• Bright Ideas
• on 12/08/2010

Cranberry Cheese Bars

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• Bake Time: 40 minutes
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Yield: 40 servings

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats, uncooked
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar, divided
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 3/4 cup M&M’S® MINIS® Milk Chocolate Candies
• 1 8-ounce package fat free cream cheese
• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 16-ounce can whole berry cranberry sauce

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
• 2. Lightly grease 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan; set aside.
• 3. In large bowl, combine flour, oats, 3/4 cup sugar and butter; mix until crumbly.
• 4. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture for topping.
• 5. Press remaining crumb mixture into prepared pan.
• 6. Bake 15 minutes.
• 7. Cool completely.
• 8. In large bowl beat cream cheese until light and fluffy; gradually mix in sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice and vanilla until smooth.
• 9. Pour evenly over crust.
• 10. Combine cornstarch with cranberry sauce and then spoon over cream cheese mixture.
• 11. Stir M&M’S® MINIS® Milk Chocolate Candies into reserved crumb mixture and then sprinkle over cranberry mixture.
• 12. Bake 40 minutes.
• 13. Cool at room temperature; refrigerate before cutting 40 bars.
• 14. Store in refrigerator in tightly-covered container.