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. This is a Jaca-adjusted healthier version — every bit of conventional sugar is swapped for Jaca (100% pure allulose) at double the amount: 2 cups 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, for 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 — and since allulose browns faster than the sugar we grew up with, keep an eye on the bars near the end of the bake and tent loosely with foil if the top is going golden early. Adapted from Buns In My Oven.
Prep: 10 min · Cook: 30 min · Serves: 12
Ingredients:
- 16 ounces cream cheese (two 8-oz blocks, softened to room temperature)
- 2 cups granular Jaca (allulose) — for the filling, replaces 1 cup sugar at the 2x ratio
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 packages (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent dough sheets (seamless style if you can find it)
- 1 1/2 cups granular Jaca (allulose) — for the cinnamon topping, replaces 3/4 cup sugar at the 2x ratio
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter (softened, 1 stick)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Drop small pieces of the cinnamon-Jaca mixture all over the top of the dough, covering it evenly.
- 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.
- 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.
