Apricot Cheesecake Bars

One of the most tragic things ever to happen in my kitchen was when I had to throw out an entire 9x13 pan of cheesecake bars. The entire thing. It was these apricot cheesecake bars, Take 1.

The cheesecake was unsalvageable. I had kept a big tub of cream cheese in the freezer for later use, unaware that cream cheese doesn't transition well from freezer to fridge to room temperature. So what I had on hand was a soft tofu-like cheesecake base. The tiny grains of cream cheese had not fully melded together into a uniform texture, so the end result was reminiscent of eating solidified porridge.

Lesson learned: never, ever thaw cream cheese from the freezer and use it in a cheesecake.

A week later, I revisited the recipe, this time with freshly bought (and never frozen) bars of cream cheese. Increasing the cheesecake layer by half and adjusting for textural preferences, I ended up with these beautiful bars. I personally like a slightly denser cheesecake, but these were divine the way they were. Take 2= success!

The apricot compote is to die for, and the recipe yields many servings. Be warned, though, that these don't last very long. The entire thing disappeared in under 15 minutes. They couldn't get enough.