Cranberry Almond Cheesecake Bars

For the cranberry sauce:
In a small saucepan, heat cranberries, sugar and water over high heat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, uncovered, stirring often, until berries have burst and sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool down.

For the crust:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Add melted butter and stir until completely incorporated.

Grease and line an 8×8 in baking pan with parchment paper and lightly press the lour mixture in to the pan, making sure it is all evenly distributed. Bake for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 325ºF.

For the filling:
Meanwhile, in the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together cream cheese and sugar then scrape the bowl down. Add eggs, almond extract and vanilla and beat until light and creamy. Add sour cream and beat until well combined, scraping the bowl as necessary.

When crust is done, pour cheesecake filling in to the pan. Dot cranberry sauce all over the top then gently swirl around with a knife.

Bake cheesecake for 40–50 minutes, or until edges are set and middle is only slightly jiggly. Allow to cool completely in the pan.

Wrap the cheesecake (in the pan) in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to completely set for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably overnight. Serve cold.