Turning a cheescake into bars--need the input of experienced bakers.

[Honey Bee]

A friend once made a fantastic praline/brulee cheesecake and I want to recreate the flavors in bar form. The cheescake version was basically a graham cracker crust, topped with a caramel/pecan mixture, layered with cheesecake filling, and then finished with torched sugar (a la a creme brulee).

This is what she made:
http://www.foodchannel.com/recipes/re...

Would it work for me to adapt a basic cheesecake bar recipe, but add the desired additional layers? I am afraid the added elements may make the bars to moist or make them collapse.

Thanks in advance.

[Honey Bee]

Thanks for the help everyone. At the last minute I decided to go for a recipe designed to be served as bars. (I was taking these to a shower and figured I should save the experiments for my own indulgences.) I made the recipe found at the link below and they were a huge hit. I am not one to bake with any sort of mix, but my 10-month old was not cooperating so I went for the path of least resistance. Very rich, so I advise cuting them into tiny bite-size squares.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/p...

[blue room]

It never occurred to me to use my favorite cheesecake recipe to make bars, but what a GOOD idea!

[goodhealthgourmet]

heck yes! you've been missing out. the bars/squares are more forgiving *and* versatile...i'm all about the layers :)

[Honey Bee]

Thank you. I will make them on Saturday and let you know how it goes. If the recipe turns out, I can imagine it will become a regular in my kitchen.

[greygarious]

Another way to go is muffin tins with paper or foil liners. You COULD use unlined but the crusts may break when you take them out of the tin.

[Honey Bee]

Does this mean they come out similar to little mini cheesecakes? I have never tried this method, but is sounds kinda cool.

[goodhealthgourmet]

it does. i love using this method for large events or when a handheld dessert for a party is more convenient...and they're much easier to freeze than full-size cheesecakes!

[greygarious]

I would double the amount of crust but keep the filling amounts the same. Then use two 7x11, or two 8 or 9 inch square pans rather than a 9x13, so that you have more pieces with a crust edge, and less chance of the center being underdone. The filling layers will be thinner than in a typical round cheesecake.

[biondanonima]

I don't see any issues with baking that recipe in a sheet pan and cutting it into bars - the only thing you'll want to be careful of is the ratio of filling to crust. Since bars tend to have a thinner layer of cheesecake than an actual cheesecake does, you may need more crust than the recipe calls for to make a big enough surface area to spread the filling as thin as you'd probably want it for bars.