A couple of weeks ago when I got to the thrift shop I was running a little late and didn't expect the "Guys" to be still on break, but they were. The "Guys" are Volunteers John, Terry, and Jerry. They are always waiting in the community room for me to get their with my "treat".
This Monday they were still there, but they warned me someone else had brought something and they had eaten it. The "something" was a dish of Cheesecake bars. They said they were really good.
Later while I was doing my cleaning, I saw several girls pulling clothing with a certain color price tag from the rack. One of them, Marissa, is a staffer. She always praises whatever I bring so I told her what I had brought that day. Then she told me she had brought from Cheesecake Bars and wanted me to let her know how they tasted since she considered me an expert.
I went immediately and got a bar and ate a bite. OMG, it was so good! When I told her they were great, she was very excited. I asked her for the recipe and told her I would share it here. She said she doubled the recipe and made them in a 9 x 13 - inch baking pan. She also sprinkled some of the crumbs on the top and then drizzled some caramel sauce over the top which she made by melted some caramel chips. You could also drizzle some caramel sauce for ice cream if you had that.
Here is Marissa's recipe:
2-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
* * *
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup sour cream
6 large eggs
5 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon packed freshly grated lemon zest, from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
* * *
caramel sauce
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13 - inch baking pan with aluminum foil so there is an overhang on two sides. Lightly spray foil with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
Make the crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar, and salt. Stir to make sure no lumps remain. Press into the bottom and up 1 inch on the sides of the pan. Reserve some of the crumbs to sprinkle on the top of bars.
Bake until set at least 10 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and set aside.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
In a large mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese, granulated sugar, and flour together on medium speed until just smooth, about a minute. Make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the sour cream, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Beat on low speed until just combined, about a minute. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into the slightly cooled crust. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs on top. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes until the filling is set but still a little jiggly in the center. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Refrigerate until cold, at least 6 hours or overnight.
Use the foil to lift the bars out of the pan onto a cutting board. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the top and cut into squares to serve.
No comments:
Post a Comment