Lemon Cheesecake Bars

Leigh Anne Wilkes

You will need 3-4 lemons for this recipe

Crust:

3/4 cup butter, chilled

2 cups flour

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

Cheesecake:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

2 Tbsp. milk

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Lemon Layer:

4 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup flour

Crust:  Preheat oven to 325.  Cut butter into pieces.  In a food processor (or blender on low, pulse setting) Process all ingredients until mixture becomes tiny and fine pieces.  Sprinkle mixture into a 9 x 13 baking pan and press evenly into bottom of pan.  Bake for 12 minutes and remove from oven.

Cheesecake:  In medium bowl, blend cream cheese until smooth.  Add sugar and mix well.  Cream together the rest of the ingredients until smooth.  Pour cheesecake evenly over hot crust.  Bake 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 300.

Lemon layer: In a bowl whisk together eggs and sugar until combined well.  Stir in lemon juice and flour.  Pour over semi-baked cheesecake.  Bake at 300 for 25-30 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle powdered sugar over top if desired.

Cool for an hour and then refrigerate.  Can be served warm but better after it has chilled.  I let it sit out of the fridge 20-30 minutes before I serve it.  For families, it will probably be eaten as soon as they are out of the fridge.