Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars

I had a few Pink Lady apples in the fridge, so I decided to try this recipe from Food Network (Paula Deen). I didn't have any regular cream cheese on hand, so I used low-fat Neufchâtel cream cheese.

Preheat oven to 350F

Apple Streusel Cheesecake Bars
Crust
1 C unsalted butter, softened
1/2 C brown sugar
2 C flour


Line a 9 x 13 pan with foil. Cut butter, flour and brown sugar together with a pastry blender until crumbly. Press into prepared pan and bake for 15 min. until lightly golden.

Filling
2 packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 C sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Beat together cream cheese with sugar at

medium speed until smooth. Add eggs one at a time.

Add vanilla and combine.


Pour over warm crust.

Apple topping
3 apples, peeled and chopped

2 T sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Stir together chopped apples, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Spoon over cream cheese mixture.

Streusel
1 C brown sugar
1 C flour
1/2 C quick cooking oats
1/2 C butter, softened


I didn't have any quick cooking oats, so I used regular oatmeal. Combine ingredients and sprinkle evenly over apples. Bake 30 min.



They came out very good! I think I'm going to try this with blueberries when they are in season.

Banana's Foster Cookie Bars

When I have overripe bananas, I make banana bread or cake.

B-O-R-I-N-G.

This time, I wanted to try something different.

One of my favorite banana deserts (besides banana cream pie) is Banana's Foster - sauteed bananas in butter, brown sugar and rum! Let's see what happens when I mix that caramelized banana goodness with a cookie bar...

Banana's Foster Cookie Bars
Preheat oven to 325F (racks set to the middle and near top)
Line 9x13 pan with parchment paper

Shortbread (Fine Cooking)
1C + 5 T butter, melted
3/4 C sugar
3/4 tsp salt
2 egg yolks
3 C + 3T flour


Melt butter, set aside until cool.

Mix butter and sugar together. Whisk in egg yolks.


Stir salt into flour. Mix into butter mixture until combined.

Transfer 2C of dough to the prepared pan & press evenly.
Prick dough with a fork. Refrigerate for 30 min.


For the topping, mix 1/4C sugar with the remaining dough & crumble together.

Banana Filling
3 bananas
1/4C butter
3/4 C brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2C dark rum



Over low heat, melt butter, sugar and cinnamon stirring until almost dissolved.


Add sliced bananas and saute. Turn slices over once.


Add rum and heat through - boil or flambe until the sugar is fully dissolved.


Chop 3 of the banana slices and mash the other 3.


Take out 1/4C of the rum sauce and mix into banana mixture.
Heat the remaining rum sauce, bring to a boil and reduce down slightly and add.


Take pan out of the refrigerator and bake in the middle of the oven for 18 min. Until slightly brown on the edges.

Increase temp. to 350F.


Spread banana mixture over hot crust.

Scatter remaining dough on top.
Bake on the near top rack 25+ min. until top is browned.
Cool 1 hour.



Cut into bars.

They tasted pretty good! The bananas consistency reminded me a bit of apple sauce, which I guess... is okay. All in all, this one is a keeper.