These Oatmeal Cranberry Cheesecake Bars are so incredibly delicious and can be made ahead of time to help with your busy holiday schedule!
This post brought to you by Carton Smart. All opinions are 100% mine.
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.
One of my favorite things about the holiday season is just diving into the kitchen and getting to work. I’m often surprised at the sheer amount of garbage I amass at the end of a baking day. Boxes, cans and all sorts of packaging have to be thrown out or recycled with each and every recipe. Sure, I recycle as much as I can, but it’s a little scary to think about.
Can you imagine the impact we would have this holiday season if each of us made a small, smart decision each day? Tetra Pak cartons are one way you can make those smart decisions and our Earth will love you for it 🙂 It’s time to Become Carton Smart.
Tetra Pak cartons are design for maximum efficiency and are environmentally friendly. I was sent a collection of Pacific Foods to try out and to see how easy it is to use Tetra Pak cartons. I have been buying Pacific foods stocks for a long time but had never tried the Pumpkin Puree or Jellied Cranberry Sauce – both of which are organic. I am currently obsessed with pumpkin but decided to veer into a different direction and give the cranberry sauce a whirl.
First thing I did was look at the ingredients…impressive right? And then I flipped the carton over and read about Pacific foods and That’s exactly the kind of food I want to feed my family!
The package was super easy to open and as I took a taste of the cranberry sauce I was immediately impressed with the bold, fresh flavor. Time to do some baking!
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 the cranberry sauce and then sprinkled on the remaining crumb mixture. Totally. Divine. And it was a recipe I could feel good about. See how easy it is to use cartons in your holiday cooking?
- 1 package yellow cake mix
- 2½ cup quick cooking oats
- ¾ cup butter, melted
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 Tbls lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- 16 oz jellied cranberry sauce
- 2 Tbls cornstarch
- 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.
What you should know about Tetra Pak:
- Tetra Pak® cartons are made of 70% paper, a renewable resource, from selectively harvested, re-grown trees that are FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council)
- Cartons use 1/3 of the packaging compared to cans…or even an egg!
- Cartons are space saving, easy to store and open. Keep your pantry neat and toss your can openers. , stackable and space saving.
- The unique packaging process preserves the flavor and nutrients of food without the use of preservatives.Product quality is exactly the way it was intended to be.
- Recycleable and in fact result in 60% less landfill waste than cans
- Cartons are re-closable so you can use what you need and save the rest for later.
Make sure to Follow #CartonSmart on Pinterest and Tweet @CartonSmart this holiday season! Now let’s get to the giveaway…
I am so excited to be able to offer one of my readers a $500 VISA Gift Card (hello Christmas shopping!) AND a $500 donation to the charity of your choice!
To enter, leave a comment below with a small, smart recipe that uses ingredients in cartons OR a “smart” entertaining tip that produces great tasting food with little waste.
Click here for the official rules and good luck!!
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rose says
November 25, 2015 at 6:13 PMCan I substitute rolled oats for the quick oats?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
November 25, 2015 at 6:57 PMI haven’t tried it in this recipe Rose but in a pinch, I’d say go for it 🙂 Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
laura says
December 18, 2014 at 6:27 PMI use cartoon apple juice and carton broth for my stuffing recipe. And Thank you for your recipes and wonderful ideas…
Harmony B says
December 31, 2013 at 8:02 PMWe use carton chicken stock for everything from soup to mashed potatoes
Julie B says
December 31, 2013 at 4:57 PMMy 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
January 2, 2014 at 8:09 PMJulie! 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
December 31, 2013 at 1:02 PMI use chicken broth in a container for my mom’s stuffing recipe.
Amanda Sakovitz says
December 31, 2013 at 8:24 AMMy recipe is chicken noodle soup with pepperoni and I use cartons of chicken stock.
Bert says
December 30, 2013 at 12:42 PMUse 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
December 18, 2013 at 2:41 PMHere 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
December 14, 2013 at 6:03 AMI 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
December 12, 2013 at 3:56 PMI 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!