Baked Eggnog Cheesecake Bars

Name: Baked Eggnog Cheesecake Bars
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup salted butter, melted (*); 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar; 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (*); 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs; 16 ounces cream cheese, (softened to room temperature ); 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed); 2 eggs; 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1/2 teaspoon rum extract; 1/2 cup eggnog

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Incredible baked Eggnog Cheesecake Bars with a buttery cardamom graham crumb crust and a creamy cheesecake rich with eggnog flavours of rum, nutmeg, and vanilla.

Cheesecake bar topped with whipped cream on a white plate with glass of eggnog in the background.

Need to find a good dessert to bring to a gathering this Christmas? This is just the one! These cheesecake bars are utterly festive and perfect for sharing! Cut them into small pieces for an event with multiple desserts or larger pieces for events when you are the one on dessert duty. These Butter Tarts are also a great option for when you need small-bite desserts!

Slice of cheesecake topped with whipped cream on a white plate with forkful taken.

Like my Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars, these bars are smooth, creamy, and irresistible! And the buttery/crunchy crust - don't even get me started. This graham cracker crust is sweetened with brown sugar for a sweeter cookie-like crust. A little bit of cardamom is added for an extra flavour dimension, like the cinnamon in the crust of my Banana Cream Pie.

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⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe
🧈 Ingredients
📃 Instructions
📝 Substitutions
❄️ Storage
💡 Top tip
❓ FAQ
🧀 More Cheesecake Recipes
📖 Recipe

⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe

Rich, eggnog goodness. These bars are filled with cozy flavour notes of rum, vanilla, and spices.
Quick & Easy. You can whip this recipe up in very little hands-on time and all that's left is baking and chilling time.
No water bath is required! That's right, no fussing with a pan of water to bake the cheesecake in - it just bakes right in the pan!

🧈 Ingredients

Here are the ingredients needed to make these cheesecake bars.

Graham Cracker Crumbs and Brown Sugar - Graham crackers aren't very sweet so I like to add sugar to most crusts I make with them. This recipe calls for a full ¼ cup which seems like a lot but the cheesecake batter isn't very sweet so it balances well.
Cardamom - If you don't like the cardamom flavour or don't have it, you could use cinnamon instead.
Melted Butter - I use salted butter for a slightly salty/sweet crust.
Cream Cheese - Softened to room temperature before adding to the batter to ensure it mixes smoothly.
Brown Sugar - Brings in a caramel-like sweetness that goes well with the tangy cheesecake and cozy eggnog flavours.
Eggs - Most baked cheesecake recipes call for eggs for structure.
Nutmeg - Of course! Nutmeg is the most prominent spice in eggnog.
Salt - A little salt helps to make the flavours pop!
Extracts - Both vanilla and rum extract are added to enhance the eggnog flavours.
Eggnog - Yes, this recipe does contain real eggnog!

See the recipe card for measurements.

📃 Instructions

Graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, cardamom, and melted butter in a glass mixing bowl with a blue spatula.

Step 1: Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, cardamom, and melted butter.

Graham crust pressed into a metal baking pan lined with parchment paper.

Step 2: Press into a 9x9-inch baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes while preparing the cheesecake batter.

Cream cheese and brown sugar blended in a glass bowl.

Step 3: Whip the softened cream cheese and brown sugar together for 1 minute until fluffy.

Cream cheese and brown sugar blended in a bowl with eggs, extracts, and spices added.

Step 4: Add the eggs, nutmeg, salt, vanilla, and rum extract. Blend until incorporated.

Pouring eggnog into a bowl of cheesecake batter.

Step 5: Pour in the eggnog.

Mixed cheesecake batter in a glass mixing bowl with an electric handheld mixer.

Step 6: Mix just until combined and smooth.

Unbaked cheesecake in a square metal baking pan.

Step 7: Pour on top of the baked crust.

Baked cheesecake in a square metal baking pan.

Step 8: Bake for 35-40 minutes or until just a little jiggly in the center. Let cool to room temperature before refrigerating for at least 3 hours before serving.

Hint: These bars are amazing served with whipped cream!

📝 Substitutions

Here are some possible substitutions for this recipe.

Salted Butter - You could use unsalted butter with ⅛ teaspoon of salt.
Cardamom - If you don't like or have cardamom, you can replace it with cinnamon or omit it completely.

❄️ Storage

Store the cheesecake bars covered or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

I have not tested freezing these cheesecake bars.

Slice of eggnog cheesecake topped with whipped cream and a sprinkle of nutmeg on a white plate.

💡 Top tip

When slicing the cheesecake bars after they chill, use a sharp knife and rinse it off with hot water and wipe dry between each cut. This will keep the edges of the bars clean.

❓ FAQ

How long does cheesecake last?

Cheesecake can be safely stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Can this recipe be made gluten-free?

While I have not tested it, I think you could make this recipe gluten-free with a GF substitute for the graham cracker crumbs!

Piece of eggnog cheesecake bar on a plate with whipped cream on top.

🧀 More Cheesecake Recipes

Looking for other cheesecake recipes? Try these:

If you tried these baked Eggnog Cheesecake Bars or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!