A tease no longer...

The wait is over. I apologize for leaving such a tempting picture up without a recipe all weekend. A few of you thought that they were peanut butter, and while I do love me some peanut butter, there's not a speck in these tasty bars. Guess what? They're caramel! Rich, delicious, caramel. Go make some.

Caramel Cheesecake Bars

Via: Bon Appetit, June 2010 (yeah...it's a really good issue)

Crust:

2 1/4 Cups ground graham crackers (about 1 & 1/2 packages)

2 Tbsp. Sugar

1/4 tsp. Ground cinnamon

10 Tbsp. Melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 13 x9 metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Combine ingredients and transfer crumb mixture to the pan. Press into pan, bake until crust is light golden, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.

Filling:

3 8-oz. packages of cream cheese

1 Cup Sugar

3 Large eggs

1/2 C. dulce de leche (typically canned, can be found in grocery store)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Blend cream cheese and sugar in food processor until creamy. Add eggs one at a time. Add dulce de leche and vanilla. Process until blended, about 10 seconds. Spread batter evenly over crust. Bake until set in the center and edges are slightly cracked, about 38 minutes. Cool completely.

Glaze:

1/2 Cup dulce de leche

3-6 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream

Combine in microwave safe bowl and microwave for 10 second intervals until melted and spreadable. You may have to add more than 3 Tbsp. of whipping cream if your dulce de leche is thick. Pour glaze over cheesecake, spread evenly. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour (glaze will not be firm).

Enjoy!