Ritzy Rich Bars

My Ritzy Rich Bars are decadent, buttery and delicious. They are a shortbread cookie cheesecake turtle bar. The best part? They are made of finely ground Ritz crackers instead of flour. These are amazing and delicious!

The TODAY Show Food Club has a challenge right now for everyone to submit their favorite recipes featuring Ritz crackers. So, of course, I had to submit my favorite cheesecake bars made out of finely ground and sifted Ritz crackers instead of flour. I use the crackers in the shortbread cookie base and also in the cheesecake. A great way to take your Ritz crackers to the next level.

Ritzy Rich Bars

• Servings: 1 bar

• Yield: 12 servings

• Prep Time: 20 min

• Cooking Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• For the shortbread crust:

• 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

• ½ cup sugar

• 2 cups Ritz crackers, finely ground

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• For the cheesecake:

• 2 - (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup sugar

• ½ cup sour cream

• 2 eggs, room temperature

• ½ cup Ritz crackers, finely ground and sifted

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• ¼ cup caramel

• ¼ chocolate syrup or hot fudge

• ¼ cup chopped pecans

Preparation

1- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2 -For the shortbread crust, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add Ritz crackers and vanilla until thorougly combined.

3 -Press shortbread mixture into a 9x13 pan, lined with parchment paper.

4 -For the cheesecake mixture, cream together cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy. Add sour cream, eggs, Ritz crackers and vanilla until well combined. Then spread over the shortbread cookie mixture.

5 -Bake at 325 degrees for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes clean. (I like to bake on bottom rack for 45 minutes, then on top rack for the remainder of time.)

6 -Cool the bars in refrigerator, then add caramel, chocolate syrup and pecans before serving. Enjoy!