Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars with Jaca
These are the easiest crowd-pleaser in the dessert world: a creamy cheesecake layer sandwiched between two sheets of flaky crescent dough, all blanketed in a buttery cinnamon-sugar topping that bakes up golden and crackly like a real sopapilla. No water bath, no springform pan, no fuss — you press in the dough, beat the filling, layer it up, and the oven does the rest. Our version swaps every bit of conventional sugar for Jaca (100% pure allulose) at double the amount: 2 cups of granular Jaca in the cheesecake filling in place of 1 cup of sugar, and 1 1/2 cups in the cinnamon topping in place of 3/4 cup of sugar — 3 1/2 cups of Jaca total — so you get the same sweet, custardy bars with no added sugar and no aftertaste. Because allulose is only about 70% as sweet as conventional sugar, doubling it keeps the sweetness right where it should be. One thing to know: allulose browns faster than the sugar we grew up with, so keep an eye on the bars near the end of the bake and tent them loosely with foil if the top is going golden before the 30-minute mark. Adapted from Buns In My Oven. This is a Jaca-adjusted healthier version.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cream cheese (two 8-oz blocks, softened to room temperature)
- 2 cups Jaca (allulose), granular (for the filling — replaces 1 cup sugar at the 2x ratio)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 packages refrigerated crescent dough sheets (8 oz each; use the seamless sheet style if you can find it)
- 1 1/2 cups Jaca (allulose), granular (for the cinnamon topping — replaces 3/4 cup sugar at the 2x ratio)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter (softened to room temperature (1 stick))
Sweetener Used
3 1/2 cups granular Jaca total (2 cups in the filling + 1 1/2 cups in the cinnamon topping) Allulose
Replaces: 1 3/4 cups sugar (1 cup filling + 3/4 cup topping)
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- 2
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, 2 cups of granular Jaca, and the vanilla until completely smooth and creamy. The Jaca dissolves right into the cheesecake filling in place of the sugar, so you get the same rich, sweet layer with no added sugar.
- 3
Unroll one package of crescent dough and press it into the bottom of the prepared pan, pinching any seams together to make one even layer.
- 4
Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the dough, then unroll the second package of crescent dough and lay it on top, pressing the seams together.
- 5
In a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1 1/2 cups granular Jaca, the cinnamon, and the softened butter with a fork until it forms a crumbly cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- 6
Drop small pieces of the cinnamon-Jaca mixture all over the top of the dough, covering it evenly.
- 7
Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top is puffed and golden. Because allulose browns faster than conventional sugar, start checking at 25 minutes and tent loosely with foil if the top is browning too quickly.
- 8
Let the bars cool completely in the pan, then chill in the refrigerator before cutting into squares. For an authentic finish, drizzle the tops with a little honey just before serving.
Pro Tips
- Soften the cream cheese fully before beating — cold cream cheese leaves lumps in the filling that no amount of mixing will smooth out.
- Jaca is about 70% as sweet as conventional sugar, which is exactly why we double it — you get the same sweet, custardy bars with no added sugar and no aftertaste.
- Allulose browns faster than the sugar we grew up with, so start checking the top at 25 minutes and tent loosely with foil if it is going golden too soon.
- Chill the bars fully before cutting — warm sopapilla cheesecake bars are delicious but messy, and a cold pan slices into clean squares.
- Seamless crescent dough sheets make this nearly foolproof; if you only have the perforated rolls, just pinch the seams firmly so the filling does not leak through.
- A light drizzle of honey over the finished bars nods to the classic fried sopapilla and adds a glossy finish without any extra added sugar in the bars themselves.