These easy lemon bars have a sweet sugar cookie crust topped with a tangy lemon cheesecake filling and then topped with more sugar cookie crumble. The perfect balance of sweet and tangy.
This post was first published on August 30, 2016 – the recipe is the same but we have slightly updated photos AND added a video which you can check out below!Â
Last Saturday was my 31st birthday, and it was also national lemon bar day!! Except that it wasn’t, and I just made that up. The lemon bar part, it was in fact my birthday.
I spend all kinds of time conversing with people (I almost used the word conversating there only to find out that it isn’t actually a word, and that means I have probably been embarrassing myself all the time, but it’s cool). Anyway, I chat with people about what exactly they’d like to see on the blog. Some people want healthy things, some people want all of the chocolate. A couple of weeks ago it was all about my son and his big day and his favorite ORANGE BROWNIES.
But, for my birthday I’m just a small town girl living in a lemon world. So I “conversated” with myself and came up with these lemon sugar cookie bars…..
Happy birthday to me! No, I didn’t actually talk to myself.
Completely off the topic of lemon anything here, but I’d like to have a wee little chat about this whole Instagram story newfangled contraption. Is anyone using this? I’m attempting to use this. It only took me about a week to realize it’s just Snapchat on Instagram.
The first time I tried to use it I think I meant to take a picture, but did video instead. This lead me to sit and ponder if my new age of 31 has left me completely inept when it comes to all of the new apps, and the new things they do, and hashtags, and ok so, I’m not that old, but I am electronically disadvantaged, if you will.
Lucky me, I have an eleven (going on 25) year old that rushes to my rescue and shows me how to use the new Instagram story, because we can’t have mom looking like a crazy person. She only made fun of me just a little. Bless her heart.
Now, let’s get to talking….”conversating” about those lemon sugar cookie bar cheesecake things.
First things first, a couple of tips for you guys/ladies/human beings that take the time to read my blog.
1. Keep your extra sugar cookie crust in a bowl in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Don’t press it down in the bowl. You want it to be all willy nilly, that’s where the crumble on top comes from.
2. Please let your crust cool all the way before you add your lemon filling. I know, waiting is hard, but I appreciate you and the fact that you know if you do not let your crust cool, you will end up with a runny curdled mess.
These lemon bars were everything I could have dreamed of and then some on my birthday. I don’t need a present. I need sweet sugar cookie crust, topped with silky smooth lemon cheesecake filling, and then more soft sugar cookie crumbled on top.
These are really one of the most satisfying desserts I have ever had the pleasure of sinking my teeth into.
I did have a hard time naming them, let me be honest. They just aren’t traditional lemon bars, and they deserve a special name!
Here I sat, jotting down names. Doodling them on paper with hearts, like I was in 7th grade and had a crush on them.
Lemon sugar cookie bars?
Lemon cheesecake bars?
Lemon cheesecake sugar cookie bars?
I do have a crush on these. They’re that good. I hope you enjoy the lemony goodness as much as I did.
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Printable recipe for you below.
Lemon Sugar Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Sugar Cookie Crust:
- 1 Cup granulated sugar
- 1 Teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Cup butter at room temperature
- 2 Cups all purpose flour
Lemon Cheesecake:
- 8 Ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/4 Cup lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest divided
- 1/2 Cup sugar
Instructions
- For the bars:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Line an 8x8 or 9x9 inch square baking dish with foil and spray liberally with non stick cooking spray.
- In bowl of stand mixer using paddle attachment, or large bowl with hand mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Turn mixer to low and slowly add the flour (1/2 cup at a time) and mix just until dough comes together.
- Press half of the dough into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
- Cool completely before filling.
- Store remaining sugar cookie dough in a bowl in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- For the Filling:
- In bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, or medium bowl with a hand mixer beat together the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and 1 Tbsp. of the lemon zest until smooth and creamy.
- Pour filling over cooled crust.
- Top filling with the remaining sugar cookie dough by simply crumbling it evenly over the top.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until cookie crumble is light golden in color.
- Top with remaining lemon zest as desired.
These look absolutely wonderful. Anything lemon is good. Every day should be lemon bar day. Cannot wait to make these. Thank you Nichole for this.
Can you use store bought sugar cookie dough from the refrigerated section such as Pillsbury? Your recipe looks delicious and I’m definitely going to try it
Yes, you can 🙂
These are to die for!! I have made them twice now and both times they turned out great. However, the first time I did feel that the consistency of the filing was a little on the soft side, and the second time I made them I made the mistake of leaving them in the oven too long and the bottom crust was a little hard but the filling was perfect. I was also trying to get dinner on the table for the kiddos while getting out the door to a party, so my hubby was the one watching these. They were still absolutely delicious and everyone loved them! So I guess the timing in the oven is key when making these! I will definitely make them again! Would love to make them with coconut flour, but coconut flour requires more liquid, so not sure it would work!? Any suggestions?
Just double checking .. is the lemon filling slightly runny before pouring on top of the baked sugar cookie layer?
Do you use fresh lemon juice or lemon juice you cbuy in a bottle?
I use fresh, either should be fine. 🙂
I would like to bring these to a family BBQ and make them the night before. If I refrigerate overnight and until I leave for the BBQ. Can they be served at room temp or do I need to refrigerate until eating?
They can be served at room temperature.
Hello! Is the crust supposed to be pretty hard before adding the cheesecake filling? Before adding the filling, I baked them too long the first time and they were very hard. I baked them for less time the second time and they’re still kind of hard. Thanks!
I made these yesterday for our 4th of July family BBQ. They were a HIT!!! I even made a small pan using gluten free flour for my mom. Both were scrumptious!!! Definitely adding this recipe to my favorites. Can’t wait to make these for my father in law who is a fellow lemon fan!
What type of gluten free flour did you use?
How long should I wait after the bars come out of the oven before I can cut them?
Joni, it’s best to let these cool all the way before cutting. Usually for me, that takes an hour of them sitting at room temp. You can always stick the pan in the refrigerator to speed up the process.
I’ve baked plenty of treats for family, friends, and colleagues, and I’ve never received praise like after I made them these lemon cookie bars! It kind of made me feel like I’ve been making them garbage food up until now because they went so gaga over these bars. They are universally enjoyed; adults and kids raved about them. Everyone wanted the recipe. They commented on the perfect ratios of dough-to-filling, and sweet-to-tart. I’ve actually never posted a recipe comment, but I felt it necessary to come back and thank Nichole for this recipe. My popularity is thanks to you! My one change I made was just to add quite a bit more flour to get the dough to come together. The rest I followed pretty closely. And one tip: I took a lot of time to crumble the dough really evenly on top, which people seemed to really like. Thanks again, I highly recommend this recipe! <3
Megan! Girl, thank YOU! I appreciate you for your comments! I agree, taking the time to crumble the dough on top really makes these lemon bars look even more beautiful, and you get that topping in every bite. Thanks again, and I’m glad you and your family enjoyed the recipe. 🙂