Eggnog Bars Recipe

For Crust: Position rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 13-by-9-inch pan with heavy foil, letting foil extend over ends of pan. Butter bottom foil, including sides.

Mix graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add melted butter and stir until crumbs are evenly moistened with butter. Transfer crumbs to prepared pan. Using your fingers, press evenly over the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides of the foil. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool while you make the filling.

For Filling: Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees. With electric mixer, beat cream cheese on low speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Blend in the sugar and flour. Add the egg and egg yolk and blend until smooth. Stop mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl. Mix in the vanilla, rum and whipping cream. Pour the filling into the crumb crust. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Bake about 25 minutes, or until the filling looks set when you give the pan a gentle shake. Cover the pan loosely with paper towels and cool for 1 hour at room temperature. Discard paper towels and refrigerate for 1 hour. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.

To freeze: Use the overhanging edges of the aluminum foil to lift the cold bars out of the pan. Cut into 12 pieces. Use a wide spatula to slide each bar off the foil. Wrap individual bars in plastic wrap. Place in a metal or plastic freezer container and cover tightly. Freeze up to 1 month. Defrost in refrigerator for 5 hours or overnight. Store defrosted bars in refrigerator.