| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 45 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Inactive: | 1 hr |
| Cook: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 16 to 24 bars |
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose bleached flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick softened)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup crushed pineapple or 1 (8-ounce) can, drained
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, sugar, and butter until mixture is crumbly. Spread evenly into a 13 by 9-inch baking pan with raised sides. Press down until an 1/8 of an inch thick and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
- Mix cream cheese and 1 cup powdered sugar until frosting texture. Add egg, sugar, crushed pineapple and vanilla extract, mix thoroughly. Fold 1/4 cup white chocolate chips and 1/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts reserving 1/4 cup of each. Bake for additional 15 to 20 minutes or until batter is set. Remove from oven, melt reserved white chocolate chips and drizzle on top and sprinkle with 1/4 cup reserved chopped macadamia nuts. Let stand for 1 hour and cut into bars.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 20 servings |
| Calories | 209 |
| Total Fat | 13 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 22 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 15 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Cholesterol | 35 mg |
| Sodium | 50 mg |
Reviews
This is a great recipe; however, I found it to be wayyyyy too sweet and I tweaked a few things. I cut the powdered sugar to 1/3 cup and skip the granulated (taste it, you can always add more), added 1/2 teaspoon salt to the shortbread crust, bake in an 8 by 8 pan, and refrigerated overnight before cutting. I also used this recipe to create an excellent spin off Pina Colada bar:
Same crust + 1/2 tsp salt.
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 large egg
1 cup crushed pineapple or 1 (8-ounce) can, drained
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon Malibu
1/4 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
1/2 cup white chocolate chips, plus 1/4 cup for topping
Mix cream cheese and 1/3 cup powdered sugar until frosting texture. Add egg, sugar, crushed pineapple, Malibu, and vanilla extract, mix thoroughly. Fold in 1/2 cup white chocolate chips and coconut flakes.
These were wonderful. Has anyone tried baking these in a smaller size pan????
These are sooooo good and simple but to make them even better, add coconut! I add some shredded coconut to the filling and I also sprinkle some toasted coconut on the top and its delicious! I now call them Pina Colada Bars : and they’re a big hit. I also switch out the macadamia nuts for slivered almonds- yum!
After reading all the reviews, I just had to try it. When I first made it, I thought it wasn’t going to work because the bars weren’t setting up. I’m so glad I didn’t need them right away, because after 24 hours in the fridge, they were perfect. I had trouble finding Macadamia nuts, so I used slivered almonds, which worked out fine. The plate was empty in no time! It’s a keeper.
I made the cheesecake bars over the labor day weekend. They were delicious. I gave my daughter two pieces and she txt me and said Mom do you have any left? I gave her the rest. She called me last night and ask me to make some more because her and the boyfriend were fighting over them. I will make this one of my desserts for the holidays.
I don’t know what Christina in Az. did, but this dessert was everything BUT dry!! I made it for the 4th of July picnic, it was the best tasting dessert there and the first one gone, people were looking for more. I’ll be making this again and again….love, love, love it!!!
it was so dry
Yep, What an amazing dessert! Didn’t have the white chocolate chips so instead I added a full 20oz can of crushed pineapple (drained) & 2 TBSP of sugar because the filling says add sugar (but I didn’t know how much) I assumed that the only call for sugar was in the Crust. Came out perfect!!!!! I am definitely not sharing this recipe, its our secret okay!!!
For my niece’s bridal shower I made a variety of dessert bars instead of a cake. These were the favorite and I have made it several times since. Just delicious and unexpected flavors.
So easy, Made it for labor day. Easy to make and very good