Berry Cheesecake Crumble Bars

Last night's bonfire party was a hit, especially because the

majority of my mini-donuts were eaten and enjoyed.  The  mixed-berry flavor was more popular than the lemon, so I'm planning to make more of those for the Easter supper we're attending tomorrow (where there'll be the most kids who'll be the
most impressed by the miniature treats).

Berry Cheesecake Crumble goodness

Tonight's shindig is a house-party potluck featuring a concert put on by a travelling fiddler and his accompaniment--an accordionist!  Though it involves lots of modern-day hippies (not exactly my typical, everyday company, what with all the rap music), I think I'm still going to enjoy myself.  However, I thought that bringing mini-donuts wouldn't quite fit the tree-hugger bill, so I went on a search for a mixed berry recipe that I could healthily "hippie out" for tonight's crowd.  Though it won't be vegan, it won't involve any criminal whites (i.e., white flour, white sugar, corn syrup).  Hopefully, it'll make the musicians happy--I really want a chance to play that accordion once the show's over!

Without further adieu, here's the recipe, mission-modified from this version:

To have:

Crumb Mixture (top and bottom of bars):

• 1 c whole wheat flour
• 1 c packed brown sugar, with extra aside for topping
• 1/2 c almond flour/ground almonds
• 1 tsp lemon zest (or just 1 lemon's zest)
• 1/4 c canola oil
• 2 tbsp cold water

Filling (middle of bars):

• 2 eggs
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 package light cream cheese, broken into small chunks
• 1 c brown sugar
• 3/4 c plain, unsweetened low-fat yogurt
• 1 tbsp amaretto

To do:

Crumb mixture's consistency

1.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a 13x9 baking pan with aluminum foil.  Lightly grease the foil with canola oil.

2.  Mix all crumb mixture ingredients together in a large bowl, breaking up chunks of brown sugar with your fingers.  Mixture should mold together when squeezed, but should remain in a crumb like form when stirred a few times. 

3.  Pour half of the crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan, flattening and evening out the mixture to form the bottom of the bars.

Half of crumb mixture--bar bottom

  

4.  In a large, tall bowl, use an electric mixture to blend all filling ingredients (except the berries) together until fluffy.  Don't worry if the mixture seems too liquid-y; the moisture will bake out if you bake long enough!

5.  Pour the filling over the crumb mixture inside the pan.
 

6.  Sprinkle the berries relatively evenly over the filling.  Let sit for a few minutes so that berry juice starts to ooze into the
filling. 

With filling oozing together

7.  Using your hands, sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the berries and filling.  Top with a few additional sprinkles of brown sugar, just to add crispy texture to the top.  Let sit for a minute.

8.  Using a small knife, create swirls first vertically, then horizontally, then diagonally through the bar filling and topping.  This creates neat-o berry juice and creamy filling designs.

Crumbly, gooey, berrylicious.

9.  Bake for at least an hour, longer if necessary.  Use the typical toothpick test for doneness, and be sure that the top of the bars is a slightly-hardened crust.  Let cool completely before removing foil and cutting into bars.  Berry it up, one bar at a time.