sweet cheese pecan bars

i've been finding a lot of pecan recipes that i want to try so i invested in a big bag of local pecans from the ranch supply store. the pecans are from marchbank pecans in logan, nm ($8.75 per lb) and they are so sweet and delicious. definitely a good investment considering the pecans at lowes are like $4 for 6 oz on sale and they are stale. the first pecan recipe i tried is the sweet cheese pecan bars. it's a layered dessert with crescent roll dough, sweet cheese and brown sugar pecan crumble. i like the way it turned out, especially since the cheese is really creamy. i would cut down the sugar in the cheese from 1 cup to 3/4 cup because the pecan mixture has sugar in it so i think cutting down the sugar in the cheese would balance out the too sweet flavor.

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cans Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls

1 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Powdered sugar (optional)

Directions

In large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla; beat on low speed until blended.

Unroll 1 can of dough into 1 large rectangle; press seams and perforations to seal. Press onto bottom of ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Spread with cream cheese mixture.

In small bowl, mix pecans, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. Sprinkle half the pecan mixture over the cream cheese layer. On lightly floured surface, press or roll out remaining dough into 13x9-inch rectangle. Place over filling. Sprinkle remaining pecan mixture over top.

Bake at 375 degrees F 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly on cooling rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cover and refrigerate leftovers.