Cheesecake Bars - an oldie but Goodie

I love cheesecake, but don't always want to take the time to make one. That's where these delicious bars come in. They have all the flavor of cheesecake, but are quick and easy to make. We love the light lemon flavor, but if lemon is not your thing, just leave it out and double the vanilla. This retro recipe was given to me by a highschool friend way back during our senior year. I'm talking 1971 baby! I've taken the liberty of doubling the amount of filling that was in the original recipe because, in this instance, more is better. I don't want to be cheated on my cheesecake fix, do you? Give these groovy bars a try today! CHEESECAKE BARS

Ingredients for crust:

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup soft butter

1 cup flour

Cream the brown sugar and butter together. Then blend in the flour until crumbly. Separate 1 cup for topping. Place the rest in a 8x8 inch ungreased baking pan and press down to make crust. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven to cool.

Ingredients for filling:

2 - 8 ounce bars of cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

4 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, milk, lemon juice and vanilla and beat well. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust and spread out evenly. Sprinkle the reserved flour mixture (topping), over the cream cheese filling. Bake at 350 degress for about 25 minutes. Cool and refrigerate. Cut into bars and enjoy!