Amaretto Cheesecake Bars Recipe

Ingredients for Amaretto Cheesecake Bars

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
• 16 ounces cream cheese (softened)
• Sugar
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons amaretto extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup slivered almonds

How to Make Amaretto Cheesecake Bars

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour and ¾ cup packed light brown sugar.
3. Cut in ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter using a pastry blender or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Reserve 1 cup of the crumb mixture for the topping.
5. Press the remaining crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of an ungreased 8x8 inch baking pan.
6. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden.
7. While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. In a separate mixing bowl, beat together 16 ounces cream cheese (softened), ¾ cup granulated sugar, and 1 large egg until smooth and creamy.
8. Stir in 2 tablespoons amaretto extract and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
9. Pour the cheesecake filling evenly over the partially baked crust.
10. Combine the reserved 1 cup crumb mixture with ½ cup slivered almonds.
11. Sprinkle the almond crumble evenly over the cheesecake filling.
12. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the filling is set and the topping is lightly golden brown.
13. Let the bars cool completely in the pan before cutting into squares.