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Caramel Cheesecake Butter Bars, for the caramel and cheesecake, obsessed. This recipe uses the crust from Salted Caramel Butter Cookie Bars, half a batch as we don’t need a top crust. It’s a versatile buttery shortbread cookie dough that can be used in many recipes.
I had extra caramels from making Salted Caramel Butter Cookie Bars for Christmas, so I made my own caramel topping. You can use store-bought caramel topping, chocolate sauce, jam, pie filling, fresh fruit, or no topping at all.
Caramel Cheesecake Butter Bars
Servings: 15
Calories: 315kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbs vanilla
- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
Cheesecake Filling
- 2 8 oz packages cream cheese softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
Caramel Topping
- 5 oz caramel candies, unwrapped (approx. 18)
- 2 Tbs cream, half & half or milk
- ¼ tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 13 x 9-inch pan with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugars. Mix on medium speed until creamy. Add 1 Tbs. Vanilla and combine. Add the sifted flour 1 cup at a time, and beat on low until soft dough forms.
- Press dough in the bottom and ½ inch up the sides of the pan.
Cheesecake Filling
- In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add 2 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla; beat until smooth. Spread over crust in pan.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, the center with still be slightly jiggly. Cool on a rack at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Then refrigerate for at least 3 hours to overnight. Store covered in refrigerator.
Caramel Topping
- Place the unwrapped caramels and cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Add ¼ tsp vanilla. Stir to combine. Drizzle on cheesecake right before serving. Keep it in the microwave-safe dish so you can remelt it if needed. Or add a topping of your choice.
Nutrition
Serving: 1piece | Calories: 315kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 148mg | Potassium: 65mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 493IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg
