Recipe—Peaches & Cream Cheesecake Bars

The last few trips to the grocery store I have been overwhelmed with the smell of fresh peaches in the produce section. It’s peach season in California! Every summer I like to bake peach crisp and serve it a la mode. I love the combination of the sweet baked peaches with the creamy vanilla ice cream and the crispy strudel topping. I decided to mix it up this year with a new peach dessert that had all those same qualities.

This is a cool and refreshing peach dessert that combines the best of two worlds, a peach crisp and one of my other favorites, cheesecake! This was so quick and easy to put together. While it is rich enough to be a dessert I personally think it is equally perfect as a brunch item. It almost has the qualities of a peach danish, so why not have dessert for breakfast? You only live once!

INGREDIENTS
1 box dry yellow cake mix
1/3 c butter, room temperature
2 eggs
3 ripe peaches, sliced and peeled or one 29 oz can sliced peaches, drained
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla

STEPS

• Preheat oven to 350º.
• Spray a 7” x 11” baking dish with nonstick spray.
• In a large bowl combine cake mix, butter, and 1 of the eggs.
• Mix with a fork until nice and crumbly.
• Set aside 1 1/2 cups of the mix for your topping.
• Evenly distribute the remaining crumb mixture in the greased pan and press into the bottom to make a crust
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• Evenly distribute peach slices onto partially baked crust.
• In a large bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and the 1 remaining egg.
• Beat using a mixer until creamy.
• Pour mixture over the peaches and use a rubber spatula to help spread it evenly.
• Sprinkle the reserved crumbs over the top.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until crumb topping is a nice golden color.
• Allow to cool completely at room temperature.
• Place in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.