a light delight!

Cherry cheesecake bars. I struggled with my contribution to our Easter meal (which we celebrated early).

Inexcusably, this is because I just simply didn't want to share.

In my defense, this also doubled as my birthday cake, so I feel I should rightfully be entitled to eat at least half of it. In my family's defense, they were very complimentary as they ate it.

The silver lining is that this is a really easy dessert to make, especially since it has the option of being no-bake. Plus, if you choose to use light cream cheese and whipped topping and low-sugar filling, it's a relatively guilt-free treat! I like to add a little bit of coconut to my crust because I think cherries and coconut go very well together, but it's certainly not necessary and I didn't include it in the recipe. I've also been tempted to replace some of the crumbs with the crushed dregs of my Honey Bunches of Oats bag of cereal, but I haven't yet. If you're worried about it being too creamy and desire some contrast, consider adding some toasted sliced almonds to the top right before serving--almonds also pair wonderfully with cherries and their crunch would be fantastic.

This is a very refreshing and enjoyable dessert for any occasion, whether it's a holiday, a birthday, or both! Just be prepared to share.

Cheater Cherry Cheesecake Bars
(printable recipe)
Serves 12
Ingredients:
Crust:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Filling:

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 (8-ounce) tub whipped topping, thawed
• 1 (21-ounce) can cherry pie filling

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
To make the crust, mix the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and granulated sugar together with a fork.
Press the mixture evenly into a greased 11x7-inch baking dish.
Bake for 5-8 minutes, until the edges are slightly brown.*
Remove the crust from the oven and allow to cool while you prepare the filling.
To make the filling, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
Fold in the whipped topping until smooth, then pour the mixture onto the cooled graham cracker crust and gently spread it out.
Spoon the pie filling over the creamy mixture and spread it out evenly.
Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight--the longer, the better!

*You can skip this step if necessary, but know that your crust will be quite crumbly!