Healthier Cream Cheese Bars

By circkles

These cream cheese bars are so delicious, you can’t even tell they are better for you. Better because they use honey instead of refined, white sugars, and organic cream cheese which has more enzymes that are good for digestion and none of the bovine growth hormone or antibiotics of non-organic dairy products.

Cream cheese is fattening, but in small quantities, like these bars, and if only eaten once in a while as a treat, it is not harmful .The enzymes used to make this cheese and others can help with digestion, but it has to be minimally processed. Pasteurization destroys all of those helpful enzymes and digestive bacteria. You will notice, if you make your own cheese (See our special page on Making Cheese at Home), how good it is for aiding in digestion.

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 cup organic flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• Filling:
• 1/4 cup honey
• 8 oz organic cream cheese
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice squeezed from a fresh lemon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preparation

Step 1

Make Crust: Cream butter and honey, Add flour and walnuts and mix until it forms crumbs. Set aside 1 cup for the topping. Press the remaining crumbs into a greased 8 inch pan. Bake at 350º 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Filling: Combine honey and cream cheese, beat until smooth. Add lemon juice and vanilla and beat until thoroughly mixed. Spread evenly over baked and slightly cooled crust. Sprinkle reserved crumbs on top and bake 15 minutes more. Let cool. Can serve with fresh fruit on top or a blueberry or strawberry sauce made from fresh, mashed berries and a little agave or honey to sweeten them just a little.