Cheesecake Bars

I made these cookies for Thanksgiving. It was a hit with everyone. They basically taste like cheesecake with a nutty cookie crust. They don't take too long to make so give these a shot today!

A tip for cutting the bars: fill a tall glass with hot water. Stand up your cutting knife in the water to heat the blade. Make one cute carefully in the bar. Return knife to water between cuts to clean the blade. I like my bars to be about 2 inches wide and 3-4 inches long.

Ingredients
Crust:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans and walnuts
1 stick butter, melted

Filling:

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Fresh berries and mint leaves, for garnishif desired

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Combine butter and brown sugar in a bowl. Add flour and nuts until mix is combined, do not over mix. Press dough into an ungreased 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan. You want the dough thickness to be between 1/4 - 1/2 inch. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow crust to cool for 20 - 40 minutes before pouring filling in.

3. For filling, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar together in a bowl until smooth, using a handheld electric mixer. Add eggs and extract; beat well. Pour over crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Cool completely in the fridge for 4 hours. Cut into squares before serving. Decorate tops with berries and mint leaves, if desired.