Eggnog Cheesecake Bars

Eggnog Cheesecake Bars are the perfect dessert for holiday get togethers! Gingersnap crust and smooth eggnog cheesecake make them irresistible. 

What is your favorite holiday dessert? For me, while the cookies are great and all, I’m going to have to go with cheesecake. It’s so rich and decadent that I don’t eat it very much throughout the year. Instead, I save it for the holiday season. And then really indulge.

I’ve made several cheesecakes over the years, but not many cheesecake bars. These Eggnog Cheesecake bars have all the lusciousness of cheesecake but are, in my opinion a lot less work.

Let’s talk about what ingredients you need to make them:  

Eggnog Cheesecake Bar Ingredients:

• GINGERSNAPS: I use gingersnap cookies in this crust because I love the gingery, molasses flavor they bring to the dish. They pair perfectly with the eggnog.
• BUTTER: You’ll want it to be melted so that you can mix it with the cookie crumbs to make the crust. 
• CREAM CHEESE: You’ll want to make sure that the cream cheese is at room temperature. This will help ensure that your cheesecake bars will be smooth without any lumps. 
• SUGAR 
• EGGNOG: Most cheesecake recipes call for heavy cream, I’ve swapped that out for eggnog in this recipe to give it a delectable holiday flare. 
• EGGS
• SOUR CREAM
• NUTMEG: There is already nutmeg in eggnog but an extra pinch adds even more flavor. 

How to make cheesecake bars:

As I describe in the recipe for White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake, when you’re making traditional cheesecakes, I find that a water bath works the best. And because you use a water bath you have to worry about properly sealing your springform pan. Like I said, it’s a bit of work. Totally worth it, but work.

With cheesecake bars, however, you don’t have to worry about any of that! All that I suggest is lining the pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper so that you can lift the bars out of the pan after they have cooled. This makes them much easier to cut.

• STEP #1: Line an  8×8 baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Allow some to hang off the sides so that it makes it easier to remove from the pan. 
• STEP #2: Combine butter and gingersnap crumbs in boil until the crumbs are moist. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan and then bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. 
• STEP #3:  Using a handheld mixer (or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment)Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in eggnog, sour cream and nutmeg. Continue beating until smooth. 
• STEP #4: Pour into crust and bake at 325 degrees for  40  –  45 minutes or until set but still jiggly in the center. Remove from oven, allow to cool 30 minutes on the counter. Place in the refrigerator and chill for at least another 2 hours before cutting into 9 bars. Serve with whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg if desired. 

Tips for a smooth cheesecake:

Guys, I really, really, realllllllllyyyyy don’t like lumps in my cheesecake. Unlike other recipes, where clumps of batter will go away with baking, in cheesecake clumps of cheesecake stay clumps. And does not a smooth cheesecake make.

But you’re in luck! I’ve got a couple of tips to help you with that:

• Tip #1: Make sure that your cream cheese is soft. I usually let mine sit on the counter for an hour or so so that it can soften. This makes it easier to beat with the mixer and more likely to be smooth.
• Tip #2: Cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth before adding the other ingredients. Once you add the other ingredients you want to continue mixing until it’s silky and smooth. This could take a few minutes. Be patient.
• Tip #3: If all else fails and you still have clumps. Carefully pour the cheesecake batter into a food processor and pulse a few times to get it smooth. I’ve had to do this before and it worked like a dream!

If you want more cheesecake recipes, be sure to check these out!

Nutella Cheesecake Bars

Dark Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake 

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Lemon Blueberry Sauce 

Note: This post was originally published in 2018. It was updated with new photos, step by step instructions and nutrition information in 2022.