This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
I started reading Divergent. I had the trilogy on my Amazon wishlist for a while and I’m not a huge reader so I didn’t want to buy them yet and was saving them for my 19-hour plane ride in April…..that is until I saw the trailer for Divergent and I knew I had to read the book before I went to see the movie, haha. I’m completely captivated in this book now. It reminds me a lot of Hunger Games but different. I really like how the story unfolds and it’s a pretty easy read. Not much to think about ;) I wish I could find more books like this. I was entranced in Hunger Games and Harry Potter. I hope the Divergent trilogy will keep me interested until I’m done with the trilogy but what comes after that? What book(s) next? Any suggestions?
I have always wanted to be a reader and wanted to be like those people who’s noses are stuck in their Kindles at the beach or pool, but from a young age, I loathed it. It was a struggle for me in class to ever retain any information; probably because a lot of the books they forced you to read were books that they made you read in between the lines and find out symbolism and all this crap. I just want to read a book, not dissect it! The questions that were like, “in line 29104 of Oedipus, what symbolic thing did he do and what were his reasons for it?” Yes, cause I can remember line 29104. I did, however, fall in love with The Bell Jar and The Great Gatsby. I flunked the Romeo + Juliet test in my AP English class (seriously, don’t ask me why I even signed up for AP English – my worst subject). My teacher handed my test back to me and on it in big red marker said, “F – did you even read this?” hahahaha – what?! I thought it was like the movie so I didn’t actually think I had to READ it. CLEARLY we all know movies + books are totally made the same.
If you don’t like nuts, you probably won’t like these bars, but if you love cheesecake and nuts, you’ll adore these! They’re very rich and very dense and you can probably only have one at a time, but they’re worth every bite! I brought these to my Pure Barre class one afternoon and everyone indulged in them after class. It was our reward! These bars got raving reviews so I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as everyone else did! :)
Hazelnut Pecan Cheesecake Bars
Ingredients
For the crust
- 1 ½ cup (126 g) graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoon (84 g) unsalted butter, melted
For the cheesecake filling
- 16 ounce (454 g) cream cheese, softened
- 3 eggs
- ⅔ cup (133 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (118 ml) milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoon all-purpose flour
For the topping
- 1 cup (120 g) chopped hazelnuts
- 1 cup (109 g) chopped pecans
- ½ cup (171 g) light corn syrup
- 4 tablespoon (56 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup (165 g) dark brown sugar
- 1 egg
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 °F (191 °C). Line a 9-by-13 inch pan with parchment paper with a 2-inch overhang on either side.
- In a large bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter. Mix together until crumbs are moistened and when you grab a clump, it forms a shape – kind of like wet sand. Press the graham cracker crumbs into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside. Lower oven temperature to 350 °F (177 °C)
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together cream cheese, egg, sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and flour. Gently pour cheesecake batter on top of the graham cracker crust. Bake for 25-30 minutes until just set. Remove from oven but keep oven temperature. Let cheesecake cool for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, combine hazelnuts, pecans, corn syrup, butter, dark brown sugar, egg, and salt in a bowl. Stir together until everything is combined well.
- Carefully spread the nut mixture on top of the slightly cooled cheesecake layer. The middle will likely fall in and cheesecake may ooze out around the nut filling, but it’s ok, just gently keep spreading it across the entire pan!
- Bake for another 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely. Place in the refrigerator overnight to set and slice into squares before serving.
Nutrition
There is an affiliate link in this post.
What in the …? These bars are THE PERFECT BAR, Julie. The hazelnut pecan gooeiness is out of control.
Love the blog re design, looks gorgeous!! I fly to England once a year (10 hour flight) so I try to save books for the flight and end up finishing the book in the terminal so by the time I am of the flight no books lol!! Sometimes you just can’t wait! I love nuts and cheesecake, so I am ALLL over these bars!!
I just discovered your blog, and can’t wait to start trying some of these recipes!
I’ve always been an avid reader (reading is especially great while waiting for your baked goods to come out of the oven!). If you liked The Hunger Games, you might also try The Selection series by Kiera Cass, which is kind of like The Hunger Games meets The Bachelor. I also recently started the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas, and it’s very engaging!
Thanks for the suggestions! I’m so glad you found my blog – hope you enjoy the recipes :)
I want to be a reader, too! But, why can`t I find the time? Baking tempts me more, most of the time. I never liked reading growing up either. After reading Hunger Games and other distopian novels, I got hooked into reading! LOL. I`ve had Divergent on my bookshelf for over a year. Since the movie is coming out soon, I must get on that!
*dystopian
Dang Julie, these cheesecake bars are my new crush! All those nuts… YES please :)
Oh wow Julie!! These bars are such an amazing treat!
Oh, this looks delicious! I love gooey things like this!
Cheesecake bars are the best, love the nutty twist!
Oh my gosh Julie – I am totally digging these bars. You mixed all of my favorite things into one beautiful little package. Yum!
These look amazing, Julie! As does the new design!