Cadbury Mini Egg Cheesecake Bars

Spring has officially sprung!  The weather is gorgeous, iced coffee is in full effect, and all of a sudden we can't go out to dinner anywhere that doesn't offer outdoor seating!  I feel like this all happened really quickly, I didn't even start Spring cleaning yet.  By Spring cleaning, you should know I mean cleaning out the shoe collection to make room for new ones ;)  Anyway, this burst of summer weather is definitely welcome.  I may not be getting much done, but I sure am enjoying it.  One thing I did get done this week are these Cadbury mini egg cheesecake bars.  My favorite Easter candy combined with cheesecake is a very good way to welcome Spring!
I knew going into this that I wanted to make a cheesecake, but the thought of the springform pan, wrapping it in foil, and preparing the water bath was all a bit much for me to handle.  I don't know if it was the fact that I was being really contrary, or maybe it was the ridiculously long to do list weighing on my mind, but making a regular cheesecake just seemed like too much work at the moment.  Whatever it was, it worked in my favor because cheesecake bars were totally the way to go!  These are some serious bars, both the crust and the cheesecake are filled with mini eggs, so the little portion of a bar is just enough.  The crust is like a giant cadbury mini egg cookie, so that in itself tell you this is some good territory!  For the cheesecake filling, I put the mini eggs in the food processor to break them up a bit so they wouldn't sink to the bottom.  If you don't have a food processor you can also put the candy in a ziploc bag, and give them a few slams with a rolling pin.  This method is quite therapeutic.
As for that little pink swirl on top, what can I tell you, I just can't help myself!  I reserved a half cup of the cheesecake batter and colored it pink.  Once I poured the cheesecake in the pan, I spooned the pink batter on top and swirled it together with a toothpick.  It's all in the details, and just that little extra touch  makes them so pretty :)  Hope you enjoy them!

Cadbury Mini Egg Cookie Crust

• 4 ounces unsalted butter, room temp
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons AP flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces cadbury mini eggs

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugars till light and fluffy.
3. Add egg and vanilla extract.
4. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and mix to combine.
5. Mix in cadbury eggs.  If you use a stand mixer like I did, the mixer will break up most of the eggs for you.  If you use a hand mixer, you might have to break them up before adding them.
6. Line an 8" square pan with parchment paper & spray with nonstick spray.  Spread cookie dough evenly in pan and bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  

Cadbury Mini Egg Cheesecake Bars

• 16 ounce cream cheese, room temp
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 8 ounces cadbury mini eggs

1. Mix cream cheese and sugar in mixer.
2. Add eggs and vanilla extract.
3. Add in heavy cream. 
4. Once the cheesecake is mixed, transfer 1/2 cup of the batter to a separate bowl.  Tint that 1/2 cup of batter pink with food coloring. Set aside for now.
5. Crush the cadbury mini eggs. You can either do this by pulsing them in a food processor, or putting them in a ziploc and giving them a few good slams with your rolling pin.  
6. Add the cadbury mini eggs to the batter. Pour cheesecake batter on top of cooled crust. For a little extra insurance, I spray the pan with some nonstick spray again before adding the cheesecake batter.
7. With that remaining 1/2 cup of pink cheesecake batter:  Spoon dollops of it on top of the cheesecake batter and swirl it in with a toothpick.
8. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-55 minutes.
9. Once bars have cooled, refrigerate over night before cutting them. 

*Notes

• For a nice cut, heat your knife so you have clean edges.  
• I got 9 servings, but they are really thick so I think you can definitely cut them smaller and get at least 12.
• I used an 8" pan, but you could also use a 9" pan for these.  The bake time may have to be adjusted a bit, so keep an eye on them.