Pineapple Cream Cheese Bars.

To recover from the shock of snow and cold in Wisconsin I decided to make these tropical Pineapple Cream Cheese Bars to take me back to the days of flip flops and capris! Whip up a pan of these bars and you'll be well on your way to summer!

I first tasted these bars after purchasing them from a bake sale at work. I remembered liking them... A year later I opened crushed pineapple instead of pineapple rings and needed to figure out something to do with the crushed pineapple. Immediately these bars popped into my head! I tried googling, checked baking websites and blogs, but came up empty handed. I facebooked a neighbor who also works at the clinic and who's department hosted the bake sale. I scored big when I found out she made them and she shared the recipe! Then in March I made these for church fish fries hoping I would get to taste them again, but they never showed up on our table. And now, I made them as part of our mother's day spread.

If you are a little weary of the thought of pineapple and cream cheese - don't be! They remind me of fruit & dip or fruit pizza - both very common fruit and cream cheese eats. I think there were mixed reviews. I thought these were awesome as did several others (thanks Michelle, Lindsay & Linda!). I did get mixed reviews though.

Pineapple Cream Cheese Bars.

(recipe adapted from Neighbor Carol)

Crust:

1 cup butter

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

Combine ingredients until well mixed. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Filling:

2 - 8 oz. packages of cream cheese (softened)

2 tablespoons vanilla

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

2 cups crushed & drained pineapple

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add vanilla, milk, and sugar. Fold in crushed pineapple. Pour over slightly cooled crust.

Topping:

1 cup white chocolate chips

Sprinkle chips over the filling and return bars to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Allow bars to cool before cutting. Keep uneaten portions refrigerated.

Although these bars are similar to cheesecake, they are not at all heavy. They are light and airy! I urge you to take a chance and make these. They are definitely a treat worthy of spring!