in the recipe is the homemade cinnamon sugar that gets generously spread over the bars on top of melted butter before going into the oven. Is anyone else craving something sweet right now?

All you need to do is follow the step-by-step directions and you’ll have a yummy, sweet, cinnamon cheesecake that will probably go into the regular menu rotation at your house. Who says cheesecake needs to be for a special occasion, anyway?