Christmas Cherry Cheesecake Bars 🎄🍰 Recipe Idea

 

Christmas Cherry Cheesecake Bars 🎄🍰

Ingredients:

Sugar Cookie Mix: 8.5 ounces

Cold Unsalted Butter: 4 tablespoons

Softened Cream Cheese: 8 ounces

Granulated Sugar: ¼ cup

All-Purpose Flour: 1 tablespoon

Vanilla Extract: ½ teaspoon

Egg: 1 large

Cherry Pie Filling: ½ can

Toasted Sliced Almonds: ⅓ cup

Instructions:

Prepare Baking Pan: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8-inch or 9×13-inch baking pan with foil and coat it with non-stick spray.

Make the Crust: In a large bowl, combine the sugar cookie mix and cold butter. Use a pastry blender to mix until it forms a crumbly texture. Set aside about ¾ cup of this mixture. Press the rest into the bottom of the pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then let it cool. The crust will still look slightly underdone.

Prepare Cheesecake Layer: While the crust cools, mix the softened cream cheese, granulated sugar, flour, vanilla extract, and egg in a separate bowl until smooth and creamy.

Assemble Layers: Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the cooled crust. Spoon the cherry pie filling over the cream cheese layer, ensuring an even layer.

Add Topping: In a small bowl, mix the reserved crumbly cookie mixture with the toasted almonds. Sprinkle this evenly over the cherry layer.

Final Bake: Return the pan to the oven and bake for 40 minutes if using an 8×8 pan or 45 minutes if using a 9×13 pan, until the top turns light golden brown.

Cool and Store: Allow the bars to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then chill in the refrigerator for a few hours. Store the bars in the refrigerator, covered.