Austrian Cream Cheese Bars

This recipe came from a Pillsbury bake-off. I'm not sure if it was a winner or a finalist, but this is one of my favorites. I made two batches and took them to our ward Christmas party. I sprinkled green and red sugar on top of them for a festive touch. I cut them into small squares so it would feed more people and I taste-tested one of them before we left. I didn't have any dessert there, but was in the mood for these when I got back home. Luckily for my hips, I didn't save any and there were none leftover at the party. I love the combination of chocolate and cinnamon. You bite into the thin chocolate shell, into the cool, creamy layer and then the cinnamony crust. Mmmmm!

The only thing that is a big tricky is the chocolate chip shell that you spread on top. If you leave the pan in the refrigerator too long and then try to cut them into bars, the chocolate has become hard and will break and crack on top. It still tastes good, but doesn't look too pretty. So let the chocolate set a little so it's not melty, but not too hard yet. Then cut them into bars and return them to the refrigerator.

Austrian Cream Cheese Bars

Crust:
1 ½ c. flour

½ t. cinnamon
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar

2/3 c. margarine, softened

Topping:
1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

2 eggs
¾ c. sugar

6 oz. (1 c.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 T. flour

Glaze:
6 oz. (1 c.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

½ -3/4 c. chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 350º. In large bowl, combine all crust ingredients. Beat at medium speed about 2 minutes or until crumbly and well blended. Press mixture into ungreased 9x13-inch pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven.

In small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and eggs at medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1 c. chocolate chips. Pour over partially baked crust. Bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until topping is almost set. Remove from oven; immediately sprinkle with 1 cup chocolate chips over top. Return to oven for 1 minute to melt chips. Gently spread melted chips over top. Sprinkle with nuts; lightly press into glaze. Refrigerate 1 hour. Cut into bars. Store in refrigerator.