Fruit N Cheese Bars Recipes

FRUIT AND CHEESE PLATTER

Steps:

• Line a wooden board or flat dish with fig leaves and artfully arrange the goat cheese, grapes, preserves and crackers on top.
• Place the orange zest and orange juice in a medium (10-inch) heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset. Add the sugar, vanilla bean, and figs to the pot. Cover and bring to a full boil over medium heat. (Don't worry; it may look dry.) Stir the mixture and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Lower the heat, and cook uncovered at a full simmer for 50 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want the little bubbles to be throughout the pot, not just at the edges. After 45 minutes, refrigerate a small amount of the liquid to see if it becomes syrupy. It should be like a soft fruit preserve. Keep cooking just until the liquid starts to gel when cold. If the liquid is too firm, add a little orange juice or water, cook for a minute, and test it again until it's right. Depending on how ripe the figs are, they will probably keep their shape, but it's fine if they don't. Discard the vanilla bean and serve or refrigerate.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
• Place the oats, flour, brown sugar, and kosher salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse for 45 to 60 seconds, until the oats are coarsely ground. Add the butter and pulse 15 to 20 times, until the butter is the size of peas.
• Dissolve the baking soda in the lukewarm water and drizzle it over the crumbs in the food processor. Pulse until the mixture is evenly moistened and can be pressed into balls that will hold together.
• With a medium (1 3/4-inch) ice cream scoop or two spoons, scoop the dough into your hands and roll them into round balls. Evenly space 12 balls on the prepared sheet pans. Flour the bottom of a flat-bottomed 3-inch-diameter drinking glass and use it to flatten each cracker to 1/8 inch thick and about 3 inches in diameter. The crackers will not be perfectly round. If there is a lot of flour on the crackers, turn them over with a metal spatula. Sprinkle with the fleur de sel and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown on the edges. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• "Cooking for Jeffrey" by Ina Garten © Clarkson Potter 2016. Provided courtesy of Ina Garten. All rights reserved.

CHOCOLATE FRUIT AND CHEESE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
• In a medium bowl, combine the crumbs, flour, 1/2 cup of the sugar, cocoa, baking soda and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 cup of the crumb mixture. Press the remaining mixture into the prepared pan and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese, remaining 1/2 cup sugar, egg and vanilla together until smooth. Stir in the pie filling and spread over the top of the crust. Sprinkle with the remaining crumb mixture and gently pat down. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 minutes.

QUICK AND EASY NUTTY CHEESE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease and flour 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
• Stir together and mix well dry cake mix, 3/4 cup melted butter and 3/4 cup pecans. Press mixture evenly into prepared pan.
• Stir together until well mixed 1 cup brown sugar and 2 packages of cream cheese. Spread this over cake mixture.
• Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup pecans.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until edges are brown.
• Cool completely. Cut and store in refrigerator in air tight container.

FRUIT 'N' CHEESE CUPS

Steps:

• Spray a mini muffin tin with buttered flavored vegetable spray.
• Place 3 pieces of phyllo dough in tin with butter veggie spray between pieces with corners facing different directions (looks like a star) repeat 24 times.
• Bake cups at 375 degrees for approx 15 minutes until crispy.
• Cool Shells, in pan until room temperature.
• While shells are cooling beat 1 cup mascarpone cheese with 2/3 cup strawberry fruit spread until pink and fluffy.
• Place approx 1 tsp of cheese mixture in each shell.
• Mix graham cracker crumbs with splenda.
• Sprinkle crumbs on cheese.
• Place blueberries on top of crumbs.
• Chill for approx 30 minutes.

FRUIT 'N CHEESE BARS

Steps:

• Spread with jam. Mix the remaining ingredients and pour over the fruit filling in the pan. Sprinkle with reserved crumbly mixture. Bake until top is golden brown (20 to 25 minutes). Cool thoroughly and cut into bars.

FRUIT 'N CHEESE SNACK MIX

Steps:

• Place cheese in 1 side of resealable sandwich-size plastic bag; loosely tie pie cleaner or twist tie around middle of bag. Place fruit in other end of bag; seal bag, then twist pipe cleaner tightly to separate cheese from fruit.
• Curl ends of pipe cleaner to resemble antennae of a butterfly.
• Refrigerate until ready to serve. Untwist pipe cleaner, leaving bag sealed. Gently shake bag to mix fruit and cheese. Open bag and enjoy!