Almond Cherry-Chocolate Cheesecake Bars

I know y’all thought I was forgetting what tomorrow is. But, no I didn’t forget. It’s just been one of those weeks—calamity, calamity, calamity. So, here’s the skinny: my poor old girl—my darling computer DIED. No resuscitation, nothing retrieved from the hard drive. Heck, it couldn’t even detect the hard drive. She’s moved on to that computer scrap heap in the sky. Thank goodness for external hard drive back up!!! (I’ll post my rant about the woes of learning a new computer operating system with my limited vision and the irony of "ease of access" a little later.)

But, this week of unexpected distress is why my “Happy Valentine’s Day” to you is almost belated. And, yes—you folk who have been getting the Peacock Products eNewsletter for over a year will recognize this recipe from last year’s February issue. I recycled it because it’s so very satisfying and because I hadn’t the time to come up with something new, what with the computastrophe and all. So, do forgive, pretty please. I think you will once you taste this delectable dessert.

Almond Cherry-Chocolate Cheesecake Bars
Well, now, it wouldn’t be Valentine’s Day without a little sweet “something-something” for your sweetie.

The original recipe (cited at the end)  didn’t call for either the cherries or the chocolate—but, I thought the cherry pie filling added a nice bright flavor. And, who doesn’t want a chocolatey “kiss” for Valentine’s Day?!! (Don’t be tempted to pump up the fudge volume—3 tablespoons total is lip-smackingly perfect!)

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Baking Time: 55 minutes to an hour (including preliminary crust baking time)
Chilling Time: 2 hours or overnight

Crust Ingredients
—canola or butter-flavored nonstick pan spray
1/4 cup Splenda® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs—that's 7 and 1/2 sheets (30 crackers) processed in food processor
1/3 cup light butter (I like Brummel & Brown®)
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds, finely ground

Filling Ingredients
12 ounces Neufchatel reduced-fat cream cheese
1/2 cup Splenda® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated
2 large eggs
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
3 tablespoons Smucker’s® Sugarfree Hot Fudge Topping
1 20-ounce can Comstock® No Sugar Added Cherry Pie Filling or Topping
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

Numbers you need to know!  Almond Cherry-Chocolate Cheesecake Bars: This recipe yields 20 servings, 1 (2” x 1.6”) bar per serving. Nutrition values per serving: Calories: 125.4. Fat-Total: 7.5 g. Fat-Saturated: 3.2 g. Cholesterol: 34.3 mg. Protein: 3.5 g. Carbohydrates: 10.5 g. Dietary fiber: 4.0 g. Sodium: 144.5 mg.

Preparation
1) Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
2) Spray one 8 x 8-inch square glass oven-safe dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.
3) Mix crust ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Press into prepared pan bottom. Bake 10-12 minutes or until firm.
4) For filling, mix cream cheese and Splenda together until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl, and mixing well after each addition. Add sour cream and extracts; mix well. Pour over prepared crust.
5) Bake in preheated oven 40-47 minutes, or until firm. Allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
6) A few minutes before serving time, remove cheesecake from fridge and spread sugarfree fudge topping in a thin layer on top. Pour no-sugar-added cherry pie filling over fudge, spreading evenly. Sprinkle toasted sliced almonds evenly over all. Cut into 20 servings and enjoy a sinfully sensational dessert that your honey won’t believe is diabetic-friendly!

Credits:
Almond Cherry-Chocolate Cheesecake Bars recipe adapted from “Almond Cheesecake Bars” in Splenda® Simple & Sensational Recipes. (Copyright©2008. Published by Publications International, Ltd., Lincolnwood, IL 60712. All rights reserved. Permission to use granted to Peacock Products by publisher.)

Brummel and Brown is a registered trademark of Unilever Corporation.
Comstock is a registered trademark of Pinnacle Foods Group LLC.
Smucker's is a registered trademark of The J.M. Smucker Company.
SPLENDA is a registered trademark of McNeil Nutritionals, LLC.

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