Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

When you don’t have time to bake a chocolate cheesecake, reach for this easy recipe. An almond-flavored dough serves as both crust and topping for a soft fudgy filling.

—Louise Good, Flemington, NJ

PREP: 15 MIN. • BAKE: 35 MIN. + COOLING • MAKES: 4 DOZEN

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• ½ tsp. almond extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt

FILLING

• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese
• 1 can (5 oz.) evaporated milk
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• ½ tsp. almond extract

1. 1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extract. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Press half the dough onto the bottom of a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Set aside the remaining dough for the topping.
2. 2. For filling, in a large saucepan, combine the chocolate chips, cream cheese and milk; cook and stir over low heat until smooth. Remove from the heat; stir in walnuts and extract. Spread over dough.
3. 3. Break off small pieces of remaining dough; drop over the filling. Bake at 375° until topping is golden brown, 35-40 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into bars. Refrigerate leftovers.

1 BAR: 160 cal., 9g fat (5g sat. fat), 25mg chol., 92mg sod., 17g carb. (11g sugars, 1g fiber), 3g pro.

READER REVIEW

“These were easy to make, and the almond flavor of the extract really came through.”

—MEWOLCOTT412, TASTEOFHOME.COM