These cherry cheesecake cobbler bars combine shortbread, creamy cheesecake, cherry pie filling and a buttery crumble into one irresistible dessert.
This is my favorite summer dessert.
Think shortbread crust that doubles as a crumble topping, a smooth cream cheese layer and bright, jammy cherries — all baked into easy bars. They’re perfect for potlucks, picnics or a simple summer treat.
These bars were developed for my second cookbook, The Pretty Dish, which includes a blueberry-peach version that’s a summer staple. I’ve also shared strawberry and cranberry variations, and they’re all wonderful — but this cherry version is something special.
The flavor is a cross between cherry pie and cheesecake with a crisp, crumbly top. If you love sour cherries, use fresh or homemade filling; if not, a store-bought cherry pie filling works beautifully and keeps the recipe simple.
I often use canned cherry pie filling because sour cherries are hard to find where I live. If you use prepared filling, you can skip any extra fruit-thickening step — just spread it over the cheesecake layer and crumble the remaining shortbread mixture on top.
How these bars come together
The base and topping are the same shortbread-like mixture, made from flour, sugar, salt and melted butter. Divide the dough in half: press one portion into a 9×13-inch pan for the crust and reserve the rest for crumbling on top after baking.
The cheesecake layer is simply cream cheese, sugar, an egg and vanilla, beaten until smooth and spread over the crust. Spoon the cherry pie filling over the cream cheese, gently spreading it toward the edges, then sprinkle the remaining shortbread dough across the top to create a rustic crumble.
Bake until the filling is set and the top is golden. Because of the cream cheese layer, these bars may need about 10 to 15 minutes longer than fruit-only versions — check for a mostly set center and allow them to cool completely before slicing so the bars hold together.
These bars taste great chilled or at room temperature and are easy to make ahead for gatherings. The combination of buttery shortbread, creamy cheesecake and bright cherry filling is a crowd-pleaser.
Such a delicious, creamy fruit confection — easy to make and impossibly good.
Here’s the recipe I use:
Cherry Cheesecake Cobbler Bars
Cherry Cheesecake Cobbler Bars
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Ingredients
Crust and topping
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
Cherry cheesecake
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 21 ounce can cherry pie filling
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
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In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Add the melted butter and mix until a shortbread-like dough forms; you can use your hands. Press half of the dough into the bottom of the prepared dish and reserve the rest for the topping.
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In a mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Spread this mixture over the crust.
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Spoon the cherry pie filling over the cream cheese layer and gently spread toward the edges.
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Crumble the reserved dough over the cherry layer. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until set and no longer jiggly. Cool completely before slicing into squares.
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The best bite.