These Oatmeal Cranberry Cheesecake Bars are so incredibly delicious and can be made ahead of time to help with your busy holiday schedule!
The holiday baking season is here! I am so excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. We are hosting Thanksgiving (after several years off) and I am happily preparing our menu for the big day. I LOVE having my family over and making them something special. Too often the food I make for my blog is sent to Chris’s work the very next day and no one in my family really gets a chance to enjoy it.
I went with these Oatmeal Cranberry Cheesecake Bars because I LOVE bars and I happen to know that cranberries and cheesecake go very well together 🙂 I used the base from my Blackberry Crumble Bars and followed it with a smooth cheesecake layer. I topped the cheesecake with jellied cranberry sauce and then sprinkled on the remaining crumb mixture. Totally. Divine.
Oatmeal Cranberry Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
- 15.25 oz yellow cake mix 1 box
- 2 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
- 3/4 cup butter melted
- 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk 1 can
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 16 oz jellied cranberry sauce
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Line 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper or grease with cooking spray.
- Mix cake mix and oats in a large bowl.
- Add melted butter and stir until crumbly.
- Press two-thirds of the mixture onto the bottom of the dish.
- Beat cream cheese in a mixer bowl until light and creamy.
- Add sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and vanilla and continue mixing until smooth.
- Pour over crust.
- Combine cranberry sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl.
- Spoon over cream cheese mixture and gently spread out.
- Sprinkle white chocolate chips over tops of cranberry sauce.
- Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over the top and press down gently.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes or until center iss set.
- Cool on a wire rack.
- Refrigerate and cut into bars before serving.
Nutrition
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rose says
Can I substitute rolled oats for the quick oats?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I haven’t tried it in this recipe Rose but in a pinch, I’d say go for it 🙂 Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
laura says
I use cartoon apple juice and carton broth for my stuffing recipe. And Thank you for your recipes and wonderful ideas…
Harmony B says
We use carton chicken stock for everything from soup to mashed potatoes
Julie B says
My favorite recipe to use the Cartons for is my Porkchops and Gravy in the crock pot.
I use the Pacific Natural Foods Organic Cream Of Mushroom Condensed Soup (12 oz).
2 12 oz Pacific Organic Cream of Mushroom Condensed Soup Cartons
4-6 pork chops, boneless (depending on how many people you are serving)
1/2 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 cup of milk
1. Cook the porkchops fully, browning them in skillet.
2. Place the cooked pork chops on the bottom of the crock pot.
3. Turn to crock pot on high heat.
4. Add in Cream of Mushroom soup cartons, dijon mustard, milk and lipton onion soup mix.
5. Stir mixture.
6. Cook for 4 hours, then serve with mashed potatoes or any other side dish you would like.
I never have liked pork chops, however these are AMAZING! They are not tough, they fall apart, and I would recommend this!! It is SO good!
Thank you for the giveaway!!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Julie! This recipe sounds fabulous!! I’d love to share it on the blog after I make it if that’s okay with you? Let me know!
Thomas Murphy says
I use chicken broth in a container for my mom’s stuffing recipe.
Amanda Sakovitz says
My recipe is chicken noodle soup with pepperoni and I use cartons of chicken stock.
Bert says
Use pumpkin puree cartons to make this recipe:
Pumpkin pie croissants
All you need is croissant rolls, pumpkin puree, sugar and cinnamon.
Spread the pumpkin puree over each croissant, roll them up, sprinkle them with sugar and cinnamon and bake as directed
Jennai says
Here is my recipe using cartons
Strawberry Coconut Water Smoothie:
2 Cups frozen strawberries (1) 11.1 oz. carton Cocozia coconut water, 1 Tablespoon ground flax seed, 1-2 Teaspoons honey
Joyce Ray says
I use boxed broth for making soup, gravy, or sauces. I make a couple of broth ice cubes from each carton, using my silicon mini cupcake “papers” for when the soup is too hot for the grandkids. They don’t water down the soup.
And I have a plastic bowl that I keep in the freezer for most veggie peels when I make my own broth. We don’t compost, no garden, yet. When I have to use only 1/2 of a can tomato paste or anything, I freeze the rest by tablespoon dollops on silicone baking sheets, then when frozen, store in reusable bags or bowls.
Carolsue says
I make After-Thanksgiving Turkey Tortilla Soup:
3 cans of Rotel, 2 cans Mexicorn, 2 can black beans drained, 1/2 pkg taco seasoning, 2 cups leftover shredded turkey & a carton of chicken broth
This uses cartons AND leftover holiday turkey to save waste!
DESIREE H says
I use Pacific Simply Stock Chicken in my soup recipe in the crock pot. I use two cartons of the stock, 3 cans cream of chicken soup, half a jar of Franks Red Hot, two tbsp of sour cream, shredded cheese and serve with cilantro on top! Its awesome! Especially if you like spicy!!
kristi@ishouldbemoppingthefloor says
These sound fabulous! One smart entertaining tip I have is to have all finger food at parties…no plastic silverware to waste or real silverware to wash!
And since there’s oatmeal in these, they can totally pass for breakfast, right?!? 🙂
Fingers crossed that I win!! 🙂
Terry says
I use carton chicken broth (1 carton) for my chicken and rice recipe! I do the rice (according to the directions on the back), cook the chicken (2 boneless skinless breasts) in the broth for 20 mins. Save a little bit of the broth and pour it in with the rice. Shred the chicken, add it to the rice. Then add diced jalapenos. It is awesome!
Thanks for the giveaway-
Anna E. says
When making cakes, I like to use a refillable oil mister rather than an aerosol can of spray. Cool cloth napkins are also my favorite decorations on the table.
Lyuba@willcookforsmiles says
Oh my…this looks absolutely delicious!!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thank you Lyuba!
Tonia says
Sounds delicious, Trish! I’ll bet the combination of cranberry and cheesecake is amazing.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
It really is Tonia! Thank you!
Leslie says
When I run low on treats for my dog I grab a banana from the freezer and slice it up! He loves it and I don’t have to run to the store to get another box if treats!
Arlene Jones says
I use cartons of chicken broth for soups. Our teen group at church does a game night around Christmas each year. They go to 5-6 different homes and play a game at each and have different foods at each place. For something easy for a group of 15-20 with little wasted, we do rotel dip in the crockpot and little smokies with a special homemade bbq sauce recipe a sweet little lady from my church back in Kentucky gave me.
Charlene says
I have a carton of tomato sauce just waiting for me to turn it into baked bean. No recipe, just going to wing it. <3
latoya says
When you invite people over for dinner, have to-go containers ready. At the end of the dinner, serve out the leftovers and give them to the guests in the to-go containers. Its a great way to keep the extra food from going to waste.
Maria says
These bars look so good, and what a great way to use cranberry sauce! They sound so delicious!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thank you so much Maria!
Darlene Wright says
I use chicken broth in carton. The recipe is a chicken spaghetti casserole. I mix chicken broth and cream of mushroom soup. Next you pour it over your broken spaghetti noodles , I also mix in onions, red bell peppers and celery. Sprinkle cheese over top and bake. Yum.
CharityS says
Tip: I always use Eco-friendly products to prepare and serve my food, and the containers are great for storing leftovers.
Mary Tingblad says
Entertaining tip with little waste: Always make way more than you need. You can package up extra meals to send home with guests and also have lunches/dinners ready to go for yourself and your family.
Nadia says
My smart tip is to store loaves of bread in your fridge. They last so much longer and it keeps you from throwing them away because they don’t get moldy! And they taste just as good as they did when you bought them.
Christina Haase says
When I make pumpkin pies, I always seem to have a little of the filling left. Instead of throwing it out, I have some small baking dishes that I simply spray with cooking spray and fill. If you have a guest who is not fond of crust, you can simply give them an indiidual serving. Nothing is wasted!
Becca Hill says
I don’t use the cartons because we don’t have many here. I don’t buy these things in cans either. I make my own pumpkin purée from pumpkins I get for super cheap after Halloween and then I freeze it or can it. I’ve also made my own chicken stock. Very little waste and I know exactly what went in my foods.
Beth Gallagher says
I use chicken broth (Pacific, of course) to make a sort of cheesy chicken fricasee. MMmmmmmm….. Also a great appetizer for entertaining is steamed asparagus spears with wasabi mayonnaise dipping sauce! Yum. Delicious with no waste, and not even any leftovers! 🙂 Thanks so much for the chance to win, and for the good looking recipe too! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Stephanie Henson says
I use hollowed out fruit, vegetables and beads to put Dips and spreads in. It uses them up and looks good!
lori theisen says
I use the Pumpkin Puree to make a Pumpkin Fluff Dip
Ingredients
16 ozs pumpkin puree
8 ozs cream cheese, softened
1 cup brown sugar
14 ozs sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla ? Tasty tip
1 tsp cinnamon ? Tasty tip
1 tsp nutmeg
Heather says
I make fresh vegetable soup using broth and vegetables from the garden!
Heather says
Love chicken and veggie broth for soups or cooking rice, etc. The reclosable tetras make it so easy to use what you need and keep on hand in the fridge.
Kim Turner says
I love using carton chicken or beef stock. They are resealable so what I don’t use I can put in the fridge and it won’t go waist. I use it for cooking rice to give it extra flavor instead of water as well as for stuffing,gravy’s. And a great thing I do with left over pie dough is I roll it out and sprinkle cinnamon/sugar or I’ll spread some jam on it. Cut it into strips and roll them up and bake them. Awesome little mini snacks.
Vicki says
I use the reusable grocery bags. Some stores give you credit for bringing your own bags too.
fahey says
Being an Aussie married to a Yank 🙂 our Thanksgiving table holds a pumpkin cheesecake instead of the traditional, pumpkin pie. Organic pumpkin puree, smooth white baked cheesecake, marbled together are irresistible atop a gingernut snap biscuit base. YUM!
Lauren says
Buying items such as dried beans and grains in bulk allows you to save waste on aluminum cans and boxes. You can buy a large amount and place in reusable containers when you get home, plus the dried items stay good for ages!
Sandie Gilmer says
I always use cartooned chicken broth in place of water with rice. It’s delish! Sandie.renwick@gmail.com
Christy Spurlock says
I use chicken broth in a carton instead of water when making my rice. Added flavor.
Amy S says
I would make a pumpkin cheesecake!
Debbie M. says
My “smart” tip is to make sure you have plenty of dish towels on hand in the kitchen while preparing your meal so you aren’t tempted to grab a paper towel to clean up a spill or dry off a dish.
Ashley H says
I use beef broth from a carton to make my pot roast.
Jen Naus says
This looks so yummy! I use cartons of chicken and beef broth also. I’ve never seen pumpkin, cranberry or anything else in cartons. I will be on the look out from now on. Thanks for the tip!
Libby D says
I use carton of broth (chicken or beef) when I’m cooking soups. I love that if I don’t use the entire carton, I can put it in the fridge for next time and not have to worry about the can tipping over, etc.
Neiddy says
I would make a delicious and easy breakfast for my family using the pumpkin puree carton.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chips pancakes:
2 cups baking mix,2 large eggs,1-1/4 cups milk,1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 1/3 cup mini-chocolate chips, 2 tbsp. sugar, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.
Whisk all the ingredients together and cook until the pancakes are golden brown
cynthia G says
I would make E’Touffee using Chicken Broth from a carton as my base for my sauce 🙂
email: cindygaarder at gmail dot com
Jennifer Reed says
My smart entertaining tip to produce less waste is to use aluminum canned drinks instead of plastic bottles. Aluminum is a much easier recyclable material than plastic.
Sonja says
Now that’s a nummy looking recipe that I will be trying for the holidays. I love that you are an organic person, as am I. I can’t imagine feeding my family all those lovely pesticides…so therefore, I bought a Cuisineart ice cream maker and make my own ice cream with all organic ingredients. My grandkids now come over every Sunday afternoon because they know grandma is making dessert! The recipes this comes with are simple, easy and the kids say they have never tasted better ice cream.
Kelsey m says
When there is extra pie crust, sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar for a little pre-dinner snack:)
Nikki says
I make simple chicken and dumplings with half a carton of chicken broth, water, and a canon chicken. Then I mix bisquick with milk and drop in dumplings. So quick and yummy!!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Sounds delicious Nikki – good luck!
Brooke Meyer says
I always use egg whites in a carton. It’s less waste (both in egg shells and in egg yolks because I’d throw them away otherwise). It also is a big waste saver when it comes to making angel food cake from scratch. 10-12 eggs with the shell & yolks thrown away is a waste!
Julie says
I use chicken broth in carton in my stuffing
Gina says
Love their products- just picked up a bunch of the chicken stock yesterday for crock pot meals & gravy.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Sounds delicious – can I come over?? Thanks Gina!
Wild Orchid says
I love to make chicken noodle soup with the chicken broth straight from the carton!
Thanks for the chance to win!
wildorchid985 at gmail dot com
Lou says
I do a mega salad with canned chickpeas, canned corn, and canned black olives, along with tomatoes, red pepper, sweet onion, etc.
Meryl says
Soup with canned low sodium chicken broth, canned navy beans, canned whole tomatoes. and frozen, thawed spinach with sauteed garlic and onion.
Brenda A. says
I love using the broth that comes in cartons. I can save the rest or freeze it when it won’t be used soon.
Jennifer Z says
I use the carton buttermilk to make waffles. It’s actually Alton Brown’s recipe. Very simple:
2 cups flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
pinch salt
3 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs, beaten
4T butter, melted
2 c buttermilk.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Oooh that sounds great Jennifer!
Adrienne Yancey says
I love having carton smart pumpkin on hand for pumpkin pancakes, overnight oats, and smoothies!
Amalia J says
One of my favorite meals here lately is what my husb. made yesterday: quinoa cooked with Pacific veg. broth and leftover rotisserie chicken & fresh vegetables– delicious soup! (btw, we also are using Pacific almond milk right now & that will go into the kidlets’ oatmeal in the a.m.) I would love to use Pacific 6cran. sauce & pumpkin from cartons!
Gloria Guajardo says
If we have friends over for a barbecue and we have some leftovers I use those yo prepare lunch for the next Day!
DEBIJOT says
I use carton chicken broth for my dressing – crumbled corn bread, chopped onions, chopped celery, 2 raw eggs, salt, pepper and sage.
Amanda S. says
I use chicken stock from a carton, cream, canned tomatoes, linked sausage, cheese, veggies & pasta to make delicious 1 pot dinner! Why throw out that empty Carton when you can clean it, wrap in paper, and let your toddler decorate it, then use as a marker/Crayon/scissor holder!
Jenn@eatcakefordinner says
Your bars look amazing! I love to use cartoned almond milk to make smoothies along with some frozen fruit.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thank you Jen! Love almond milk in smoothies!
Nici says
Wowzers! Trish, these bars sound absolutely divine! Thanks for sharing with us!
Blessings,
Nici
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thank you Nici!
Diane @ Vintage Zest says
I use all of my vegetable scraps and peels for composting!
Gina Guthrie says
I love to make a quick soup using ingredients that I have in cartons and cans, i.e. beans, broth, veggies.
S^3 says
Make a whole chicken so you can make make multiple meals.
Danielle says
I like to use fresh produce when entertaining. Very little waste with fruit and veggie trays!
Simone says
I’m stoked to try these bars!!! My favorite “smart” entertaining tip is to use pretty washable cloth napkins and use fruits or veggies as the platter to serve in 🙂
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thank you Simone and good luck!
Lauren C. says
Not just for entertaining, but for our everyday meals we use real plates, glasses, cups, silverware etc. We do have a roll of paper towels in the kitchen but use dish towels to dry hands, and another to dry dishes. To get ready for company, windows and mirrors are dried with recycled newspaper for a sparkling finish. When cooking, fresh is best. Shopping for fresh fruits and vegetables and always using reusable bags helps the environment. I always used the carton chicken broth instead of butter in our mashed potatoes. My daughter enjoys Butternut Squash soup in the carton. I haven’t seen the cranberry sauce in a carton yet, but now I’m going to hunt it down. 🙂 Personally, I think that foods that are in cartons taste better than from a can too!
If I win, my charity of choice would be Epiphany Center in San Francisco. The Epiphany Center is 161 years old and provides client-centered care to a diverse population of children, women, and families who are the most vulnerable in our society. Our purpose is to strengthen family life and to enhance the physical, social-emotional, intellectual and spiritual growth of each person in our care.
Thank you to Carton Smart and you, Trish for this opportunity!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Love all these great tips Lauren! Good luck!
Claudia says
I use cartoon chicken broth to make mashed potatoes I cut the potatoes on small chunks and boil with chicken broth until the potatoes get soft and the broth reduces enough to use the broth to mashed the potatoes add salt and paper to taste no need to add butter, I also make mexican rice,
Tabitha Arguelles says
If we make too much masa for tortillas for dinner, we like to reserve some for dessert as bunuelos. Then you have dessert without much extra effort!
Kirsten says
My favorite way to use chicken broth is to make chicken noodle or chicken and rice soup in my crock pot. It’s SUPER easy and leaves your house smelling delicious.
Shelly T. says
We use chicken broth in a carton for soups. My daughter loves it!
Jessie C. says
We like using carton miso broth to make quick noodle tofu soup.
Janet M. says
I love to use fruit, veggies, or bread as my serving containers. Lots less waste and less dishes to wash.
heather says
I use the carton chicken stock in my chicken vegi potato crockpot resipe
Dawn says
Always looking for better ways to cook for our
Environment. Using chicken broth in box
packaging is a great start. Better than in
the can for my chicken and dressing recipe.
Bryn says
I hate the foam trays that meat is packaged on so I always buy meat in bulk and repackage in recyclable foil and freeze. Each time we do this we are avoiding at least four foam trays.
Kristen says
I’ve been making my own coffee creamer with half and half. Saves money too. 🙂 I also add heavy cream to my homemade sauces, alfredo and red sauces.
Steph @ Crafting in the Rain says
Finger foods are great for making little waste, because you don’t need all the utencils…but maybe more napkins…perhaps it’s a toss up 🙂
Lisa Cameron says
I use carton chicken/veggie/beef stocks in soups and sauces. My favorite White Bean and Kale Soup only uses 1 carton and 1 can (recyclable) plus a ton of veggies. It’s delicious and there is very little waste. I’m looking forward to trying the Oatmeal and Cranberry bars. They look yummy!
Debbie Jackson says
carton pureed pumpkin is perfect for my pumpkin rolls
Gloria says
The pumpkin would be great in cookies.
Dawn Paa says
I use the Swanson’s chicken broth in the cartons. I buy them at Sam’s club and get 3 at a time. I love using them for making (boiling) the spaetzles before I add them to my chicken and spaetzle soup. This add so much extra flavor to them.
Shelby says
My entertaining tip is just to skip on the paper plates, silverware, plastic cups and paper napkins. It causes SO much waste! Use cloth napkins and dinnerware you can wash and reuse! It not only reduces waste, it saves money. All of that disposable stuff really adds up!
Laura Barrera says
I use boxed chicken broth in so many different recipes. I use it to cook rice, I cook many meals in my crock pot using boxed chicken broth, I use it cook soups and stews, and I also like to cook it with fresh kale for a nice veggie soup. I always have a couple of extra boxes of chicken broth in my pantry.
Jacqueline M says
I always grab cartons of sweet potato soup to use as a base for my curry stir fry. I love the taste of the sweet potatoes in curry.
gayle honnold says
I don’t have anything new, we use real tableware to reduce paper and plastic waste, I often use veggies as dip bowls, friends with rabbits get veggie waste, leftovers go home with guests in glass dishes and I plan on looking forthe Pacific products at my grocery stores. I cannot wait to try the Oatmeal Cranberry Cheesecake Bars, they contain all my favorites!
Shannon says
Our area hasn’t gotten into cartons much except for milk and Broths. I love using the cartons because there is so much less waste. Love your sites, caring and recipes.
DeniseG says
Aluminum foil! It’s recyclable; cling wrap is not. Use it for storage/leftovers instead. You can even use it for prep…makes cleanup easy peasy. (Just rinse off any crazy sauces or baked-on cheese, etc first!)
MaryB says
I have never seen the jellied cranberry sauce in a carton! I will be looking for it. My tip is to use chicken stock or broth to cook quinoa, rice or noodles for extra flavor boost and use the remaining broth or stock in the carton for soup.
lori w. says
My homemade icing is made with a carton of heavy whipping cream, vanilla, powdered sugar and cream cheese. Best on chocolate cake.
Mami2jcn says
We use chicken broth from cartons to make homemade chicken noodle soup.
Danielle says
I use 1 carton pacific cream of mushroom soup with i large onion and 1 1/2 pounds of stew meat combined in my crock pot for 3 hours on low. add sour cream and serve over buttered noodles. ( you can add more mushrooms as well)
SO GOOD!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
That does sound good Danielle – yum!
Kari Applegate says
I use cartoned chicken broth to cook rice instead of water, gives it better flavor!
JEFF TAYLOR says
I would make chicken vegetable soup! The chicken stock is in a carton. Then just add canned (or prepared) chircken , noodles, and canned veggies. There is no waste because it makes a great to-go lunch and is easy to reheat!
Kari Applegate says
I use cartoned chicken broth to cook my rice instead of water. Gives it flavor!
Corinne Downey says
I just made corned beef and cabbage soup! After boiling the corned beef for 2 hours, I strained the broth, added onion, carrots, cabbage, potatoes and a 28 oz carton of chicken stock. Delicious!!!
Alicia K says
a smart tip on producing less waste is to buy things in bulk. bulk items usually use less packaging
pixystik4u at gmail dot com
ELIZA ELLIOT says
Oooh, this looks so yummy – I am going to have to try it! My smart tip to reduce waste is to use veggies as bowls for dips and other snacks. We also use real plates to lesson the waste of paper products and cloth napkins add a special touch as well. truckredford(at)Gmail(dot)com
Jess says
I would use some of that chicken stock with some leftover chicken, veggies, and homemade egg noodles for some chicken noodle soup!
Jeanette says
Love anything easy to prepare in advance so you can more time with your company
ToriGrace says
When putting watermelon in a fruit salad, a cute and useful tip is to use the hollowed out half of the watermelon for a bowl. My mom always cut it to make it look like a basket when I was a kid. Its a creative way to make use of the WHOLE watermelon!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
I so love that you put a crumble on top! For my tip, I love to use extra pie crust to make cookies instead of throwing it away! 🙂
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thanks Dorothy!
SalBug says
I like using veggies as appetizer containers – – seasoned creamed cheese in mini bell pepper halves, broiled half tomatoes filled with rice and cheese, tortilla chip ‘scoops’ filled with taco ingredients, etc.
D SCHMIDT says
I love to use the cartons of pumpkin in pancakes, waffles and cheesecakes! I use the cartons of broth in casserole recipes and to cook my vegetables (gives them a lovely flavor)
Nancy says
Another way to entertain with little waste is to purchase fruits and veggies at the farmer’s market. You can use fabric tote bags and have little to no packaging at all. Also use trimmings from your veggies to make veggie broth.
Mary-Clay @ Cooking with the King says
I always use cartoned chicken/veggie broth to make risotto!
Lisa Brown says
Carton pureed pumpkin is perfect to use in a pumpkin spiced smoothie, or to use in a pumpkin cheesecake.
jslbrown_03 at yahoo dot com