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Become a Better Cook in 4 days!
Perfect Pan-Seared Steak - A Family Feast

Become a Better Cook in 4 days!

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Cream Cheese Crumb Bars - A Family Feast

Cream Cheese Crumb Bars

★★★★★ 4.9 /5
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Home Dessert Brownies + Bars

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Cream Cheese Crumb Bars - Get all of the wonderful flavors in cheesecake in bar form with these easy Cream Cheese Crumb Bars!

I’ve got a serious weakness when it comes to cheesecake – and these Cream Cheese Crumb Bars are an easy (and delicious) way to get my fix!

This recipe is another huge score from my mother’s old recipe box and it’s the perfect option for when you have a craving for cheesecake – but don’t have the time to prepare the full dessert. The same light and buttery walnut-crumb mixture makes up the bottom crust as well as the topping – and a light and creamy cream cheese filling sweetens up the middle.  The filling also has a slightly lemony flavor (thanks to the addition of fresh lemon juice) and it adds a perfect amount of brightness so that these bars are sweet – but not too sweet!

Cream Cheese Crumb Bars - Get all of the wonderful flavors in cheesecake in bar form with these easy Cream Cheese Crumb Bars!

We cut our cream cheese crumb bars into 18 triangles for a bite-size treat – or you could serve this as larger squares for dessert. Either way – these are a delicious – and any cheesecake lover in your life will surely love these cream cheese crumb bars!

We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!

recipe
Cream Cheese Crumb Bars - A Family Feast
★★★★★ 4.9 from 9 reviews

Cream Cheese Crumb Bars

Yield: 9–18 pieces 1x
Prep: 15 minsCook: 45 minsTotal: 1 hour
Pin for Later Rate Recipe Print Save
Scale:

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup brown sugar plus two tablespoons, divided

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup walnuts, chopped and divided

1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil

1/4 cup granulated sugar

8 ounce package cream cheese, softened

1 egg beaten

2 tablespoons whole milk or light cream

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla


Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Line an 8×8-inch pan with foil pressing tightly up sides. This will help remove the finished bars once baked.
  3. In the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream the butter and the 1/3 cup of brown sugar until fluffy.
  4. Add flour until just combined.
  5. Remove from mixer and blend ½ of the chopped nuts in by hand and stir mixture until a small crumb forms. Reserve one cup of this mixture. Take remaining mixture and press into the prepared 8X8 pan and bake for 12 minutes. Place on rack to cool.
  6. To the reserved cup of crumb mixture, add the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar, remaining ½ cup chopped nuts and the one tablespoon of oil. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
  7. Place stand mixer bowl back on with paddle and cream the sugar and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Scrape bowl and mix again.
  8. Add egg, milk, lemon juice and vanilla and beat until very light and creamy.
  9. Pour this mixture into cooled pan over the cooked crust and top with reserved topping pressing just slightly into mixture.
  10. Bake for 25 minutes and cool on a rack in the pan. Once cool, lift the foil edges up and place the bar on a cutting board. Fold the foil down flat and slip the foil out.
  11. With a sharp serrated knife, cut the whole pan into 3 rows x 3 rows for total of nine squares. Then, if you’d like, cut each square in half corner to corner yielding 18 triangle pieces like we show in our photos.

Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.


© Author: A Family Feast
Cuisine: American Method: baking

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Martha

Martha is part of the husband-wife team that creates A Family Feast. She loves to cook and entertain for family and friends, and she believes that serving a great meal is one of the best ways to show someone that you care. Martha is a self-taught home cook, who loves to read cookbooks and try new recipes. After a decades-long career in business and online marketing, she now runs A Family Feast full-time. Her specialties are baking, desserts, vegetables and pasta dishes.

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Updated: 1/23/23

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  1. Liz says

    Posted on 2/12/15 at 1:31 pm

    So excited to try this but I only have a hand held mixer. Do you think that will work?

    Reply
    • Martha says

      Posted on 2/12/15 at 2:07 pm

      Yes Liz – A hand held mixer should do just fine!

      Reply
  2. Medeja says

    Posted on 2/11/15 at 6:36 am

    Yummy! Nice snack with coffee..

    Reply
    • Martha says

      Posted on 2/11/15 at 10:26 am

      Thanks Medeja!

      Reply
  3. Susan | LunaCafe says

    Posted on 2/11/15 at 1:54 am

    Holy cow, I may have to make these IMMEDIATELY. They look sensational! 🙂

    Reply
    • Martha says

      Posted on 2/11/15 at 10:25 am

      Thanks Susan!

      Reply
  4. Laura says

    Posted on 2/10/15 at 11:10 pm

    I am a streusel (crumb) fanatic. I am also a cream cheese fanatic. Those facts plus this recipe spell trouble. Delicious, delicious trouble. 🙂

    Reply
    • Martha says

      Posted on 2/11/15 at 10:25 am

      LOL Laura – Yes – delicious trouble indeed!

      Reply
  5. Angela {Mind Over Batter} says

    Posted on 2/10/15 at 7:36 pm

    I LOVE cheesecake, but cheesecake takes SO long to bake. AND I’ll be the only one eating it. My family swears they hate cheesecake. These look amazing and easy. I’m going to have to sneak these in and call the cheesecake “filling”.

    Reply
    • Martha says

      Posted on 2/10/15 at 7:57 pm

      Thank you Angela! (I hope your entire family enjoys these bars!)

      Reply
  6. Jennifer | Bake or Break says

    Posted on 2/10/15 at 6:42 pm

    These look amazing! I adore cream cheese desserts!

    Reply
    • Martha says

      Posted on 2/10/15 at 7:30 pm

      Thank you Jennifer!

      Reply
  7. Shannon says

    Posted on 2/10/15 at 11:38 am

    Do you have to use nuts? I’m allergic, and these look so yummy.

    Reply
    • Martha says

      Posted on 2/10/15 at 11:39 am

      Hi Shannon – No – you can leave the nuts out – or substitute in some oatmeal for a little bit more texture in the crumbs!

      Reply
  8. Marye says

    Posted on 2/10/15 at 9:49 am

    What a great flavor and texture combination! I am with you – I love cheesecake but don’t always (almost never) have time to make it. Pinning these!

    Reply
    • Martha says

      Posted on 2/10/15 at 10:48 am

      Thanks Marye! I rarely have time to make cheesecake either – which makes this easy recipe dangerously good! 🙂

      Reply
  9. Christie says

    Posted on 2/10/15 at 9:45 am

    I love finding old family recipes. These look so scrumptious.

    Reply
    • Martha says

      Posted on 2/10/15 at 10:47 am

      Thanks Christie!

      Reply
  10. Laura ~ Raise Your Garden says

    Posted on 2/10/15 at 8:47 am

    I do so love how you raided your mother’s recipe box for this scrumptious dessert. A hint of lemon in any dessert just makes it so delicate and delicious for me. And once again, my Russian grandmother would be proud, she was famous for making cheese cake bars (and I was famous for eating them, so yes, I was quite a pudgy kid =) haha. She loved it though, I remember when I would ask for seconds.

    Reply
    • Martha says

      Posted on 2/10/15 at 10:47 am

      LOL Laura – I was a pudgy kid too! 🙂 Hope you enjoy the recipe!

      Reply
    • Richard Roper says

      Posted on 4/24/15 at 3:18 pm

      These look so good and they are easy to make the coffee club will love them. The old time deserts are the best. Thanks for sharing them with us.

      Reply
      • Martha says

        Posted on 4/24/15 at 8:18 pm

        I agree Richard! There is something very special about old family recipes! Thanks for writing to us today!

        Reply
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