Caramel-Walnut Cheesecake Bars
Not a lot to tell about this post, it’s one of those which I just wanted to post the pictures and recipe. It’s something I did in a spare time (I did crave something sweet with chocolate in it) that didn’t take too long to make. The caramel addition to the cheesecake didn’t dissapoint but I could eat it simply drizzled with chocolate. I added one component which wasn’t in the original recipe, that was a layer of chocolate cake crumbles that I saved for a rainy day 
What a great compliment to the cheesecake’s wafer layer!
Caramel-Walnut Cheesecake Bars
Makes 32 servings
1 cup walnut or pecan pieces, divided
1 1/2 cup crushed vanilla wafers
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
3 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon vanilla
4 eggs
24 caramels pieces
1 Tablespoon water
3 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate
Preheat oven to 325°F. Line 13×9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Remove 1/2 cup of the walnuts/pecans; set aside. Finely chop remaining walnuts/pecans. Mix wafer crumbs, chopped walnuts/pecans and butter. Press firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream, flour and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust.
Bake 45 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Place caramels in microwaveable bowl. Add water. Microwave on HIGH 1 minute or until caramels are completely melted when stirred. Pour over cheesecake; top with reserved walnuts/pecans. Melt chocolate as directed on package; drizzle over cheesecake. Refrigerate at least 4 hours. Use foil handles to remove cheesecake from pan before cutting into pieces to serve. Store any leftovers in tightly covered container in refrigerator.
Source: adapted from Kraft Food & Family magazine, Fall 2007
