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A stack of red and white dessert bars with brown graham cracker crust sitting on a wood plate.

Ultimate Cranberry Cheesecake Bars with Orange Cranberry Swirl

Cassie Waltman
Rich, orange-scented cheesecake filling is swirled with cranberry orange jam and baked over a graham cracker crust for a delicious dessert.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Chilling 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 50 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 24 bars
Calories 232 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 9x13 baking pan

Ingredients
  

Graham Cracker Crust

  • 2 sleeves graham crackers (10 oz.)
  • 6 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • ½ cup salted butter (melted)

Orange Cranberry Jam

  • 1½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries (6 oz. )
  • 2 teaspoon orange zest (from about one orange)
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup orange juice (zest oranges before juicing)

Cheesecake Filling

  • 12 oz. cream cheese
  • ⅔ cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 teaspoon orange zest (from about one orange)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

Instructions
 

Prepare the graham cracker crust.

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 9"x13" baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper, leaving extra draped over the long edges for "handles" to remove the bars after baking. Spray the parchment paper and pan with cooking spray.
  • In a food processor, add the graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter and process until the crumbs are fine. Scrape the sides of the processor and pulse a few more times to fully incorporate the ingredients.
  • Without a food processor, place the graham crackers in a zip bag and crush with a rolling pin or mallet. Combine the crushed graham crackers, butter, and sugar until well mixed.
  • Pour out the graham cracker mixture into the prepared pan and pack the crumbs tight into a smooth layer. Use your hands or the bottom of a flat glass or measuring cup.
  • Bake for 10 minutes at 350°F and then set aside.

Make the orange cranberry jam.

  • Add the cranberries, orange zest, sugar, and orange juice to a medium sauce pan.
  • Heat over high heat until the mixture is boiling. Reduce the heat to medium-high and maintain a boil for 5 minutes.
  • Remove the pan from the heat and smash the cranberries with a potato masher or blend them with an immersion blender. Be careful, the mixture is very hot!
  • Set the jam aside.

Make the cheesecake filling.

  • Brush out the crumbs from the food processor after making the crust. Add the cream cheese, Greek yogurt, orange zest, vanilla extract, and sweetened condensed milk to the food processor.
  • Process until the mixture is smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pulse a few more times to make sure everything is fully incorporated.
  • Without a food processor, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the Greek yogurt, orange zest, vanilla extract, and the sweetened condensed milk. Mix until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl once to get all ingredients mixed well.

Bake the Bars

  • Pour the cheesecake filling over the baked graham cracker crust and turn the pan to coat the crust evenly.
  • Using a spoon, make lines of the jam along the short side of the pan. Use a knife to swirl and marble the jam into the cheesecake filling by dragging the knife through the lines of jam (along the long sides of the pan) and then in the opposite direction (along the short sides of the pan).
  • Bake the bars for 22-25 minutes, or until the center of the bars doesn't juggle and the edges are very lightly browned.
  • Cool the pan for 30 minutes on the countertop and then transfer to the refrigerator for at least 3½ hours more. Overnight chilling is recommended.
  • Remove the bars from the pan using the parchment paper handles and place then on a cutting board. Slice, using a sharp knife, into 24 pieces. For clean edges, rinse the knife off in water after every slice.

Nutrition facts are sometimes provided below and are calculated using an online calculator. With specific brands of ingredients and additions, omissions, or substitutions the nutrition facts may change. We encourage you to use your own nutrition facts caculator to obtain the most accurate nutrition facts for your meal.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1barCalories: 232kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 4gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 176mgPotassium: 126mgFiber: 1gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 368IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 79mgIron: 1mg
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