Cherry Cheesecake Bars
 
Makes 12
Ingredients
  • 3⅓ cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided
  • 1⅔ cups old-fashioned oats
  • 1⅔ cups firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1¼ teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 2 cups unsalted butter, cubed
  • 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, room temperature
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature Cherry Filling (recipe follows)
Cherry Filling
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can red tart cherries*, drained
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Line a 13×9-inch baking pan with foil, letting excess extend over sides of pan; spray foil with cooking spray.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 313 cups flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, and cardamom at low speed until well combined. Add butter; beat at low speed until pieces of butter remain, about 2 minutes. Reserve 3½ cups flour mixture in a small bowl; cover and refrigerate. Press remaining flour mixture into bottom of prepared pan.
  3. Bake until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Leave oven on.
  4. Clean bowl and paddle and return to mixer. Beat cream cheese at low speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add granulated sugar; beat at low speed until mixture is smooth. Add cream and remaining 1 tablespoon flour; beat at medium-low speed until smooth, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined after each addition. Pour mixture onto prepared crust. Dollop Cherry Filling by tablespoonfuls onto cream cheese mixture. Swirl with a knife. Sprinkle reserved flour mixture on top.
  5. Bake until golden brown and edges are set but center still jiggles slightly, 35 to 40 minutes, covering edges with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Loosely cover and refrigerate until firm, 1 to 2 hours. Using excess foil as handles, remove from pan. Cut into bars. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Cherry Filling
  1. In a medium saucepan, bring all ingredients to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Let boil for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely before use.
Notes
*We used Oregon Fruit red tart cherries.
Recipe by Taste of the South at https://tasteofthesouthmagazine.com/cherry-cheesecake-bars/