Blackberry Sopapilla Bars

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Blackberry Sopapilla Bars, inspired by the Mexican dessert called sopapilla from Pancho’s in Corpus Christi Texas, have a sweet, creamy cheesecake filling, fresh blackberries all topped with cinnamon dusted crescent crust.

Blackberry Sopapilla Bars

Crispy fried dough coated in cinnamon sugar served warm with honey sopapillas are mi carino’s favorite dessert. As a kid, his parents would take him to a local restaurant called Pancho’s. Pancho’s served an array of Tex-Mex dishes from crispy tacos, enchiladas, and fajitas, buffet-style. At every table, there was a tri-colored flag featuring the colors of Mexico, that customers would raise to request a refill. Pancho’s is most popular for the slogan “raise the flag,” and their piping hot sopapillas.

Pancho’s closed its doors in the late 80’s here locally and most of its other Texas locations, only a few locations still operate in Northern Texas.

His mom attempted to recreate the recipe but soon gave up after she was unable to achieve the light, flaky dough that Pancho’s was known for.

In becoming his wife, I was soon lovingly tasked with recreating his beloved sopapillas. I, being the amazingly wonderful wife cranked on the oven and made him sopapilla cheesecake bars, warm from the oven I drizzled them with honey. I mean c’mon, two layers of cinnamon sweet, flaky layers stuffed with a creamy cheesecake – what’s not to love?

He loved them. Or I should say he loved me.

And he has been eating sopapilla bars ever since.  Over the years, I have baked several different variations of these sopapilla bars – chocolate, pecan pie, lemon, peach, but our favorite hands down is blackberry.

My mami grows wild blackberries in her backyard. In the month of July, they overtake the entire yard. Vibrant and juicy we pick them daily to add to these blackberry sopapilla bars.

To make these sopapilla bars, you will need crescent rolls, cream cheese, cinnamon sugar and Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil.

I brush both the bottom and the top layer of the crescent roll with the butter with canola oil before adding the cinnamon sugar which results in a crispy crust.

The Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil features three simple ingredients: cream, canola oil and salt. It provides the fresh butter taste with the convenience of being spreadable right out of the refrigerator!

The filling comes together quickly with a hand mixer, then is spread over the bottom layer. Plenty of fresh blackberries over the cheese filling. You can also use blackberry jam.  Once baked, these blackberry sopapilla bars are dreamy.

I’m including a short video on how easily these blackberry sopapilla bars come together.

Photos by Gabriel Mancha Martinez