Pear Custard Bars Recipe

Pear Custard Bars Recipe photo by Taste of Home

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When I take this crowd-pleasing treat to a potluck, I come home with an empty pan every time. Cooking and baking come naturally for me - as a farm girl, I helped my mother feed my 10 siblings. -Jeannette Nord, San Juan Capistrano, California

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Pear Custard Bars Recipe

Prep: 20 min. + chilling Bake: 50 min. + cooling

Yield: 16 Servings

20 50 70

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup chopped macadamia nuts
FILLING/TOPPING:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can (15-1/4 ounces) pear halves, drained
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour to creamed mixture. Stir in nuts.
Press into a greased 8-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.
In a small bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the sugar, egg and vanilla. Pour over crust.
Cut pears into 1/8-in. slices; arrange in a single layer over filling. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over pears.
Bake at 375° for 28-30 minutes (center will be soft-set and will become firmer upon cooling). Cool on a wire rack for 45 minutes.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 16 bars.

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 each) equals 224 calories, 15 g fat (7 g saturated fat), 44 mg cholesterol, 119 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein.

Originally published as Pear Custard Bars in Taste of Home August/September 2000, p25