Lemon Cream Cheese Squares

Cookies 17 ingredients 5 steps

📷 stock photo

Ingredients

Base
1 cup flour
¼ cup powdered sugar
8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp, cut into 8 pieces
Egg white for glazing
Lemon Cheesecake Topping
10 ounces Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temp
½ cup plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
¼ cup plus 1 tbsp sour cream, room temp
6 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs, room temp
1 tsp vanilla
Sour Cream Layer
2 cups sour cream
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 8-inch square pan with butter.
For the base, process flour and sugar in food processor for 20 seconds. Add the butter and process until dough comes together, about 20-30 seconds. Pat the dough gently over bottom of the prepared pan and glaze it with the egg white: Pour the egg white on the dough and tip the pan from side to side so that the white spreads over the surface. Pour off the excess. Bake the base on the center oven rack until golden, about 25 minutes. Place the base in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to cool. Keep the oven on.
While base is cooking, prepare the lemon cheesecake topping layer. Place cream cheese, granulated sugar, and lemon zest in medium-sized bowl and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Stop the mixture a couple times to scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat on medium-high heat until smooth and creamy, about 10 seconds. Spread the topping evenly over the base.
Bake the bars on the center oven rack until the top is slightly golden, about 1 hour. If the topping bubbles up during baking, prick the bubbles with a toothpick. While the lemon cream cheese layer is baking, combine the sour cream layer ingredients in a medium bowl. Let sit to allow sugar to dissolve.
When lemon cream cheese layer is done, remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Pour sour cream mixture on top and return to oven for 10 more minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate. Cut into bars using a sharp knife and wipe blade between cuts.