9 servings SERVINGS
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 1⁄2 cup chopped nuts
- 1⁄3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1⁄3 cup butter, melted
- 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 quart cherry ice cream, softened
- Whipped topping, optional
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan, and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, nuts, and brown sugar. Stir in melted butter until mixture is light and crumbly. Reserve 1 cup mixture for topping.
- Press remaining flour mixture onto bottom of prepared pan, and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until crust is set and golden.
- While crust is baking, combine cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla, and beat until smooth.
- Pour cream cheese mixture over crust as soon as it comes out of the oven. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture over the top, and return to oven for 25 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Cool completely on a wire rack.
- About 2 hours before serving, set the ice cream out to soften for 5 to 8 minutes. Carefully spread softened ice cream over crumb mixture in pan, smoothing as much as possible.
- Place in freezer for 2 hours.
- Remove from freezer. Cut into squares. Garnish each with a dollop of whipped topping, if desired, and serve immediately.
- NOTE: It’s best not to freeze the dessert any longer than 2 hours, or it will need to be set out at room temperature for the ice cream layer to soften, which will also soften the cheesecake-style layer.