Walnut Cheesecake Bars

I found a recipe online, and it was okay. But I wanted it to be a bit more. So I worked on this one, and I think I have it where I like it. This is not a sweet dessert. There is an option to make it sweeter if you want. But I think you’ll enjoy this one. I, of course, don’t use cherry pie filling because cherry pie filling is horrifically disgusting, but I seem to be the only one with that opinion.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of flour

• 1 cup of finely chopped walnuts (or pecans)

• 1 cup of butter, melted

• 1 cup of light brown sugar

• 2 8oz packages of room temperature cream cheese

• 1/2 cup of granulated sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1/4 cup of whole or 2% milk

• 3 tablespoons of lemon juice

• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

• Optional: Cherry Pie Filling

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9” x 13” casserole dish.

2. Mix the flour, nuts, butter, and brown sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Stir together until the flour has fully absorbed the butter. Spread half the mixture in the casserole dish with your hands. It will be a very thin layer on the bottom. Bake for 15 minutes.

3. After the bottom crust has come out of the oven, mix the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed in a stand mixer till thoroughly incorporated, about five minutes, stopping halfway to scrape the bowl.

4. Add the eggs, lemon juice, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly to combine on medium speed for about four minutes.

5. (If using cherry pie filling, spread the pie filling over the bottom crust at this point, so it is underneath the cheesecake mixture)

6. Pour the cheesecake mixture on top of the crust, and spread evenly. Then sprinkle the remaining bit of the flour-nut mixture evenly across the top.

7. Bake for 25 minutes. If using a pie filling, it may need 30-35 minutes. The top will be, in parts, golden brown.

Notes

If the cream cheese is just out of the fridge, take it out of the wrapper, place it on a microwave-safe plate, and microwave on full power for 30 seconds, checking every 10 seconds to see if it is soft. Some microwaves are more powerful than others.