VANILLA CHAI CHEESECAKE BARS

INGREDIENTS

CRUST:

1. 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
2. 1/4 cup brown sugar
3. 1 tsp vanilla extract
4. 1/4 tsp salt
5. 1/2 tsp cinnamon
6. 1 cup all purpose flour

CHEESECAKE BATTER:

1. 16 ounces cream cheese room temperature
2. 1 cup granulated sugar
3. 1/4 cup sour cream or heavy cream can be substituted
4. 3 large eggs
5. 2 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
6. 1 - 1 1/2 tsp chai seasoning or same amount of an opened bag of UNbrewed chai tea

INSTRUCTIONS

MAKE THE CRUST:

1. Line a 9x9" pan (or 8x8) with parchment paper, spray lightly with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
3. In a mixing bowl, stir together melted butter, brown sugar, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in flour and stir until thoroughly combined.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, and set aside to cool for 5-10 minutes.
5. Change oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

MAKE THE FILLING:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a mixing bowl and a handheld mixer), add cream cheese and sugar and beat until smooth.
2. Add in remaining filling ingredients and beat until combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
3. Pour filling onto the crust, using a rubber spatula to get all the filling out of the mixing bowl.
4. Carefully jiggle the pan very slightly to get the filling in a nice even layer.
5. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the filling is set, but soft in the center. The easiest way to tell if it's done is to insert an instant read thermometer into the filling about an inch from the sides. It will read about 180 when finished.
6. Cool at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
7. Before serving, sprinkle tops of bars with a little ground cinnamon if desired.

For more detail thechunkychef

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