The mango cheese bar has a nutty shortbread base with creamy sweet Mango cheese filling with a hint of cardamom flavor. It is a delicious summertime dessert and an easy idea to use the fresh mangoes that are abundant in the summer.

Ingredients:

 Base:

• 84 grams of plain flour
• 23 grams of white sugar
• 1/4 cup of minced cashews
• a pinch of salt
• 55g of cold butter

Mango Filling:

• 220g of Philadelphia cream cheese at room temperature
• a pinch of salt
• 70 grams of sugar
• 100g of Fresh Mango puree, strain the puree to remove any fibers
• 1- large egg at room temperature
• A pinch of cardamom powder
• 1/2 tsp of Vanilla

Baking Tray:

• 6″ x 6″x 2″  Square pan
• Makes eight rectangle Mango cheesecake bar

Procedure:

Step1:

1. Cut the cold butter into small bite-size cubes.
2. In a small mixing bowl, add all the ingredients for the base and mix well with a spoon. Then, with the fingers, break the butter cubes and mix them with flour to form a crumbly dough. Work fast because the butter should remain cold throughout the process. 
3. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
4. Add the dough to the tray, press and spread evenly, and let it chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
5. Bake the base at 330F for 15 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven and place it on the countertop until the filling is ready.

Step 2:

1. Preheat the oven to 320F. 
2. In a mixing bowl, add cream cheese and mix well with a wooden spatula until smooth and silky, for 5 minutes or so.
3. Add in the sugar and slowly mix well until the sugar is combined with the cream cheese. If you touch the cream cheese, there shouldn’t be any sugar grains.
4. Break an egg into a small cup and, using a fork, combine the egg yolk and white. Pour the egg into the cheese batter and slowly mix the batter until combined. 
5. Lastly, add mango puree, cardamom, Vanilla, and a pinch of salt, and slowly mix the batter. 
6. Pour the mango cheese batter over the baked base and tap to remove any air bubbles.
7. Place the Mango cheese bar tray in a deep baking tray and fill the tray with hot water up to an inch or so.
8. Place the tray in the preheated oven and let the Mango cheese bar bake in the hot water bath for 30 minutes or so. While baking, open the oven door a couple of times to release steam built to avoid cracking.
9. To check if the mango cheese bar is ready, press the center of the filling lightly to feel the thick outer layer, and if shaken, the filling should sway slightly without any liquids.
10. Remove the mango cheese bar from the oven and let them cool on the counter. Once the Cheese bar has come to room temperature, place the plastic wrap touching the cheese bars and let it chill in the fridge overnight.
11. The Mango cheese bars should be refrigerated until served. Cheese bars can be frozen for 1 to two months and let thaw in the refrigerator before serving.