Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars

I guess I've started a tradition (mostly to indulge myself) of making something cheesecake-y for Easter. Last year I made these babies. It doesn't have any Easter significance, but it sure seems like a good excuse to make cheesecake! It's hard to justify making it on an ordinary weekday/weekend because it's just so rich. I love the stuff and could eat it on a daily basis, but I refrain from doing so . . . I guess that makes me appreciate it more when I do get to have it!

These bars were really easy, and I was really happy with the dulce de leche since I had never tried it before. It added a nice caramel-like flavor, the cheesecake part was sooo smooth, the crust stayed together nicely, and the chocolate . . . well you can't go wrong with chocolate in my book.

I only made slight adjustments, but the original recipe can be found here.

Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars
Crust
2 pkgs. graham crackers
4 Tbls. sugar
6 Tbls. melted butter
1. Preheat oven to 325, and grease a 9x13 inch pan.
2. Crush the graham crackers until they're fine crumbs (either in a food processor or in a plastic bag using a rolling pin).
3. Stir in the sugar, then the melted butter. Stir until everything's evenly coated.
4. Firmly press into the bottom of your prepared pan. (I like to use my metal measuring cups when I do this because it makes a nice, even crust, and presses more firmly than my fingers can.)
5. Bake for 10 minutes and remove from oven.

Filling
1 14 oz. can dulce de leche (can usually be found in the international foods aisle, or next to the sweetened condensed milk)
4 8-oz. pkgs. cream cheese, softened (that's right people, 4!)
1 c. sugar
4 eggs
4 tsp. vanilla
1. After removing the crust from the oven, carefully spread the dulce de leche over it. (Spread gently because as I found out dulce de leche is very thick . . . it doesn't pour. So spoon it over the crust in dollops and let it sit for a minute to soften up before spreading). Place in the fridge while you prepare cheesecake.
2. Beat cream cheese and sugar on med./high speed for 3 minutes. Scrape down bowl.
3. Add eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Beat an additional 3 minutes until everything is smooth and creamy.
4. Pour over crust and bake for 45-50 minutes. (You don't want to overbake it or your cheesecake will be dry. Take it out of the oven when the center is still slightly jiggly. It'll firm up as it cools.)
5. Allow to cool completely.

Ganache Topping
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 Tbls. butter
2 tsp. corn syrup
1 T. milk, cream, or liqeur
1. Melt all ingredients together on the stove or in the microwave until smooth.
2. Use a fork to drizzle over the cheesecake. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.

On a Side Note: One of my best friends from high-school is redesigning the look of my blog and from what I've seen, it's awesome! So stay tuned for that. We've been spoiled the last couple weeks with seeing family, so I think the boys and I are going through withdrawals . . . might be a long week this week. :)

In our Easter best - hope you all had wonderful Easters, too!