Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Lemon Cheesecake Bars are a sweet treat with a sugar cookie crust, a rich cheesecake layer and a tart lemon curd swirled throughout. They are fantastic dessert for any special occasion!

Lemon Cheesecake Bars

On May 12, 2014 I shared my very first recipe on my blog, which was then called Lavibu. These Lemon Cheesecake Bars were the perfect way to kick start my blog, seeing they were inspired by a recipe from my friend Julie, over at Julie’s Eats & Treats. She helped me get started with this whole process and I would have been lost without her!

I was craving something sweet so I was browsing through Julie’s blog, where I know I can always find something quick and delicious. That is where I came across a recipe for Strawberry Cheesecake Bites. This looked like it would be the start to something wonderful, but I wasn’t in the mood for strawberries so I decided to change them up with some lemon filling.

Lemon Cheesecake

My mom has this amazing lemon cheesecake recipe that makes way too huge of a cheesecake and is too time consuming for this particular craving. So I just stole the topping recipe from her cheesecake recipe and added it to these bars. I also decided to throw in a little lemon zest as I think it really helps that bright lemon flavor shine through.

The topping itself has a little bit of tartness which melds so perfectly with the sweetness of the cheesecake. After trying a small bar that was still very warm, as I have ZERO patience when it comes to just about anything, I knew they were going to be good. I decided to let them chill like the recipe clearly suggests… and man oh man, was the wait worth it.

These Lemon Cheesecake Bars were AMAZING. The chewy cookie crust paired with the rich cheesecake filling and the bright lemon topping was out of this world. I knew these were going to be trouble right away, so I began packing some up for a friend to get the calorie loaded goodness out of my house! I had to save a couple and of course and shared one with Sarah after the gym. (That is why we go to the gym…right?) She concurred that these were worth every calorie! 🙂

To get started, heat your oven to 350 degrees and spray bottom of a 9″x13″ pan with cooking spray. In medium bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, flour, lemon zest and 1 egg until crumbly dough forms. Press firmly into the pan. If you struggle to zest a lemon as much as me with a box grater, something I have found to be a life saver is my Microplane that some friends gifted me many years ago. These babies are sharp, so watch your fingers, but it will zest up a lemon in no time!

Bake 15 – 18 minutes or until light golden brown (Watch this closely as the bottom of the cookies get really done if you over bake!). Cool 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest and 2 eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread evenly over crust in pan.

For the lemon topping, mix the sugar and cornstarch in pot over medium heat and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the water and lemon juice to the sugar mixture and stir constantly. Once the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture begins to thicken slightly, remove from the heat. In a separate bowl, beat the two egg yolks before adding 2 Tbsp of the sugar mixture to the eggs to temper them.

Then add the tempered eggs into the sugar mixture. Put mixture back on medium heat and stir constantly for 3-5 minutes. Once the mixture has thickened nicely, remove from heat and dollop over the cheesecake mixture. Use knife to pull lemon from side to side through cream cheese mixture to create the lemon swirl.

Bake 25 – 30 minutes or longer until filling is set. Refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours.

Notes

Adapted from Julie's Eats & Treats