Berry & Ganache Cheesecake Bars

It's summer break woohoo!  That means I have more time to make desserts for home fellowship.  Usually during the school year I just throw brownies or cookies together real quick.  Or on very busy days I just bring chip and dip, but nobody likes that, not even me.  I really do like making yummy desserts.  Lots of times they are not gluten free so I can't eat them, and I just have to judge by facial expressions and what's left on the plates to see if people liked them or not (because people won't typically tell you to your face if they don't like something...I've been at this a while and I know it's true).  Lots of times I can make modifications to normal recipes to make them gluten free, but then I usually don't reveal that info unless someone asks me outright, because a lot of people think (wrongly) that gluten free=gross.  And it's just not true.  This recipe I was able to adapt by just replacing the graham cracker crumbs with GF graham cracker crumbs.  These I got on the clearance rack at Walmart.  They aren't outdated, I guess they were just making space.  I like them so much that I would pay full price for them.  They were easy to work with AND people ate the dessert, so clearly they were a good substitute for the gluten version.  Here is a picture of them:

If you end up buying and using these, you don't have to add the melted butter for this recipe.  The box says to just press into the pan, and they are kind of the texture of brown sugar, so I decided to not add the melted butter, and it worked great like that.

Also, this recipe calls for 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar to be added to the ganache.  I did not do that.  I get that it's all trendy now to add weird things together, like lavendar and lemon, and basil and whipped cream.  But that's just not "me".  And I suspected it wasn't "my friends at home fellowship" either.  I did google "why add balsamic vinegar to ganache" and I didn't get a good answer, just foodies raving about how adding the distinctive flavor made for a good contrast.  So I opted not to do it, but if you are a foodie (as if any foodies read my blog hahahahaha), then add it when you add the corn syrup.  Ok here is the recipe, from the Simple & Delicious issue I'm working through.

Berry & Ganache Cheesecake Bars
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup finely chopped pecans
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup butter, melted
Cheesecake Layer:
2 pkg (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
½ tsp vanilla
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Topping:
1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp light corn syrup
1 ½ cups fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries

Preheat oven to 350*.  In a bowl, mix cracker crumbs, pecans, and salt; stir in butter.  Press onto bottom of greased 13x9 pan.  Bake 8-10 minutes.  Cool completely on wire rack.

In a bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Beat in vanilla.  Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended.  Spread over crust.  Bake 15-20 minutes or until center is almost set.  Cool 1 hour on wire rack.

Place chocolate chips in small bowl.  In a saucepan, bring the cream just to a boil.  Pour over chocolate; let sit 5 minutes.  Stir with a whisk until smooth.  Stir in corn syrup; cool slightly. 

Pour over cheesecake layer; let stand 5 minutes.  Top with berries.

Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving, covering when cooled.

Sorry I don't have a picture of one after it's been cut.  They looked good.  I was surprised that they chocolate layer was quite a bit thicker than the cheesecake layer.  Still tasted great though.  You could use other berries...I might use sliced strawberries next time because I like them better than fresh raspberries (I find all those seeds distracting...).  Enjoy!