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Preheat oven to 350°.
Cinnamon-Pecan Topping: Mix together the sugar, flour, and CINNAMON. Cut in the butter until
crumbly. This is easiest if you use your hands. Add the vanilla and pecans and mix again.
Set aside.
Bar Base: Beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and then
gently blend in flour mixed with salt. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13" glass pan and
gently pat the dough into the pan-it will be a pretty thin layer. Place in the preheated oven
and bake 15 minutes. While the base is baking, prepare the filling.
Cheesecake Filling: Beat Neufchâtel cheese with sugar until creamy and well blended. Add
eggs, and beat until smooth. Remove the pan from the oven after 15 minutes. Pour the cheesecake
filling over the bar base, then sprinkle with Cinnamon-Pecan mixture. Return to the oven and
bake for about 25 minutes. Check after 20 minutes-once the filling starts getting golden and
a bit puffy, it is pretty much done. Turn the oven off and prop the door open a few inches
while the cake cools for the first 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and refrigerate until
chilled-at least 2 hours. Rapid temperature changes can cause any cheesecake filling to crack
or sink.
Once the cheesecake has cooled, slice into individual bars. Run your knife around the edge of
the pan first to make cutting easier. As long as the bars are well chilled before cutting,
they come out of the pan pretty easily.
Yield: 32 bars.
Prep. time: 20 minutes.
Cooking time: 40 minutes total.
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