Baking Bonanza

Hubby has taken these gems to work twice in the last two weeks, and everyone has raved about them. We don't eat cheesecake that much, and even we liked them. This is an easy recipe to play around with. The first time I made them as is, but the second time, I added some pumpkin to the filling. See the note about that at the end of the recipe. Have fun and enjoy them. These would make a great Thanksgiving dessert.

Cheesecake Bars:

Base:
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Filling:
1/4 cup sugar
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 egg
**** See the note at the bottom of the recipe.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Combine flour and walnuts or pecans with creamed mixture. Reserve 1 cup for topping. Press remainder into bottom of ungreased 8" or 9" square pan. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned.


In a small bowl, blend sugar and cream cheese until smooth. Add milk, lemon juice, vanilla, and egg. Beat well. Spread over baked crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake at 350 for 23-27 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator. Makes 24 small bars.

**** The second time I made these, I added 1/2 can of pumpkin, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, and 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice to the filling. I did not add cloves or nutmeg, but I think it would make them even better. I will do that next time for sure.