Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

My grandma sent this recipe to my mom with a note that read, "I know you guys are trying really hard not to eat sugar, but you have I got to try this!" So, it was only filial duty that compelled us to make this... and the fact that it has a stick and a half of butter in it. And cinnamon, and cream cheese, and yeah, basically, it sounded delicious.

This past weekend at J.'s we made it together and had to wait the forever long 20 minutes for it to cool before we could slice into it. Throughout the process J. hadn't really seemed too impressed, but after the first bite, she was like whoa this is good. We went into the bedroom to watch TV and clip coupons from the newspaper, and I got engrossed in an article and set my plate down for a minute while I read. When I reached back over and picked it up J. looked up and said in a hurt voice, "When did you get seconds... wait, did you leave? Why did you get more without me?!" I had to explain that I didn't go anywhere, I just hadn't finished mine as fast as she did. So then she told me to hurry up and finish so we could get seconds. Yeah, it's that good.

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

2 cans refrigerator crescent rolls

2 8oz. packages of room temperature cream cheese (we used neufchatel and that works, too)

1 C sugar

1/2 C of butter (1 stick)

1 tsp. vanilla

Topping:

1/2 stick of butter, melted

1/4 C sugar

2 T cinnamon

1/4 C chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Well grease a 9x13" pan. Unroll one can of crescent rolls and press into bottom of pan. Cream butter & cream cheese, then cream in sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread in pan on top of crescent rolls. Unroll 2nd can of crescent rolls & spread over top of cream cheese mixture (you can slightly roll them out before hand to make them fit the pan better). Melt the 1/2 stick of butter and pour over crescents. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 20 minutes before cutting. I know this is hard, but it needs to "set" before you cut it... so wait patiently! Enjoy!