Anything eggnog-related always reminds me of the movie “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” – the scene where cousin Eddie is slurping it from the little reindeer glasses. I always wanted those reindeer glasses – so festive! We never drank much eggnog in our house growing up, but I managed to try it here and there over the years. I love the kick that it has, but more than drinking it, I love baking with it. Enter these cheesecake bars. A graham cracker crust topped with cheesecake filling that has eggnog, brandy and nutmeg in it (among other things) – talk about a real kick! If you’re making a dessert tray for a holiday party or Christmas, these definitely need to be included. Your guests will thank you 
This cheesecake filling is creamy, smooth and, as you can imagine, packed with flavor. I had four different people taste these so far, and each one has literally been rendered speechless. All I got out of them were some grunts, “ooooh”, “mmmmm” and “Oh my God, this is amazing”. I translate that to four stars for sure.
They are addicting. And boozy. That’s what the holidays are all about, right?! Bring on the delicious merriment!
Two years ago: Chocolate Sandwich Cookies (Homemade Oreos)
Eggnog Cheesecake Bars
Yield: 18 bars
Prep Time: 20 minutes | Bake Time: 1 hour, total
12 graham crackers, finely ground (1½ cups of crumbs)
¾ cup + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
¾ cup eggnog
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon + 1½ teaspoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus extra for dusting
¼ teaspoon salt1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan, then line with parchment paper; set aside.
2. Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, and the melted butter. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is just brown around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool.
3. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining ¾ cup granulated sugar and beat for an additional couple of minutes, until smooth. Add the eggs and yolk, eggnog, brandy and vanilla and beat again until completely combined and smooth. Finally, beat in the flour, nutmeg and salt and mix until smooth.
4. Pour the filling over the crust. Set the pan in a larger pan (a 9×13-inch works for this), and add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the baking pan. Bake until just set, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the baking pan from the water bath, and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
5. Cut into 1½x3-inch bars. Lightly dust the tops of the bars with freshly grated nutmeg just before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Note: If you don’t wish to use the brandy, you can simply omit it.
(Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart)
Tags: Bar Desserts, Cheesecake, Christmas, Winter
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These are so going on the list! YUM!
Cheesecake bars is a great idea, you can make a ton of different kinds of them! And eggnog flavor is genious. *drools*
Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts and these look delicious! I love how Christmas-y they are!
This is such a great idea and I love how you’ve cut them up small into little bars. Makes it easier to justify eating about 8 of them
Wow, this looks delicious! I love eggnog flavored festive treats!
Btw, you can totally buy the moose mugs from Christmas Vacation…but they’re a little pricey. Totally awesome though!
http://www.amazon.com/Officially-Licensed-National-Christmas-Vacation/dp/B003VK8Q20/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322733608&sr=8-1
Oooh totally awesome! I might treat myself to those, thank you for the link!
Oh boy this looks good! This would be perfect to serve at a party for Christmas! I just love cheesecake and adding Brandy! Sigh…. Can you come over and bake for me?
Oh my gracious! You had me (as always) at eggnog! I would love to make these for a work party, but am thinking of skipping the brandy – do you think it would take too much away from the flavor?
I don’t think so, there is still a ton of flavor from the eggnog.
These sound positively scrumptious!
I’m the same exact way! Too thick to drink but perfect in place of cream in your favorite desserts.
I’m not a fan of eggnog but I love eggnog flavored stuff! I can’t wait to make these!!!
Why are you posting so many amazing recipes this week! I don’t know if I should
or D:
If I had cream cheese in the house, I’d be making these today. Alas, I do not, so I’m going to have to settle for Maria’s Mini Eggnog Donut Muffins that she posted on Two Peas and their Pod earlier this week for my eggnog baking fix. But these eggnog cheesecake bars will be next week…
I love baking with eggnong. I made a yummy eggnog cake with rum flavored buttercream frosting last night. But I’m not a fan of actually drinking the stuff. These cheesecake bars look great. Graham cracker crust: good. eggnog flavored cheesecake: good. Booze: awesome! Christmas parties, here I come!
For Christmas our family favorite is Bailey’s Irish Cream.
A scrumptious way to enjoy eggnog, away from the carton
These look amazing! I can’t wait to try them. I loooveee eggnog
I love making cheesecake items- this is perfect for a holiday party! And Nat’l Lampoons Christmas Vacation is such a classic! An absolute must watch at least once every year.
I have so many eggnog recipes to try. Maybe I’ll do a recipe or two a day.
I’m adding this one to my list.
I love both cheesecake and eggnog! I have actually been on the hunt for some great eggnog recipes, this one looks fantastic!
My favorite winter beverage is Ghulwein! Became a fan of it while in Germany. So delicious!
What a great cheesecake dessert for the holidays! Boozy desserts are always the best!
Hmm…thinking I may make these for my candy swap next week!
Oh those sound so good, and you need the booze in them, it’s tradition;)
this sounds pretty delicious, have to give it a try as I love egg nog
as I live in central europe I wanted to ask what cream cheese you use?
Hi Lil, I use Philadelphia cream cheese (that’s a brand name).
that’s good, I can find it here, thanks, I’ll give it a try
Hot chocolate
Does anyone know if it’s possible to make these as an actual cheesecake? If so, what would I have to do differently? I just bought my first springform pan and I’m dying to use it!
I am adding these on my list of things to make!!! YUM!!! And so Christmas-y
I really hate those people who feel compelled to correct everyone and everything, BUT they’re MOOSE glasses, not reindeer!! LOL. Looks like another great recipe – love your blog (Uh. . . and Christmas Vacation . . . and mooses)
What a lovely holiday treat. The recipe sounds wonderful and the bars look beautiful. Cheers and pass the plate please
Ha we were just throwing around some ideas of a dessert inspired by that movie! There’s no better way to fully embrace Christmas than to start watching all the great movies and that one is definitely a favorite! These cheesecake bars look totally delicious! Actual cheesecake’s can be a bit hard to deal with but cheesecake bars? I’m in!
i’m not a huge fan of eggnog, but i try to drink it every year. and the muted flavor of it in these bars makes me want to make these
These are a perfect holiday treat – would go well with my starbucks eggnog latte…yummm!
Shoot dang, these sound awesome.
Hot chocolate is definitely my winter drink of choice. With whipped cream. Yum.
Very cool idea, especially making them in to bars!
Wow, these look so good. They are pretty too! So perfect for the holidays too.
Cold weather beverage of choice – hot spiced tea without a doubt!
You. Are. Amazing. And inspiring!!
I am craving these…
Sugar cookies are def my holiday favorite, but these look like they might be a close second!
I drank way too much eggnog as a kid and I think that is why I can’t stomach it now– too heavy. But in bar form, they are just right. In fact we polished off a batch of eggnog cheesecake bars lastnight:P
I’ve gotta make eggnog something this season, and this cheesecake looks like it would hit the spot… maybe with a chocolate-cinnamon crust!?
Oh yum!! These sound delicious & a perfect recipe to use the leftover egg nog I have from making cookies. Awesome timing!
Thanks for the recipe.
What a great looking bars, and what a awesome flavor! Yummy!
Congrats on well deserved top 9!
Love boozy desserts, and Congratulations on Top 9!
These just made the top of my ‘to bake’ list. YOM.
These are gorgeous. Congrats on top 9!
Just come across this on Foodbuzz, Im so glad! Im just going to grab a coffee and sit down for some sunday morning reading!
You just took my favorite holiday drink…and turned it into a cheesecake bar.
wow.
Thank you for making my day. These will be the best present to make for my eggnog-aholic dad
Eggnog AND cheesecake? Okay, win-win obviously! They look absolutely delicious!
I love to bake with eggnog much more than I drink, as well… Though, lately I’ve started putting it in my coffee. Yum! These cheesecake bars look fabulous. I will definitely give them a try!
Just made these for a holiday party last weekend! Easy! They turned out fabulous and people loved them! I was hoping that the eggnog and brandy flavors would be more discernable though. People could taste a hint of something special in them, but couldn’t pinpoint the eggnog or brandy flavors. Any ideas on how to intensify the flavors next time? Regardless, I will be keeping this recipe in my rotation for sure! (Thank you for sharing it!)
Hi Kristin, That’s actually surprising because I thought the brandy was VERY pronounced in these bars, and everyone that I had try them (four different people) all said they tasted just like eggnog, that the flavor was really strong. Did you happen to buy a “light” or low-fat eggnog by any chance? I’m thinking maybe that could cause the flavor to not be as robust.
Thanks for the feedback, Michelle! Well, that settles it – I’ll just need to make them again (rats) during the holidays to test and tweak further. I think the eggnog was full-fat. I wonder if the brandy was the issue? I do know that I have a posse of taste testers poised to help me give them another go. Will try them again! Thank you again!
I was actually discussing eggnog with some coworkers today. I’m not too big a fan of drinking it straight, but put it in some baked goods – and it does magic!
I wish everyone loved eggnog like I do! I am so excited about this recipe. I’m hoping to make some converts by trying this recipe on the naysayers!
xo
http://allykayler.blogspot.com/
I just made these for a holiday party we went to last night. They were a huge hit! Creamy, delicious, and the egg nog flavor was definitely present but not overpowering for those who don’t adore eggnog as much as we do. (Eggnog pancakes, eggnog waffles, egg nog ice cream and I make egg nog kringla cookies every Christmas!) I skipped the brandy (worried that the flavor might be a turn off for the kids) and doubled the recipe for a 13″ square pan (the middle pan of a nested layer cake set.) I used the largest square for the water bath. It worked perfectly and made 40 bars. The freshly grated nutmeg on top definitely underlines the egg nog flavor. We loved it! Thanks for an amazing recipe!
Hi. Just wondering if you could substitute rum for the brandy? Will it still taste just as good?
Oooh yes I think you could!
I usually use rum in eggnog cheesecake. I tried the recipe tonight and used rum instead of brandy. I also added an extra 1/4 cup of eggnog for the cheesecake and an extra 1/2 stick of melted butter for the crust.
Hey Nicole,
Do you know how I could modify this recipe to make a cheesecake instead?
Thanks!
Hi Michelle,
I made these for my department’s Holiday Party, and they were a HUGE HIT. One question, though: My bars tasted really awesome, but they didn’t seem as set as yours do in your pictures above, and they were a little messier than I had hoped. Do you know what happened?
Thanks,
Elizabeth
P.S. Awesome serving suggestion: I cut the bars up and set them on snowman-themed cupcake liners. Very festive, and perfect for handling!
Hi Elizabeth, It sounds like maybe they weren’t baked long enough or chilled long enough. If it was the baking, could your oven maybe run a little cooler? (I always recommend using an oven thermometer to get an accurate temperature.) I’m glad you enjoyed them though, and love the idea of serving them in little cupcake liners!
I made these for Christmas and they were great! I used only the 1 Tablespoon of Brandy so they wouldn’t be overpoweringly boozy, but I couldn’t really even taste the Brandy so next time I’ll try the full amount. The eggnog flavor wasn’t overpowering either so that was good. Everyone who tried them liked them alot! I also didn’t have fresh nutmeg, but my “old” stuff worked fine. Thanks!