Lemon Cheesecake Bars – My Baking Habit

A cookie crust, tangy cheesecake, and swirl of lemon curd make these lemon cheesecake bars a dream come true. Take these to your subsequent potluck and watch them disappear very quickly!

Since I’m type of the cheesecake queen, it is smart that I’d need to take cheesecake to simply about any occasion I’m going to.

However common cheesecakes aren’t the best in terms of sharing at a potluck or cookout, ya know?

Cheesecake bar recipes or recipes like my nana’s straightforward cheesecake actually are a lot simpler to chop and share with a bunch of pals.

After I was testing these lemon cheesecake bars, I took them to some cookouts and lemme inform ya, they have been a HUGE hit. 

I really like the combo of lemon with cream cheese, whether or not it’s in mini lemon cheesecakes, layered lemon dessert, or lemon cream cheese frosting. So clearly these lemon cheesecake bars are one in every of my favourite recipes I’ve made recently.

Bake these up, take them to your subsequent potluck, tailgate, or recreation evening, and also you’ll be everybody’s favourite visitor!

Shiny and tangy lemon cheesecake bars

These lemon cheesecake bars take all the pieces I really like about my traditional lemon cheesecake and switch it right into a extra moveable bar dessert.

The recipe begins with a crust made out of lemon sandwich cookies, with a little bit of added lemon zest (as a result of we actually love lemon round right here!). 

The creamy cheesecake filling is flavored with lemon juice and extra lemon zest and is swirled with lemon curd. The swirl bakes as much as create little pockets of lemon curd all through the bars.

The bars are tangy from the cream cheese, brilliant from the lemon, and just a bit bit candy from the crust. It’s the proper steadiness of flavors!

Methods to make lemon cheesecake bars

Elements you’ll want

These lemon cheesecake bars have a cookie crust topped with a lemony cheesecake filling. For the crust, you will have:

• 15 lemon sandwich cookies, crushed into crumbs
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Should you can’t discover lemon sandwich cookies, be happy to make use of vanilla sandwich cookies (aka vanilla oreos) as a substitute.

For the filling, you will have:

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 16 ounces room-temperature cream cheese
• 2 massive eggs at room temperature
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup lemon curd

For the smoothest cheesecake filling, make certain your cream cheese is at room temperature earlier than you begin baking. Should you neglect to set it out forward of time, take a look at my ideas for how one can soften cream cheese shortly.

I additionally counsel ensuring the eggs are at room temperature. When you have by no means completed this earlier than, I’ve bought a submit on how one can convey eggs to room temperature.

I really like utilizing my microwave lemon curd in these bars, however be happy to make use of your favourite store-bought lemon curd in case you choose.

Making this recipe

These lemon cheesecake bars are baked in an 8×8-inch pan. Earlier than you get began, line your pan with foil, leaving an overhang for eradicating the bars later, and spray the foil with nonstick spray.

To make the crust, combine collectively the cookie crumbs, lemon zest, and melted butter till nicely mixed. Press this into the underside of the ready pan—I like to make use of the underside of a glass to do that, however you should utilize your fingers, too.

Bake the crust at 325°F for 10 minutes. Go away the oven on and set the crust apart whilst you make the filling.

For the filling, add the sugar and lemon zest to a big bowl. Work the 2 components collectively together with your fingertips till the sugar is moistened and aromatic.

Add the cream cheese. With a mixer, beat on medium-high till clean and nicely mixed. This can take 2-3 minutes.

Add the eggs separately, mixing nicely after every addition. Scrape the edges of the bowl with a spatula as wanted. Combine within the lemon juice and vanilla till nicely mixed.

Pour the cheesecake filling over the ready crust. Spoon dollops of the lemon curd throughout the highest, then use a chopstick, skewer, or skinny knife to swirl the curd into the cheesecake filling.

Bake for 45-50 minutes. The perimeters ought to be set however the middle ought to nonetheless jiggle barely once you shake the pan. 

Go away the pan within the oven. Flip the oven off and crack the door open. Let the bars relaxation within the cooling oven for half-hour, then take away them to a wire rack to complete cooling.

As soon as cool, cowl the bars and refrigerate for at the least 3 hours or as much as 24 hours earlier than serving.