Fresh Cherry Cheesecake Bars

"On Saturday he ate through one piece of chocolate cake, one ice cream cone, one pickle, one slice of swiss cheese, one slice of salami, one lollipop, one piece of cherry pie..."

Today is Husband's birthday and he loves cheesecake so I took the opportunity to change the pie to a cheesecake and make this for him. I am not usually a big fan of cheesecake since it is usually too rich but this was SO good. It is lighter than normal cheesecake and the cherries are a great flavor to tie it all together. It does take some time to make but it is not too difficult and definitely worth the time spent. Everybody who ate it enjoyed and I think it would be kid friendly as well. 5 out of 5 stars.

Source: Cooking Light

Serves: 15

Ingredients

• 4 ¹⁄₂ ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• ¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons chilled butter cut into small pieces
• 3 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons ice water
• 1 ¹⁄₄ cups chopped pitted fresh cherries
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon cornstarch
• ³⁄₄ cup (6 ounces) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
• ¹⁄₃ cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
• ¹⁄₃ cup granulated sugar
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. 2. Line an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish with parchment paper. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Place flour, powdered sugar, and salt in a food processor; pulse 2 times to combine. Add chilled butter, and drizzle with ice water. Pulse 10 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour the mixture into prepared baking dish (mixture will be crumbly). Press mixture into bottom of dish. Bake at 350 for 23 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 325. 3. Place cherries, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, and 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until cherries are tender. Combine lemon juice and cornstarch in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir cornstarch mixture into cherry mixture; cook for 1 minute or until thickened. Cool mixture slightly. Spoon the cherry mixture into food processor, and process until smooth. Spoon pureed mixture into a bowl, and set aside. 4. Wipe food processor clean. Place cream cheese and remaining ingredients in food processor; process until smooth. Spoon cream cheese mixture over cooled crust; spread evenly. Dollop cherry mixture over cream cheese mixture, and swirl together with a knife. Bake at 325 for 36 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill at least 3 hours.

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 136

Fat: 6.9g

Cholesterol: 33mg

Sodium: 92mg

Carbohydrate: 16g

Fiber: 0.5g

Protein: 2.9g