TEDDY-DOWN-UNDER RASPBERRY BARS

“Charlene loves raspberries, so I figured I would make a raspberry inspired cream cheese bar for Mother’s Day.  The original recipe calls for ‘Chocolate Wafer Cookies,’ but when I saw Chocolate Teddy Grahams in the store and realized that I could pulverize them as a substitute in the recipe, I jumped at the opportunity.  Sure it was a little wrong to take delight in crushing the Teddy Grahams, but I felt a little better, when I accepted the fact that someone was going to eventually eat them anyway.  Not too many people are out there avoiding the tasting pleasures of Teddy Grahams, in order to honor animal shaped cookie rights.  Top each bar with a ‘survivor’ Teddy and you will have paid a proper tribute.

Oh, by the way, these bars are deliciously creamy.  I promise that you will be pleased, as the chocolate crust and veins of raspberry jam dance a tasty waltz on your tongue.  Savor each bite, Teddy Grahams and all.”

 

1½ cups Chocolate Teddy Grahams

6 Tablespoons Butter

16 ounces Cream Cheese, softened

½ Sugar

2 Eggs

2 Tablespoons Flour

½ teaspoon Almond Extract

1/3 cup Raspberry Jam, seedless

Raspberries for topping

Survivor Chocolate Teddy Grahams for topping

 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Line an 8-inch pan with aluminum foil.

Leave some foil hanging over the sides to allow for the bars to be lifted out of the pan at a later point.

Lightly grease the foil.

Crush the Teddy Grahams, by pulverizing them in a food processor.

Melt the butter.

Mix together the crushed Teddy Grahams and butter.

Press the crushed Teddy Grahams and butter into the bottom of the pan.

Bake for 12 minutes.

Let cool for 15 minutes.

While the crushed Teddy Graham crust is cooling, prepare the cream cheese mixture.

Mix together the softened cream cheese and sugar.

Mix in the eggs, flour, and almond extract.

Pour cream cheese mixture over the cooled crushed Teddy Graham crust.

Drop raspberry jam by teaspoons onto the top of the cream cheese mixture.

Use a knife to swirl together the cream cheese and raspberry jam.

Bake for 40 minutes, until the bars are set.

Cool completely on a wire rack, which will take about an hour.

Lift bars out of the pan.

Cut into bars.

Top with raspberries and surviving Teddy Grahams.

Store any leftover bars in the refrigerator.

 

Makes about 20 bars.

Revised Source:  “Raspberry-Swirl Cheesecake Bars” recipe on www.BettyCrocker.com.

A mom and her boys about to enjoy some oh so yummy “Teddy-Down-Under Raspberry Bars.”