Lemon Bars with Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting
I was looking for a good, Springtime-y dessert for this year’s Easter dinner. My whole family is populated with chocoholics, but I thought it would be neat to try something new. These lemon bars are the perfect balance of tart-sweet, complemented beautifully with a buttery crust and a luscious cream cheese frosting.
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The Crust
INGREDIENTS for The Crust:
DIRECTIONS for The Crust:
- Preheat oven to 325F.
- Put the butter, flour, and sugar into a food processor and pulse in short intervals until it looks like coarse sand. Add the egg yolk, salt, and water and pulse to combine. If the dough is too sticky, add a small amount of flour until it comes together in a ball.
- Place the dough in the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ baking pan lined with foil. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from oven to cool slightly
The Filling
INGREDIENTS for The Filling:
DIRECTIONS for The Filling:
- In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice and the eggs and whisk until well mixed. In a separate bowl, combine the lemon zest with the sugar, flour, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients into the egg mixture and whisk thoroughly. Pour on top of the pre-baked crust and bake for 30 minutes, or until the center is set.
The Frosting
INGREDIENTS for The Frosting:
DIRECTIONS for The Frosting:
In a bowl, mix the cream cheese and 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar with a mixer until smooth. Add the lemon extract and beat until well combined.
Now to put it all together! Cut the bars into squares. Using a strainer, dust 2 tsp powdered sugar evenly over the bars. Use a spatula or a piping bag to decorate the bars with the frosting.