The first two things that I wanted to test in my new Baker's Edge pan were brownies and cheesecake because they are both dishes that can be very difficult to get a correct baking time for. It seems that the center always takes much, much longer to cook than the edges do, resulting in a very uneven, unpredictable final product. In the best cases, this is annoying, while in the worst, the whole batch has to be thrown away. The Baker's Edge is designed to eliminate the problem of having an under-cooked center and over cooked edges.

The Baker's Edge pan itself is very interesting. Instead of being one large, open space, the batter runs through a corridor of space created by the extra edges of the pan. The advantage to having so much "edge" on the pan is that the actual amount of "edge" in whatever you make is minimized. For example, when you bake brownies in a normal pan, you often have to wait a long time for the center to set properly. This extra cooking time leads to a wide and dry edge/crust on the brownies. With a pan like this one, you won't need all that extra cooking time and even though there are no "center" pieces, you don't really need them because there isn't a wide, overcooked crust to avoid.

My cheesecake bars turned out perfectly and, having made both over and under-cooked cheesecake bars in the past, I definitely attribute some of my success to the pan. Each piece was evenly cooked, with no runny centers or dry, hard end pieces. In addition to the even cooking, the nonstick surface didn't need to be greased to release the bars easily, although you shouldn't use anything that could scratch the surface when cutting the bars.

The recipe is incredibly easy to follow. While most cheesecake recipes have a graham cracked-based crust, this one has a shortbread crust that comes together in only a few minutes. You can mix up the batter while the crust bakes, then simply pour the batter into the hot pan. This saves a lot of time in the baking process because the crust doesn't have to be baked and cooled in advance. As with most cheesecakes, the filling puffed up substantially during baking, but defated by about half as it cooled. The cheesecake part of the bars is dense and creamy, but not particularly heavy. I love the subtle vanilla flavor in them, which allows a lot of cheese taste to come through.

To adapt this recipe to a regular 9x13-inch pan, the baking time should not have to be adjusted.

Cheesecake Bars

Recipe by Nicole Weston

Crust
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt

Filling
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup half & half/light cream
2 (8-oz) packages plain cream cheese, room temperature
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking pan (or used the Baker's Edge).
Begin by making the crust. In a large bowl, cream together sugar and butter, until smooth and fluffy, followed nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Working at a low speed, gradually beat in flour. Mixture will be crumbly. Press evenly into prepared pan and bake for 15-17 minutes.
While the crust bakes, combine sugar, half & half and cream cheese in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Add in eggs one at a time, waiting until each in incorporated to add the next, followed by flour and vanilla.
Pour the filling over the hot crust when it has finished baking. Return pan to oven and bake for 26-30 minutes, until the filling is set.
Cool completely before slicing (don't worry if the cheesecake appears to deflate as it cools), or refrigerate overnight.
Store in the refrigerator.
Makes 20-24 bars.


Note: Use full-fat cream cheese in this recipe, or substitute Neufchatel cheese to reduce the fat, but do not use whipped or fat free cream cheese.

[All photos and recipe by Nicole Weston]