Photo: Efrat Lichtenstadt
One of my favorite things about baking is thinking about flavors and texture combinations while making new desserts. This is exactly how these following pecan pie bars were thought of – I wanted to combine between cheesecake and pecan pie.
This is certainly one of the most delicious desserts I made recently. The pecan pie filling combines perfectly with the creaminess of the cheesecake, and together they create delicious cheesecake pecan pie bars that are simply irresistible.
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Cheesecake Pecan Pie Bars
For the crust:
- 150 grams (1 cup +1 tbsp.) all-purpose flour
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) cold butter, cut into cubes
- 40 grams (4 tbsp.) sugar powder
- Pinch of salt
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1-2 tbsp. cold milk (only if necessary)
For the pecan pie filling:
- 2 large eggs
- 120 grams (1/2 cup) corn syrup
- 100 grams dark brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 25 grams (2 tbsp.) melted butter
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) pecans, chopped coarsely
For cheesecake filling:
- 225 grams (1 pack) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 100 ml. (1/2 cup) yogurt 3% fat
- 80 grams (1/3 cup) sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 10 grams (1 tbsp.) cornstarch or all purpose flour
For decoration:
- 50 grams melted white chocolate
- Edible gold dust (optional)
Crust:
- Preheat oven to 170c degrees and grease the pan.
- In a food processor with a steel blade, mix flour, butter, powdered sugar, salt and vanilla into a crumbly mixture.
- Add the egg and continue to process until large chunks of dough are formed. If the dough does not combine – add 1-2 tablespoons of milk.
- Transfer the dough to the bottom of the pan and press tightly with your hands until you get a uniform layer.
- Bake the crust for 10-15 minutes or until completely golden.
Pecan pie filling:
- In a medium bowl, mix eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, vanilla and melted butter into a uniform mixture.
- Add chopped pecans and stir until combined.
- Pour the mixture over the baked crust.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the pecan layer turns golden and sets. Cool at room temperature.
Cheesecake filling:
- In a bowl, whisk cream cheese, yogurt, sugar and vanilla to a uniform mixture.
- Add the eggs and whisk until they are incorporated in the mixture.
- Add cornstarch and mix until combined.
- Pour the cheesecake mixture over the baked pecan pie layer and return to baking for 20-25 minutes or until the cheesecake layer sets at the edges but is still slightly soft in the center.
- Cool completely at room temperature and then transfer to the refrigerator for 3-4 hours for complete cooling.
- Cut into desired size rectangles and decorate with white chocolate and edible gold dust.
- Keep the bars in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Instead of pecans, you can use any other kind of nuts you like.
- You can use sour cream in the same amount instead of yogurt.
- It is important to cool completely before cutting into squares.
Photo: Efrat Lichtenstadt