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For years many trusted name brands featured recipes on the labels – Bisquick, Campbell’s Soup, Quaker Oats, Nestles, Philadelphia Cream Cheese… These days the recipes are fewer and farther between. I did decide to try a recent Philadelphia Cream Cheese recipe and found it exceptionally flavorless. A few tweaks later and we love the recipe.

SNICKERDOODLE CHEESECAKE BARS
CRUST
1 1/2 cups AP flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons QUALITY cinnamon
3/4 cup COLD butter

• Preheat oven to 325°.
• Line 8 inch baking pan with foil so that it overlaps to create handles.
• Sift together the flour, sugar and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl.
• Use a cheese grate and grate cold butter into bowl. Use a pastry blender or your gloved hands to cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse sand. Reserve 1/3 of the mixture to use as topping.
• Press remaining dough into baking pan.
• Bake 20 minutes until lightly browned.

FILLING
1/2 cup sugar
16 ounces QUALITY cream cheese
1 tablespoon PURE vanilla
Seeds from one vanilla bean
1/2 teaspoon PURE almond paste
1/4 cup sour cream
2 LARGE eggs

• While crust is baking prepare the filling.
• Beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, vanilla seeds and almond paste together until well blended.
• Add sour cream and eggs one at a time, mixing on low JUST until blended.
• Set aside until crust is done baking.

TOPPING
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon QUALITY cinnamon.

• Mix sugar and cinnamon together.

ASSEMBLY

• When crust is out of the oven pour the filling into crust.
• Top with reserved crumb topping.
• Top with cinnamon sugar mixture.
• Bake 45-50 minutes until center of cheesecake is almost set.
• Cool COMPLETELY.
• Refrigerate for 4-5 hours before cutting and serving.