Creamy and full of sprinkles, these Halloween Funfetti Cheesecake Bars are made mostly in the food processor! No need to bake in a water bath for hours, these bars are baked in 30 minutes. A fun treat to have for the kids after a long night of trick or treating!
Are you having a Halloween party? If so, you have to add these fun Halloween Funfetti Cheesecake bars! Fill your dessert table with Oreo cheesecake bars, Strawberry cheesecake bars, and Nutella cheesecake bars! You'll have a winning setup for your Halloween party!
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Why You'll Love These Cheesecake Bars
- No water bath needed! I love cheesecake just as much as the next person, but they can be a pain to make. The water bath was something I could never master, and then it likely cracks on top, not to mention how long it takes! These are way easier and you get the same delicious flavor.
- The kids will love them! These are so family friendly. Let your kids add the sprinkles to the cheesecake mixture and stir. It's a great way to get the kids in the kitchen with you.
- They are a great make ahead dessert! Make these cheesecake bars the night before you need them and let them hang out in the refrigerator. Then, when you are ready, take them out of the refrigerator and enjoy!
Ingredients You'll Need
Most of these ingredients you probably already have in your house.
- Graham Crackers- Honey graham crackers are what I like best, but cinnamon would be great as well. One package is usually 9 or 10 sheets, which is plenty.
- Melted butter- to hold the graham cracker crust together.
- Cream Cheese- It's important that the cream cheese is at room temperature. If it is too cold, the cream cheese will cause lumps in the cheesecake mixture.
- Egg- To keep the cheesecake mixture together.
- Food coloring- An optional step, but a fun addition to these cheesecake bars.
- Sprinkles- To make this a Funfetti cheesecake!
Equipment You'll Need
- Food Processor
- Measuring Spoons
- Measuring Cups
- Mixing Bowls
- 8x8 Baking Dish
- Parchment Paper
- Halloween Sprinkles
What Type of Sprinkles To Use
The best type of sprinkles to use are the ones you would use on an ice cream sundae. Sometimes, they are referred to as "jimmies". For these cheesecake bars, I used Halloween sprinkles. Ones that have too much glitter or smaller sprinkles will likely disintegrate and cause your cheesecake filling to change colors.
Christmas sprinkles, Valentines Day sprinkles, or Easter sprinkles can be used as well! These Funfetti cheesecake bars are delicious any time of year!
Let's Make Halloween Funfetti Cheesecake Bars!
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper and set it aside.
In the bowl of a food processor, add the graham crackers, melted butter, and sugar. Pulse until the mixture looks like wet sand. This should take about 30 seconds. Add the graham cracker mixture to the prepared baking dish and bake for 8 minutes to set the graham cracker crust into the baking sheet. Remove the baking dish from the oven and allow it to cool while you make the cheesecake filling.
Blend the graham crackers Add the mixture to the prepared baking dish
Clean the bowl of the food processor and add the room temperature cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Pulse for 15 seconds until the mixture is smooth.
Divide the mixture into two bowls and color one of the bowls orange with food coloring. Add the sprinkles to one of the bowls. Place the cheesecake mixture into the prepared graham cracker crust and swirl the two colors together.
Color half of the cheesecake mixture Add sprinkles to the mixture Swirl the cheesecake together and bake
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the bars are done. Allow the cheesecake to cool completely in the pan before trying to cut the bars. When you are ready to cut them bars, gently lift them out of the pan and cut them with a sharp knife. Serve chilled!
How Do I Know When The Bars Are Done?
Cheesecake can be tough to know when it is done because you can't stick a toothpick in and see if it comes out clean. The toothpick will always come out with a little cheesecake on it. You want the bars to be slightly browned on top, and for there to be very little jiggle in the middle of the bars. They will continue to set as they cool, but a jiggle means that the inside is still too liquid.
Tips and Tricks
- Coloring the cheesecake mixture is optional. If you don't want to color the mixture, simply add the sprinkles to the mixture once it is done pulsing in the food processor. Then add the cheesecake to the prepared graham cracker crust.
- Make sure the oven is preheated. It's very important for timing that the oven is hot and ready when the bars go in.
- It's important that the bars cool completely before you try to cut them. Cheesecake needs to set before you try to cut them. If you cut them too early, they will not stay together. Allow them to cool for 3-4 hours before cutting them. When you are ready to cut them, lift them out of the pan and cut them with a sharp knife.
- Try an Oreo crust! Instead of graham crackers, try golden Oreos! Check out these Oreo cheesecake bars for the crust recipe!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! To freeze them, cool them completely and then wrap them in plastic wrap. Place them in the freezer and freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, place them in the refrigerator and allow them to thaw.
You can keep these in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. They are great chilled or at room temperature. They are a great make ahead snack too, since they will hang out in the refrigerator until you need them.
Absolutely! To make the crust, use graham cracker crumbs and mix them with the butter and sugar. To make cream cheese filling, use a hand mixer to mix everything well. Then bake as noted!
Other Recipes You'll Love
Did you love these Halloween Funfetti Cheesecake Bars? I'd so appreciate it if you would give this recipe a 5 star review! That will help other hungry readers find my recipes!
And don't forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook and share this recipe on Pinterest! Thanks for sharing this journey with me and enjoy these delicious recipes!
- Halloween Pasta Salad
- Spooky Halloween Tortilla Chips
- Beer Pizza Dough
- Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dip
- Chicken Drumstick Sheet Pan Dinner
- Homemade Chunky Applesauce
- Grilled Vegetable Quinoa Salad
- All in One Apple Cake
Halloween Funfetti Cheesecake Bars
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Mixing Spoons
Ingredients
- 10 Graham Cracker Sheets 1 Package
- 6 tablespoon Butter Melted
- ⅓ cup Granulated Sugar
For The Cheesecake Filling
- 2 bricks Cream Cheese Room Temperature
- 1 large Egg
- ⅓ cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ cup Sprinkles
- Food Coloring Optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare an 8x8 baking dish by lining it with parchment paper. Set it aside.
- Add the graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter into to bowl of a food processor. Process until the graham crackers are crumbs and the mixture looks like wet sand.
- Add the graham cracker crumbs to the baking dish and evenly spread out the crust. Bake for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the crumb cool while you make the cheesecake filling.
To Make the Cheesecakce Filling
- Clean the food processor.
- Add the room temperature cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract to the bowl of the food processor and process until creamy. 30 seconds should be enough.
- Optional! Divide the cheesecake mixture into two bowls and color one of the bowls orange with food coloring. Add the sprinkles to one of the bowls and mix well. If you are not coloring the cheesecake, simply fold in the sprinkles once the mixture is done pulsing in the food processor.
- Add the cheesecake mixture to the graham cracker crust and swirl the colors together with a butter knife or a large toothpick. Make sure the mixture goes all the way to the sides of the baking dish.
- Place the baking dish in the oven for 25-30 minutes depending on your oven. When the bars are done, they should not have a jiggle in the middle and should be lightly browned on top.
- Allow the bars to cool completely before cutting them. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
Notes
- Most grocery stores sell graham cracker crumbs. To use those, you will need 2 cups of crumbs.
- A hand mixer can be used instead of the food processor to make the cheesecake filling.
- Coloring the filling is an optional step.
- The best type of sprinkles to use or the "jimmies" or the typical ice cream sundae sprinkles. The ones that have more glitter or smaller sprinkles tend to disintegrate and color the cheesecake more.
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