Cheesecake Bars

I love a good cheesecake. But let's face it, cheesecake is a time consuming, difficult thing to just whip up whenever I feel like it. But I do still love it. And so when I saw this recipe for cheesecake bars, I was ecstatic.
Getting the cheesecake flavor in a more personal serving size?
Easier to make?
Still just as tasty?
Yes, please! 
When I made these, I ate them every night. And so did my hubby. And we took some to some folks. And we still had some leftover. And I couldn't feel guilty because it needed to be eaten, right? Of course, right. :)
And you know what else? These bars are fantastic with strawberry sauce. Just sayin'.

Cheesecake Bars
Recipe from The Sister's Cafe

Ingredients:

Base:

1/3 cup butter

1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans

Filling:

1/4 cup sugar

8 oz. cream cheese, softened (Low-fat cream cheese is fine in my opinion. But if you don’t usually like it, stick with the regular)

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp milk

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 egg

 

Directions:

Heat oven to 350. In a small bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. Combine flour and walnuts or pecans with creamed mixture. Reserve 1 cup for topping. Press remainder into bottom of ungreased 8″ or 9″ square pan. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned.

In a small bowl, blend sugar and cream cheese until smooth (if using fat-free cream cheese, mixture will be kind of lumpy, but it will cook up just fine). Add milk, lemon juice, vanilla, and egg. Beat well. Spread over baked crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Bake at 350 for 23-27 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator. Makes 12 small bars.