Cranberry-Filled Cheese Bars
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups oats
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
8 ounces cream cheese
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 (16 ounce) can whole berry cranberry sauce
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
In a large mixer bowl, combine flour, oats, 1/4 cup brown sugar and butter or margarine. Mix until crumbly. Reserve 1 1/2 cups crumb mixture. Press remaining mixture firmly on bottom of prepared baking pan. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven; set aside.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Stir in lemon juice. Spread over prepared crust.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir in cranberry sauce. Spoon evenly over cream cheese layer; spread with a butter knife as necessary. Top with reserved crumb mixture.
Bake 40 minutes, or until topping is golden. Cool, then refrigerate. Store, covered, in refrigerator.
Makes 24-36 bars. They are rich, so cut them small.