Cinnamon Cheesecake Squares

A few weeks ago I shared a recipe for Cheesecake Squares that I made for my husband to take to work on his birthday.

During that same baking session I also made Cinnamon Cheesecake Squares for variety.

These dessert goodies are very easy to put together and so delicious. (I ate them for breakfast!) They got some good reviews from the husband's office, too: "The cinnamon bar was scrumptious, but thanks to you, I will have to do extra burpees in kickboxing today (it was worth it!)."

I can't really take credit for the recipe, though. That honor goes to the folks at Pillsbury.com. While I didn't change much from the original instructions, I encourage you to check it out for the step-by-step photos found here.

I'm thinking of trying these again with some fruit (maybe strawberries) added into the cream cheese filling. What do you think?

Mangia! Mangia!
Andrea

Cinnamon Cheesecake Squares
Inspired by this Sopapilla Bars recipe from Pillsbury.com.

2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls
2 packages cream cheese (8 ounces each), at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use cooking spray to lightly coat a 9 x 13 inch baking dish or pan.

Open and unroll 1 can of dough. Stretch to cover bottom of pan. Pinch together dough at perforations to close any gaps.

Place cream cheese and sugar in a bowl and beat until smooth. Add vanilla and beat again to incorporate. Evenly spread cream cheese over dough, using a rubber or wooden spatula.

Unroll second can of dough and place on top of cream cheese layer. Stretch to fit, then pinch together to close up any openings at the seams.

Pour melted butter evenly over the top of the dough. In a small bowl, mix together remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup sugar mixture on top of the melted butter. Use more as desired (using the full amount seemed like too much to me.)

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until center is set. The top should be a darker brown and appear to be somewhat crunchy. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.

Refrigerate about 1 hour before cutting. Cover and refrigerate leftovers.