Cherry Cheesecake Bars

These are bad. They are addictive. Be careful. Seriously, I took these to the real estate office today. I had to. So I recommend you make these when you have a house full of family. They will be devoured, and you wont feel guilty for eating too many.

I baked them in a 10” round spring form pan. They were easy to remove, and they cut into 1-1/2” squares neatly. They are a nice bake-ahead, that you can serve on a decorative glass dish. No fuss, no muss, but plenty of enjoyment.

This is another original recipe. Honestly, sometimes those are just the best. It starts with a hankerin’. I usually fall asleep thinking about a taste, and I wake, inspired in the morning to create. One requirement for these inspired recipes is top quality ingredients. Freshest, most flavorful ingredients combined with simple preparation, in my opinion, make for the recipes you will make over and over again.

This particular recipe fires on all cylinders:

1. Appearance. They say you first “taste” your food with your eyes. Be honest, if food doesn’t appeal to you at first glance, you may skip over it, and choose something you recognize, right? You can tell by looking at these bars, they have cohesion. You’ll be able to easily pick up a square, take a few bites, and it’s going to hold together while you eat it.

2. Texture. These bars have a wonderful “mouth feel.” In other words, the creamy texture, the slightly firm fruit and the cookie like crust all combine in a wonderful bite, tantalizing your senses.

3. Taste. Check. They are delicious.

Give this one a try. I’m prepared to make a prediction that you’ll put this recipe in the regular rotation. Perfect for potlucks, picnics and family get-togethers. And when someone asks for the recipe, well, I’ll leave that part up to you. You can point them to this website, or you can keep it in your cache, and leave them wanting more.

Ingredients

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 10” springform pan with parchment paper, and spray with non-stick spray.

Crust & topping

• 1/2 cup butter melted, cooled

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1-1/2 cups  flour

• 1/2  teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2  teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, until it appears fully mixed, yet a little lumpy. Reserve 3/4 cup of this mixture for sprinkling over the top of the cherry compote layer. Press the rest into a 10” round spring form pan, on the bottom, and 1/2” up the sides.

Cheesecake Layer

2 ounces (1/4 cup) cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1 Tablespoon flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat the cream cheese, sour cream and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Beat in the egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl to fully incorporate. Add flour and vanilla, and mix a bit more, until smooth. Pour over crust, and gently spread with a rubber spatula.

Cherry Compote

1- 14.5 ounce can tart cherries, drained with 1/2 cup juice reserved

3/8 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1-1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1-2 drops red food coloring (optional)

Combine cherry juice, sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch in a medium sauce pan. Cook over medium high heat, until it comes to s boil. Reduce heat, and continue to simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in cherries, and optional food coloring. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Once cool. Spoon over the cream cheese layer. Top with reserved topping. Bake for 28-31 minutes.

Remove from oven, and allow to cool completely. Release the band on the springform pan. Dust with powdered sugar, and cut into 1-1/2” squares.