Cream Cheese Flan

I made this for Cinco de Mayo (got it from Kraft.com) and I didn't even get a picture because it got gobbled up by the friends we were having dinner with!  Seriously, if you've ever tried to make flan before, you know that it can be a huge pain and sometimes the flan is totally not even that delicious.  This recipe was fairly easy/simple and taste was delish!  Really people kept asking me for the recipe afterwards, so I thought I'd share it with my favorite people.  Make it now or save it for next Cinco de Mayo...:)

what you need

2 cups  sugar, divided

1 can  (12 oz.) evaporated milk

1 pkg.  (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed, softened

5 eggs

1 tsp.  vanilla

HEAT oven to 350°F.

COOK 1 cup sugar in small saucepan on medium heat until melted and deep golden brown, stirring constantly. Pour into 9-inch round pan; tilt pan to evenly cover bottom with syrup.

BLEND milk and cream cheese in blender until smooth. Add remaining sugar, eggs and vanilla; blend just until smooth. Pour over syrup in pan. Place filled pan in larger pan; add enough hot water to larger pan to come halfway up side of small pan.

BAKE 50 min. to 1 hour or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool slightly. Carefully remove flan from water; cool completely on wire rack. Refrigerate several hours or until chilled. Unmold onto plate just before serving.

SIZE-WISE

Sweets can add enjoyment to a balanced diet, but remember to keep tabs on portions. One serving of this flan is 1/2 cup.

HOW TO UNMOLD FLAN

Bake and refrigerate flan as directed. Run metal knife around edge of flan. Invert onto plate; shake gently to loosen. Gently twist to remove pan. To soften any remaining caramel in pan, dip bottom of pan in hot water; spoon caramel over flan.

FLAVOR VARIATIONS

Prepare as directed. Choose one of the following options: Guava: Add 1/2 cup guava paste, cut into pieces, or 1/2 cup canned guava shells in heavy syrup to cream cheese batter before pouring into prepared pan. Lime: Add zest from 1 lime to boiling sugar mixture; remove from syrup before sugar caramelizes. Pour into prepared pan as directed.Cajeta: Add 1/4 cup cajeta (Mexican goat milk caramel) to cream cheese batter before pouring into prepared pan. Chocolate-Orange: Add 2 oz. BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted and cooled, and 1 Tbsp. orange zest to cream cheese batter before pouring into prepared pan. Coconut: When serving adults, omit vanilla. Add 1/4 cup BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut or 1/2 cup coconut milk, and 1 Tbsp. rum to cream cheese batter before pouring into prepared pan