Meyer Lemon Cheesecake Bars
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Meyer Lemon Cheesecake Bars
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Creamy, dreamy, lemon-packed cheesecake bars with a crispy lemon cookie crust and a swirl of bright and tangy Meyer lemon curd… like a cross between a lemon bar and a classic cheesecake, it’s the perfect bite for springtime!
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Ingredients
For Lemon Curd:
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- pinch pinch fine sea salt omit if using salted butter
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- ¼ cup Meyer lemon juice freshly squeezed, from 1-2 juicy lemons
- 1 ½ tablespoons butter salted or unsalted
For Crust:
- 6 oz lemon or vanilla wafer cookies finely ground
- 4 tablespoons butter melted
For Filling:
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
- 12 ounces full fat cream cheese at room temperature
- ⅓ cup sour cream at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch pinch fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ⅓ - ½ cup lemon curd you can also use store bought
Instructions
- **Take out your cream cheese, eggs, and sour cream at least an hour before baking; these ingredients must be at room temperature or you will end up with lumpy batter.
- To make lemon curd, in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, rub lemon zest into granulated sugar to release the flavorful oils. Whisk in cornstarch and salt until evenly incorporated.
- Whisk in egg until smooth and pasty, then whisk in lemon juice.
- Set saucepan over low heat. Continue to whisk regularly over low heat until the mixture starts to thicken. You can switch to a spatula at any point if you like. Continue to cook until curd reaches 170ºF and thickens enough that you can swipe your spatula through it and it will not fill in for at least 3-5 seconds.
- Remove from heat and whisk in butter until fully melted and incorporated. Strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove the zest and any bits of cooked egg. Let cool while you make the cheesecake (while you can make the curd ahead of time and refrigerate, let it come to room temperature before you try to swirl it in or it'll be too thick and hard to swirl).
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan; line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang over two of the edges.
- To make crust, pulse cookies in a food processor until very finely ground. Drizzle melted butter and pulse or stir until evenly moistened. Press into bottom of prepared pan. Bake crust for 8 to 10 minutes or until set, then remove from oven.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
- To make cheesecake filling, in a bowl, rub lemon zest with sugar until fragrant, then transfer to the bowl of a food processor (my tool of choice) or a stand mixer along with room temperature cream cheese, sour cream, flour, lemon juice and vanilla. Pulse until smooth, scrape down the sides and pulse again.
- Add eggs and pulse just a few times to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl once more to be sure all ingredients are evenly incorporated. Try not to overmix or you risk incorporating too much air.
- Pour batter into still warm crust, spreading into an even layer. Drop dollops of lemon curd over top of batter, and then, using a toothpick or skewer, swirl the curd into the batter (try not to go so deep that you touch the crust if you can).
- Bake for 28 to 33 minutes or until cheesecake is set around the edges but the center is still slightly jiggly (but not liquidy). Set pan on a wire rack to cool to room temperature, then lightly cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or two or overnight before cutting.
- Gently use the parchment to lift the entire slab out of the pan. Place on a cutting board and slice into 16 2-inch squares (use a large chef's knife, run it under hot water to warm it up and wipe it clean between each slice). Serve chilled or at room temperature. Bars will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to a month.
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