Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars- two beautiful worlds collide!

This recipe has been on my mind for a week now and with the holiday baking marathon coming up I decided to get a head-start on things and bring this idea to life. Of course, I’m not the first to think “I love cheesecake! I love pecan pie! why not combine the two!? but here is my version.

This also happily goes along with the 20+oz. of cream cheese I bought during Thanksgiving week for $9. What was I thinking? I can’t pass-up a deal. It was Amish cream cheese!

The result? Creamy, gooey, nutty, and sweet. They don’t taste like cheese cake or pecan pie, but more like a happy marriage of the two. They blend together uniquely. The pecan pie sank to the bottom of the bar and met up with the crust making a gooey layer that is almost like caramel in taste. The next layer is full-on cream cheese with the flavor and happiness of pecan pie. The pecan’s stayed right on top to form a crust.

This recipe makes a lot, about 24 servings depending on how greedy you are. I fully intend to freeze most of them tonight as to avoid eating them for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday this week. I’ll let you know how that goes.

The recipe:

Ingredients:

crust:

2 1/2 – 3 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 C melted butter

1 t pure vanilla extract

1 T brown sugar

1/2 t sea salt

cheesecake layer:

12 oz. cream cheese (room temp)

1 t vanilla extract

1/2 C sugar

1/4 C brown sugar

2 T half and half (you can use milk or cream)

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

pecan pie:

4 eggs

1 1/2 C corn syrup

1/2 C melted butter

1 t vanilla extract

1 C pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with parchment paper.

Combine all crust ingredients and push into the the bottom of the pan with your hands. Bake for 6 minutes.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add eggs, half and half, and vanilla until smooth and there are no lumps. Add sugar and brown sugar until smooth.

Pour cream cheese batter onto a slightly cooled crust.

In another bowl, beat eggs. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour mixture slowly over cheesecake mixture. Tap the pan slightly.

Bake for 45-60 minutes until no longer giggly. Let cool for 30 minutes and refrigerate for at least one hour.