Cheesecake Squares

daisygrl64's Note:

The flavor of cheesecake in an easy to make bar. You can be creative and turn these into X-Mas Holiday Bars by stirring in 1/4 cup red and 1/4 cup green chopped candied cherries into the filling mixture. Enjoy :) Land-O-Lakes Cookbook.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 35 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 16 bars

Crust

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup brown sugar , firmly packed
• 1⁄3; cup butter or 1⁄3; cup margarine , softened
• ½ cup walnuts or ½ cup pecans , chopped

Filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese , softened
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. heat oven to 350*F.
2. in large mixer bowl combine flour, brown sugar and butter. beat at low speed scraping bowl often until mixture is crumbly.
3. by hand add nuts, reserve 1 cup of mixture for topping, press remaining mixture on bottom of 8" square baking pan.
4. bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.
5. meanwhile, in small mixer bowl combine all filling ingredients. beat at med speed scraping bowl often until smooth.
6. spread over hot crust.
7. sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.
8. continue bking for 23 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.
9. cool, cut into bars, store refrigerated.