River House
Bed and Breakfast Inn

Great Cacapon, West Virginia

Specialty Recipe

Blue Ribbon Apple Butter Cheesecake Cookie Bars

This delicacy won first prize in the "cookie" category at our local Apple Butter Festival in October of 1997, and it made our guests swoon!

Ingredients for Crust:

1/2 cup softened butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup maple syrup

1-1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup apple butter or your choice of fruit sweetened jam

Topping

8 ounces cream cheese (low fat if desired)

1/3 cup maple syrup

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 egg

Crust: Cream together all but apple butter and spread in a 7-1/2 x 11 rectangular Pyrex pan and pat gently and evenly into place. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. When crust comes out of the oven, spread the apple butter (our local specialty) over top or substitute a fruit sweetened jam of your choice.

Topping: Combine ingredients in food processor or blender and then pour mixture over apple butter. Bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes until firm and tan. Let cool in pan on wire rack before slicing into squares and removing. Store in refrigerator if there are any left after your first guests arrive!

• You found this recipe on 1st Traveler's Choice Internet Cookbook. (www.virtualcities.com)