These cherry cheesecake cobbler bars combine shortbread, creamy cheesecake, cherry pie filling and a buttery crumble for a dessert that tastes like cookie, pie and cobbler all at once.
This is my favorite dessert for summer.
These bars start with a shortbread-style crust that doubles as the crumble topping, followed by a smooth cheesecake layer and a generous spoonful of cherry pie filling. The textures and flavors—crumbly, creamy and fruity—make them irresistible.
These cobbler bars first appeared in my second cookbook, The Pretty Dish, which also features a blueberry-peach version that’s a true summer classic: juicy fruit, buttery shortbread and a golden cobbler topping. I’ve also shared strawberry and cranberry variations, and they’re all wonderful.
The combination here is cherry pie meets cheesecake with a crumble on top. I first dreamed up this pairing after tasting a cherry cheesecake kringle at Christmas in 2020, and it stuck with me—so now I make it into bars.
Because sour cherries can be hard to find where I live, I usually use canned cherry pie filling. It’s convenient and delicious; if you prefer fresh or homemade cherry filling, feel free to use that instead. Using pie filling also eliminates a step—the filling is simply spread on top of the cheesecake layer.
How these bars come together
The shortbread crust is the foundation and the topping. It’s just flour, sugar, salt and melted butter; mix it until it resembles a shortbread dough, then divide it in half. Press half into a greased 9×13-inch pan for the crust.
Next comes the cheesecake layer—cream cheese beaten with sugar, an egg and vanilla until smooth—spread over the pressed crust. Spoon the cherry pie filling on top and gently spread toward the edges. Finish by crumbling the remaining shortbread mixture over the cherries for a rustic topping.
Bake until the bars are set—because of the cream cheese layer you may need to bake 10–15 minutes longer than a plain cobbler bar. Let the pan cool completely before slicing so the layers hold together cleanly.
The result is a heavenly bite that truly feels like cookie, pie and cobbler rolled into one: crumbly shortbread, silky cheesecake and juicy cherries.
These bars store well in the refrigerator and also taste great at room temperature, making them an ideal make-ahead dessert for gatherings.
Here’s the recipe for Cherry Cheesecake Cobbler Bars.
Cherry Cheesecake Cobbler Bars
Ingredients
Crust and topping
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Cherry cheesecake
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 21 ounce can cherry pie filling
Instructions
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Preheat 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. Press half of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan; 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 the mixture evenly over the pressed 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 remaining shortbread dough over the cherries. Bake 55 to 60 minutes, until set and no longer jiggly. Cool completely before slicing into squares.
The best bite.