Cream Cheese Lemon Bars are the dessert you never knew you needed, but bake them once, and you’ll never go without them again. Sweet, cream cheesy, lemony, buttery, and so easy!
For more quick desserts, try my recipes for Apple Slab Pie, Salted Caramel Pecan Pie Bars, and Cream Cheese Lemon Crumb Cake.
Confession: I’m a lemon dessert lover. And a cheesecake lover. (If you’re a cheesecake lover like me, try my Perfect No Bake Cheesecake.) So it only makes sense that I put these two flavors together into one easy dessert, right?
Spring has sprung and with it my mindset has changed somewhat in terms of what flavors and foods I’m in the mood for. Even if the days are somewhat chilly and it’s not quite yet time to start the garden, I’m still thinking about cookouts, picnics, potlucks, and those days when friends stop over for a bit and end up staying through dinner. Those are the best days right?
These classic lemon bars are perfect for those days…well, for any day really! But, if you’re looking for a delicious dessert that isn’t too heavy and uses a lot of pantry and fridge staples, then this is it my friends!
Cream Cheese Lemon Bars
Cream Cheese Lemon Bars are the dessert you never knew you needed, but bake them once, and you’ll never go without them again. Sweet, cream cheesy, lemony, buttery, and so easy!
Ingredients
for the crust
- ▢2 cups all-purpose flour
- ▢½ cup granulated sugar
- ▢½ teaspoon salt
- ▢1 cup (2 sticks) butter – chilled and cut into small cubes
for the filling
- ▢8 ounces cream cheese – softened
- ▢2 cups granulated sugar
- ▢¼ cup flour
- ▢¾ cups fresh-squeezed lemon juice
- ▢⅓ cup powdered sugar – plus more for topping
- ▢6 large eggs
- ▢1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9×13 inch pan with foil or parchment with plenty of overhang around the edges to lift the bars out of the pan before cutting.
- Prepare the crust by combining flour, sugar, salt, and butter cubes in a food processor or blender. Cover and pulse until fine crumbs form. (You can also do this with a pastry cutter, fork, or with your fingers in a large bowl.)
- Press crust into prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes while you prepare the filling.
- Prepare the filling by combining cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl. Cream together until smooth. Mix in flour, powdered sugar, lemon juice, eggs, and vanilla until completely incorporated.
- Pour filling over crust and return to oven for 30 minutes.
- Allow to cool for about 20 minutes, then cover and transfer chill in the fridge 4 hours or overnight. Lift the foil edges to remove the bars from the pan, slice into squares, sprinkle with additional powdered sugar, and serve.
Notes
Flavor tip: add an extra 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon zest for even more lemon flavor!
Altitude adjustments: if you find that after the instructed baking time your bars have not set, simply continue to bake in 5-10 minute increments until center has set. If edges begin to brown too much, tent with foil and continue baking.
Nutrition
Calories: 316 kcal, Carbohydrates: 44 g, Protein: 4 g, Fat: 14 g, Saturated Fat: 5 g, Cholesterol: 62 mg, Sodium: 221 mg, Potassium: 63 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 32 g, Vitamin A: 630 IU, Vitamin C: 4 mg, Calcium: 26 mg, Iron: 1 mg