Homemade Cheesecake Bars Recipe: Celebrate in Patriotic Style

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make Crust

• Pulse almonds in a food processor until finely chopped
• Add flour, brown sugar, and salt, and process until well combined.
• Add butter and pulse just until the mixture begins to come together; it should not form a ball.
• Press the mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan.
• Bake for 25 min., or until set then let cool on a wire rack.

Make Filling

• In a large bowl, beat with a mixer on medium-high speed cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
• Reduce speed to medium-low and add eggs, one at a time, beating until just combined.
• Beat in lemon juice, vanilla and salt.

Directions

• Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly over the crust. Tap the pan on the countertop 3-4 times to burst air bubbles in the filling.
• Place the pan on a large roasting pan and put in the oven. Pour hot tap water into the roasting pan until it comes up about an inch around the baking pan.
• Bake for 40 minutes, or until the filling is just set. Cool completely on a wire rack, then cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
• Use the foil overhang to lift the cheesecake out of the pan and onto the cutting board.
• Heat a large sharp knife under hot water; dry knife. Trim off the edges of the cheesecake.
• Carefully cut into 16 bars, rinsing the knife under hot water and drying thoroughly between each cut.

Decorations

• Transfer bars to a serving platter(s). Decorate each bar with 5 blueberries in the upper left corner to resemble stars. 
• Place jelly in a zip-lock bag, seal the bag, and snip off about 1/6 in at one bottom corner. Or use red decorating gel.
• Pipe jelly in thin lines on each bar to resemble stripes on a flag (about 4-5 stripes on each bar).