RECIPE | Peaches & cream cheese bars

Makes: about 18 bars

Difficulty:  Easy, 40 minutes plus chilling time

Ingredients:

80g almonds, finely chopped

100g coconut biscuits, crushed

90g butter, melted

230g cream cheese, softened

2 large eggs

1 x 385g can condensed milk

60ml (¼ cup) lemon juice

5ml (1 tsp) almond extract

90ml cake flour, sifted

200g can peaches in syrup, drained

Method:

1) Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly spray a square pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

2) In a mixing bowl, combine the almonds, biscuit crumbs and butter with a fork until fully incorporated.

3) Press into the bottom of the pan. Beat the cream cheese until smooth and add the eggs, condensed milk, lemon juice, almond extract and flour. Mix until combined.

4) Reserve a heaped tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture and pour the rest over the crust.

5) Purée the peaches in a blender together with the reserved cream cheese mixture until smooth. Drop spoonfuls of the peach mixture over the top of the cream cheese mixture and, using the tip of a butter knife, gently swirl the peaches through the filling to create a marbled look.

6) Bake until the centre is set, about 30 minutes.

7) Cool completely then chill overnight before cutting into bars and serving.