These orange creamsicle cheesecake bars combine sugar-free orange jam, orange zest, and white baking chips with Triple Sec liqueur for an easy dessert bar recipe inspired by classic Creamsicle popsicles.
This delicious dessert is delightfully flavored and baked, then sliced into handy bar servings. It will be the star of any party dessert table.
Keep reading to learn how to make this orange bar recipe.
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Ingredients for orange creamsicle cheesecake bars
To make these delicious creamsicle bars, you will need the following ingredients:
You’ll need these ingredients:
- 1 package of refrigerated sugar cookie dough
- 2 tablespoons of orange zest
- 16 ounces of reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature (2 packages)
- ¼ cup of sugar
- ½ cup of sugar-free orange marmalade
- 1 teaspoon of Triple Sec liqueur
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons of heavy cream
- 2 drops of orange gel food color
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of unsalted butter
- ½ cup of white chocolate chips
- Fresh mint to garnish
Making these orange creamsicle cheesecake bars
The recipe is super easy to make. It uses packaged sugar cookie dough to make the crust, which saves a lot of time.
Preheat the oven and prepare the crust
- Start by preheating the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Flour your fingers and press the cookie dough evenly on the bottom and partway up the sides of an ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
- Sprinkle the cookie dough evenly with orange zest.
Make the cheesecake filling
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, orange marmalade, and triple sec on medium-high speed for about 1 minute.
- Add the eggs and beat for about 2 minutes or until the mixture is very creamy.
- Spread this mixture evenly over the prepared crust.
Note: The mixture will have some chunks from the orange marmalade which will give it lots of yummy orange flavor as well as a bit of texture.
Bake the cheesecake
- Bake for about 30 minutes until the crust is golden brown, and the center of the creamsicle cheesecake bars is set.
- Cool for an hour in the fridge.
Make the white chocolate ganache topping
- Combine the heavy cream and 2 drops of orange gel food coloring in the microwave-safe bowl.
- Heat the mixture in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
- Add the butter and white chocolate baking chips.
- Heat until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is creamy.
Pro tip: I did this in 10-second increments to make sure the chocolate didn’t seize. You will need to stir well between each heating to make sure that the chocolate morsels melt well.
- Spread the white chocolate and cream mixture over the top of the cooled cheesecake bars evenly.
- The ratio of cream and butter makes a very thin topping with a ganache-like texture that oozes over the sides of the cut bars.
- If you want a thicker topping, reduce the cream slightly and add more white chocolate chips so that it sets more firmly.
- Put the cheesecake bars back into the fridge until they are chilled and firm.
Serve the orange cheesecake bars garnished with fresh mint and wait for the rave reviews!
Tasting these orange cream cheesecake bars
Every bite of these delicious cheesecake bars is a taste sensation.
The cream cheese and orange marmalade filling is tangy and not too sweet, with a rich cheesecake taste. The top layer is sweet and creamy and finishes off the bars with a light sugary taste.
The whole dessert is the perfect combination of a textured bottom crust with a creamy middle, finished off with sweetness without a sugar overload. It’s my kind of bar dessert!
Garnish with some fresh mint for an even brighter taste. For a special touch, drizzle the bars with some sugar-free chocolate syrup for a delightful orange chocolate taste!
How to keep the calories light for this dessert
This recipe, like many of my recipes, is based on a traditional dessert idea but lower in calories, fat, and sugar. For this recipe, I made these substitutions:
- Replace the full-fat cream cheese with a 1/3 lower-fat variety. Since you will be using 2 packages, this can save quite a bit in the fat grams calculation.
- Keep the sugar to just a scant 1/4 cup. (You can also use Splenda or another sweetener in place of sugar to save another 2 grams of fat and about 10 calories per slice)
- Use a sugar-free orange marmalade for a bright orange flavor. This saves calories and grams of sugar in the whole recipe.
- Limit the amount of white chocolate chips. I only used 1/2 cup for the topping. Even though the topping is very thin, it still adds a load of flavor and sweetness.
- Add orange zest for extra flavor, so you don’t need as much sugar.
- Cut the dessert into 24 bars. It is rich and creamy, and the smaller portion still feels like a treat.
Making just these few changes will save a no-no dessert into a “yes, please” sweet tooth temptation.
More cheesecake bars to try
If you enjoyed making these orange creamsicle bars, you’ll love these recipes, too:
- Lemon Cheesecake Bars – Fun dessert with an animal cracker crust.
- No-Bake Oreo Mint Cheesecake Bars – Decadent and creamy bar recipe.
- Apple Cheesecake Bars – The caramel topping adds so much flavor!
Share this orange creamsicle cheesecake recipe on X
If you enjoyed making these creamsicle bars, why not share this recipe with a friend?
🍊🍰 Love Creamsicle flavors? These orange cheesecake dessert bars combine creamy cheesecake, citrus zest & a sweet cookie crust for the ultimate dreamy dessert treat! ✨😋 Perfect for holidays, parties, or anytime cravings hit.… Share on XPin these orange cheesecake bars for later
Would you like a reminder of these delicious creamsicle bars? Just pin this image to one of your dessert boards on Pinterest so that you can easily find it later.
Admin note: This post first appeared on the blog in January of 2014. I have updated the post to add new photos, a printable recipe card, and a video for you to enjoy.
Baked Orange Creamsicle Cheesecake Bars Recipe
These orange cream creamsicle cheesecake bars are inspired by the classic Creamsicle popsicle.
Ingredients
- 1 package of refrigerated sugar cookie dough
- 2 tablespoons of orange zest
- 16 ounces of reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature (2 packages)
- ¼ cup of sugar
- ½ cup of sugar free orange marmalade
- 1 teaspoon of Triple Sec liqueur
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons of heavy cream
- 2 drops of orange gel food color
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of unsalted butter
- ½ cup of white chocolate chips
- Fresh mint to garnish
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Flour your fingers and press the cookie dough evenly on the bottom and partway up the sides of an ungreased 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
- Sprinkle the cookie dough evenly with orange zest.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, orange marmalade, and Triple Sec on medium-high speed for about 1 minute until well blended.
- Add the eggs and beat for about 2 minutes or until well blended and the mixture is very creamy.
- Spread this mixture evenly over the prepared crust.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the center of the cheesecake is set. Cool for one hour in the fridge.
- In a small microwavable bowl, combine the heavy cream and food coloring. Heat on high for about 30 seconds.
- Add the butter and white chocolate baking chips; stir until chips are melted. Spread the mixture evenly over the cooled bars.
- Refrigerate for about 1 ½ hours or until chilled and firm.
- Cut into 24 bars. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate.
- Garnish with fresh mint to serve.
Notes
If you don't want to use alcohol in the recipe, orange extract will also give an enhanced orange flavor.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 113Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 71mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 2g
Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.