Simple Pearlicious Custard Bars

CRUST:

½ cup (1 stick) butter

⅓ cup sugar

¾ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

TOPPING:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

½ cup plus ½ teaspoon sugar

1 large egg

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (15¼-ounce) can pear halves, drained and sliced

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 × 9-inch baking pan. Set aside.

For the crust, cream the butter and sugar. Mix in the flour and vanilla until well combined. Press the dough into the prepared pan. Bake 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack. Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees.

For the topping, in a medium bowl beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add 1 cup of the sugar, the egg, and vanilla, beating until well combined. Pour over the crust.

Arrange pears in a single layer over cream cheese mixture. Combine the cinnamon and remaining sugar and sprinkle over pears. Bake 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack 45 minutes. Refrigerate 2 hours before cutting.

Makes 16 to 20 bars

Lena Caswell, Madam Cracker
Traveling Cooks with Hattitude,
Greenfield, Indiana